Twins Sign Thome!

The hot stove league is abuzz about the Twins’ interest in and ultimate signing of Jim Thome. Most “experts” seem to feel that the signing the slugger is an abject waste of resources: Kubel broke out last year in the DH role, and the Twins are already too heavily loaded with left-handed bats.

Granted.

But consider the following reasons why Thome may make a lot of sense:

• He’s a natural fit for spotting Morneau's infrequent days off.
• With the loss of Gomez, any injury in the outfield will require Kubel take a spot in the field, thus opening up the DH spot. Without Thome, that spot goes to someone like Brendan Harris. Yuck.
• Thome is a Twins killer, where he has hit 57 home runs, 142 RBI, and a .628 slugging percentage against us during his career. Having him on our bench instead of a place like Detroit will save us a dozen or two runs.
• The Twins haven’t had a legit power hitter off the bench since, what, Don Baylor? Sheesh.
• Given his heath, age, and status, offering an incentive-laden contract akin to what was offered Crede last year mitigates risk.

The Twins needed to make a move other than standing pat, especially with the launch of the new ballpark. While he’s past his prime, signing Jim Thome is something that can get the fans energized. Hats off to this franchise for being creative and signing this slugger.