Fortunately for the  Twins, the Oakland Athletics have prevented Minnesota from making another questionable decision by stepping in and signing Inge. Combined that with the 7-3 win over the Royals to avert a homestand sweep, and the Twins have dodged two bullets today.

Brandon Ing is one of the few remaining Tigers not to join the Twins. Photo by Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

Inge was once an excellent player, but at this point in his career with the Twins roster as it is, he would have added little if anything to the Minnesota lineup or bench. Several years ago, Inge was an intriguing player who could play a couple of the toughest positions on the diamond – third base and catcher – and hit with power. He socked 27 homers in 2006 and matched that feat again in 2009, nearly leading the Tigers to division titles in both seasons. But Inge is now less than a month shy of his 30th birthday, and he is not the player he used to be. In 102 games last season, Inge recorded an abysmal .265 on-base percentage, and he is just 2-20 at the plate this year.

Other than the fact that they’ve always admired Inge’s style of play, it is not exactly clear what the Twins were thinking they could accomplish by signing him. His recent poor hitting means that he was highly unlikely to spark a sudden Twins surge in the standings, and his age means he would never be a long term solution at third base. As a Twin he would have taken at bats away from Danny Valencia, at bats that the Twins should be using to determine whether Valencia is a viable MLB third baseman. As a backup third baseman, Inge would not have provided the team with anything that Sean Burroughs does not have, and his right-handed bat would not allow him to sub for Valencia against tough right-handed pitchers. Some pointed out that Inge could serve as a third string catcher, since Joe Mauer and Ryan Doumit are often both in the lineup, but it is dubious at best that he could fill that role; Inge has not caught in the Major Leagues since 2008.

From here, it seems the only reason the Twins wanted Inge is because they like to go after former Tigers on general principle. Phil Dumatrait, Luke French, Casey Fien, Wilkin Ramirez, Mike Hollimon, and Brendan Wise have all recently signed minor league deals with the Twins after spending time in the Tiger system. The Twins added farmhands Lester Oliveros and Cole Nelson from the Tigers in last year’s Delmon Young trade. And earlier this month they claimed Clete Thomas off waivers from Detroit. Some of those players are quite talented, and the Young trade in particular is looking like a good move now, but the sheer number of ex-Tigers that the Twins have been stockpiling makes one wonder if they have an unhealthy obsession with last year’s division winner.

Stay tuned, because we might need a Tiger intervention soon.

The Twins claimed Detroit outfielder Clete Thomas off waivers Saturday. That in itself was not a mistake, but whoever assigns jersey numbers to the players callously decided to award Thomas number 36. Most Twins fans know that number as the one that was on Joe Nathan‘s back for the last eight seasons, but regular readers of Puckett’s Pond will probably recognize a deeper significance to 36.

Left-hander Jim Kaat wore that number for Minnesota from 1961 through 1973. He won a Twins record 189 games and 12 Gold Gloves while wearing that number. He also appeared in two All Star games and went toe to toe with Sandy Koufax three times in the 1965 World Series with a 36 on his shirt. But even though Kaat came within two votes of being elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame this winter, the Twins have not retired his number. This has become a cause celebre for a certain Puckett’s Pond writer with a lot of time on his hands, and that writer will keep complaining about this until the Twins do something about it.

Clete Thomas wore 36 with the Detroit Tigers. He should not wear that number with the Twins. Photo by Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

No disrespect is meant to Thomas, of course. Thomas has a respectable line of .256/.336/.391 in parts of three seasons with Detroit. He can more than adequately play all three outfield positions, and he can fill in as a left-handed pinch hitter with moderate power or a speedy pinch runner. Basically, Thomas offers the Twins everything that Ben Revere offers, with the added bonus that the team can now afford to send Revere down to AAA for some regular playing time.

The Twins have had their eye on Thomas for a long time. They drafted him in the fifth round back in 2003, but he chose to attend college instead. After a couple years at Auburn, Thomas’s draft position actually dropped a bit, as the Tigers nabbed him in round six. He showed some versatility in the minors, putting up a line of .267/.348/.399 with 148 stolen bases in parts of seven minor league seasons. He also knocked out 30 doubles in two different seasons and hit 12 homers last year at AAA.

But Clete Thomas is no Jim Kaat.

Kaat started his MLB career at age 20 and stayed in the Majors until he was 44. He was one of the original Minnesota Twins back in 1961, and he suffered through those first few losing seasons along with Minnesota’s fans. He was still there when the team started to contend for pennants, and he was a crucial part of the 1965 team that actually won one. That season he won 18 games and posted a 2.83 ERA. In 1966, he was even better, winning an AL Best 25 games. Kaat was never the best pitcher in baseball, but he was among the top tier starters in the game for a very long time. Much like his teammate Bert Blyleven, Kaat carved out his place in team history by being a dependable workhorse year in and year out. Also like Blyleven, Kaat transitioned to the broadcast booth when his playing days were done, winning over more fans with his likeable on-air personality.

The Twins have given away number six over a dozen times since Kaat left, most notably to Nathan and Kevin Tapani. They need to stop doing so. Jim Kaat is one of the titans of team history, and he deserves the same honor the Twins have given to Blyleven, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, Rod Carew, Kirby Puckett, and Tom Kelly.

Retire number 36, Twins. It’s the right thing to do.