(*) This is my fourth offseason covering the Twins and the first time I can remember them closing in on signing a significant free agent, the way they are with Casey Blake. Now, they just have to fend off the Dodgers.

I know there are concerns about Blake’s age - 35 - but he has averaged 598 plate appearances over the past six seasons. He lives in Indianola, Iowa and seems like a great fit.

Don’t overlook his versatility. You could pencil him into the starting lineup at third base, but he could move to left field, right field and first base, if injuries arise. He even played some second base for the Dodgers during the playoffs.

(*) Sometimes you see a trade rumor that just leaves you shaking your head. Danny Knobler is a well-respected, veteran scribe and has countless contacts around the game. I made calls to Twins and Rays sources, and from what I gathered, the Rays very well could have called the Twins to let them know Bartlett was available, probably in an attempt to get Denard Span.

As Knobler said, the talks didn’t go very far. The Rays do need an outfielder, and they are ready to turn shortstop over to prospect Reid Brignac. Bartlett was voted their team MVP, but he’s going through his arbitration years, and the Rays are deep with talented shortstops with Brignac and last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Tim Beckham, coming through the system.

(*) I know everyone wonders if the Twins truly are shopping Young. Let’s just say I get the feeling they’re listening if teams are interested. They have five legit starters for three outfield spots and DH - Young, Span, Michael Cuddyer, Carlos Gomez and Jason Kubel.

I think the Twins would move Young in the right deal, but with his value down from a year ago, they’re also in no hurry to give him away.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008 at 8:04 am and is filed under Twins thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.