Twins Sign Grudzielanek In a Steal

Not surprisingly, the Twins are in the middle of a pennant race in the AL Central. As the season has evolved, every solution they've tried at second base hasn't worked. They're a winning team with a hole to fill, so it's not a big surprise that Minnesota added a veteran second baseman yesterday.

The surprise is that they didn't have to do it via trade.

On Sunday, the Twins added Mark Grudzielanek, recently of the Royals, without sacrificing anything. He hasn't played yet this year, and hasn't even suited up for nearly 12 months, for that matter. Still, Grudzielanek represents a low-cost, potential high-reward solution for Minnesota where the Twins won't have to trade away any integral parts of their far system to solve an infield problem.

It's another clever move by an organization that is full of them. When healthy in Kansas City, between 2006-2008, Grudzielanek hit .300, with an on-base precentage of .412. Sure, he's 39 years old, but he's been sitting on the shelf, cooking up motivation for a comeback where he can prove he's still got it.

So what does Minnesota have to lose? Nothing, really. It was a natural move and perfect fit, because if Grudzielanek doesn't work out, that can just open up another slot for a young player to get promoted down the stretch.

Will it work? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain: Minnesota's smart for taking the chance, simply because it has so little to lose.

By Cameron Smith |  July 20, 2009; 3:35 PM ET  | Category:  Royals , Twins
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Posted by: jca-CrystalCity | July 20, 2009 4:37 PM

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