So the White Sox have shaken things up this morning by getting Ken Griffey Jr. (XM Radio is reporting that Griffey has agreed to the deal, which he needed to do.)  Obviously, the White Sox are strengthening themselves for both the AL Central race and a run into the postseason. The plan would likely be for Griffey to play center field, with Nick Swisher going to first and Paul Konerko’s ailing bat leaving the lineup. Griffey hasn’t played center since 2006, but his zone rating in right field (the best defensive stat, in my opinion) is fourth best among regular right fielders in the majors.

His offensive numbers are .245 average/.355 on-base/.432 slugging. A quick comparison: Kubel is .266/.329/.452. Delmon is .291/.333/.392.

The take here is that the Twins will need to do something today. The Boof-for-Rich Aurelia deal would give the Twins a right-handed bat that’s a small upgrade over Brendan Harris at third base, even though Aurelia has played mostly at first since he joined the Giants last season. It would also provoke a yawn from here.

Keep in mind that the playing field on deals can change every 15 minutes between now and the 3 p.m. deadline. With the Manny Ramirez talk, for example, there have been all sorts of deals that have been talked about as if they’re on the verge … and then they don’t happen. And Jason Bay, Pittsburgh’s slugging right fielder (.282/.375/.519, 22 HR) was reportedly headed to Tampa Bay yesterday and now is being talked about as part of a three-team deal involving Manny.

Power? Right-handed bat? Canadian? Boy, I’d like to think the Twins are working behind the scenes on that one.

Bay is under contract through next season (at $7.5 million for 2009, according to a Pittsburgh report) and would make a fine gift to the people of Minnesota from Twins management in preparation for the new ballpark. And, frankly, I think the Twins could put together a package that the Pirates would find reasonable. After all, the Pirates are a last-place team that has room for Luis Rivas and Doug Mientkiewicz on their roster.

Do I give them Span, Slowey and their choice of Kubel, Young or Cuddyer for Bay? I think so. Do you? (Friends, please don’t try to get him for a second-tier shopping list. You know, “Uhhhh, let’s trade Boof, Punto, Lamb, Harris, Livan and Bass for Bay.) If the Pirates are willing to take Jeremy Hermida as their haul in a three-way Manny deal, I’d think the Twins could create something attractive with the inventory on hand.

Do I like Mauer/Bay/Morneau batting two/three/four starting tomorrow? A lot.

Back in the days before 24/7 sports saturation, deals always seemed to occur on a continuum. There’d be rumor… talks… and then a deal. I don’t fault contemporary reporters for having a lower batting average than their counterparts of a previous generation. They are stepping up to the plate a lot more, with information that may well be current in the moment of their conversations with sources.

Yesterday afternoon, for example, it was thought that Brian Roberts wasn’t available from the Orioles. By last night, though, that seemed to have changed. That’s still the No. 1 deal involving the Twins that I’ve heard about. That would be a good one, for now and the future.

But the fact that there was no chatter about Griffey-to-Chicago or Pudge-to-New York before those deals became public gives me hope that the Twins are working on something big. To think they can sustain their offensive momentum for two months with Punto replacing Casilla is silly thinking.

I want Jason Bay here tomorrow.

other people are here too

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 at 9:15 am and is filed under Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.