After many weeks and even months of talk about Joe Crede becoming the Minnesota Twins third baseman for the 2009 season, it has finally happened. The deal was first reported by SI’s Jon Heyman and later confirmed by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The contract is worth 2.5 million dollars with incentives that could increase the contract to 7 million dollars.
Many of the Twins fans were questioning whether Joe was worth the estimated 5-7 million dollars that we were hearing about since the start of these talks. It appears that the Orlando Hudson signing, 3.4 million dollars, with Arizona made this deal possible. That deal didn’t help Scott Boras, who represents Joe, to try and get the 7 million he wanted.
I commend Bill Smith greatly for getting this deal done, as I was a fan of the Twins signing Crede from the very beginning. Toss in the fact that it’s only worth 2.5 million dollars right now and that is possibly Bill’s best move as the Twins GM. With this move, Brian Buscher will more than likely be sent down to the Twins Triple-A affiliate, Rochester, while Brendan Harris will become a utility player for the Twins.
Joe Crede will probably be the #5 hitter behind Justin Morneau in the lineup, thus bumping Kubel and Cuddyer down one spot. If Crede can stay healthy, I predict he will hit .270 with 19 HRs and 68 RBI.
Juan Cruz Update: I have been hearing that the Twins and Diamondbacks are close on an agreement for a sign-and-trade deal that would bring relief pitcher, Juan Cruz to the Twins. I will update this as I get more information.
Also look for a player interview very soon. To give you a hint, he is a top 5 Twins prospect that could be with the Twins in 2010. So keep an eye out for that.
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