When Michael Cuddyer got hurt, it reminded us why the Twins have been looking for more than just a DH in their trade pursuits. Yes, they need a bat. But they also need players who can move around the diamond and not kill them defensively.

Shea Hillenbrand is sitting home right now, for example, after being designated for assignment by the Angels. But, according to industry insiders, the Twins have not pursued him because they’re looking for more defense than Hillenbrand can provide.

Ty Wigginton is a utility infielder, and the New York Post reported this morning that the Devil Rays would be willing to move him to the Yankees for reliever Scott Proctor. Right now, the Twins need someone who can play right field while Cuddyer is healing, and then play left field or possibly even third base when the team moves closer to full strength.

Other players mentioned in this trade target series, Matt Stairs and Kevin Mench, could still be fits. But the name we’re throwing at you this morning is Reds utility man Jeff Conine.

Twins scout Larry Corrigan was spotted at the Reds/Marlins game on Thursday. Corrigan is responsible for all of the team’s National League coverage, but at this time of year, it would make sense that he’d be watching potential trade targets.

Full disclosure: Conine is a personal favorite. I covered him with the Orioles in 2002 and 2003, but he’s also a favorite of former Florida Marlins’ teammates Mike Redmond and Luis Castillo. The Twins have had interest in signing Conine in recent offseasons.

Name: Jeff Conine, Reds 1B/OF

Basics: He turned 41 on June 26. Bats R, Throws R. 6-1, 225 lbs. Born in Tacoma, Wash. Played for UCLA and signed with the Royals as a 58th-round pick in 1987.

Stats: Batting .262 with 5 home runs and 26 RBI. A .323 on-base percentage and a .411 slugging percentage. He batted .280 after getting moved from the Orioles to the Phillies last August.

Salary: $2 million. He’ll be a free agent at season’s end. Because only 41 percent of the season remains, a team acquiring Piazza today would owe him $815,000.

Good Twin because: He’s a professional righthanded hitter and he can move around the diamond. The Reds haven’t used him in the outfield because their outfield is stacked. But last year, he played 56 games in left field for the Orioles. Then, after getting moved to Philadelphia, he played 25 games in right field and 12 in left. Conine helped the Marlins win a World Series in 1997. In 2003, Conine was playing for the Orioles, but Florida traded for him again, and he helped them win another World Series.

Available?: Yes. The Reds are 41-56, and while there has been much speculation that they’d move Adam Dunn or Ken Griffey Jr., it’s more likely that they’d move Conine or Kyle Lohse. Yeah, the guess here is the Twins would pass on Lohse.

Probable cost: The Twins could probably get him for an A-ball prospect.

Potential Batgirl nickname (*You know, if she still ran the greatest blog ever): Everyone calls him Niner. But Batgirl could work her magic in the nickname department, possibly playing off the fact Conine is a world-class racquetball player.

Odds this trade happens: 8-to-1. Remember, since Wayne Krivsky left to become the Reds’ GM, Terry Ryan has made three major league trades (four if you count Darnell McDonald) and two have been with Krivsky.

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 21st, 2007 at 11:22 am and is filed under Around MLB, Trade Targets, Twins thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.