Twins sign Crede
I think we finally got lucky, lots of upside and it's not the "Mike Lamb signing part Deux", right? Downside: the Twins front office will now have an example of a 'free agent signing' they got for their Monty Burns-type offers without acknowledging they pulled a rabbit out of a hat.
Fans up here are kinda salivating, talking ourselves into this one without regard for his injuries? LaVelle's blog gushes "this-man-fills-a-doorway big" & while it might be true it should be reserved for the Texerias and Berkmans of the world not the Credes.
Overall, I love the deal. Anyone want to take a stab at his 2009 numbers? Assume he stays healthy and plays around 130ish games.
3 Comments:
Take back that comment I made on lack of excitement about the Twins for Spring Training from the other day, for sure. I'm having a difficult time discerning whether the primary source of my giddiness is (a) the fact that if he stays healthy we just filled probably our biggest hole and added 5 wins to the team, or (b) the fact that we're getting him from the White Sox, where he was about the only guy I could stand and the fans lurved him. Probably the latter. I can't wait to hear the Hawk moaning about the exodus of yet more fundamentals and defense, and how it went Northward to the Dome.
What's the batting order, anyway? We really need GoGo to mature and step up here, I think. Gomez, Span, Mauer, Morneau, Crede, Kubel, Delmon, Casilla, Punto is a fairly solid lineup. This is all without Cuddy, who I'm assuming for purposes of this exercise will be either hurt or traded before the deadline. Wishful thinking, I know.
Also, Sage Rosenfels. I like it. He looks like Stanchfield. Obviously, his tendency to turn it over is a problem, but he wasn't playing with AP in Houston and he doesn't have Andre Johnson here so he won't be putting it up 35 times a game.
February 23, 2009 at 3:57 PM
MCA - I second everything you and Stenerud have said. The Crede signing is low risk, high reward, unless he literally blows out his back in spring training. Plus, the angst on the South Side will be palpable every time their 3rd baseman either pops up to end an inning or boots a double-play ball.
I also like Rosenfels. He gets way too much attention for those horrendous turnovers that cost Houston the game against Indy. But in reality, he was a solid QB last year when Schaub was hurt.
February 24, 2009 at 11:28 AM
Veeeerrrrryyy interesting theory here:
http://tenthinningstretch.blogspot.com/2009/02/bill-smith-made-sizeble-splash-in-free.html
This guy basically argues (with some pretty solid numbers) that the White Sox and their hitting philosophy are to blame for Crede's decline in performance over the last several years, and that Minnesota may be a perfect recovery place for him. The theory goes that he was chasing and failing to hit sliders away, so, in true Sox fashion, they said "just pull the ball whenever you can and hit some bombs." Vavra don't buy that, homey - go with the pitch and drive it to the gaps when you have to. That could be a perfect strategy for Crede.
February 24, 2009 at 6:44 PM
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