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.

According to an online profile written by the Central in Focus few months ago, Oliveros is a pretty solid power pitcher. He has a fastball in the mid-90s that occasionally gusts to 97 mph, and his slider is a legitimate out pitch. In the short term, the Twins have assigned him to AAA Rochester, and it will be good if he can develop his changeup while he’s there. One would assume he’ll be called up in September when rosters expand, and he’ll almost certainly figure into the Twins’ bullpen plans for 2012. (more…)

Delmon Young is a Twin no more. After Detroit placed a waiver claim on the 25 year old outfielder, the Twins dealt him Monday afternoon for prospect Cole Nelson and a player to be named later. The Twins were already in Detroit to play the Tigers, so Young had plenty of time to walk over to the home dugout, put on a brand new uniform, and start Monday’s game in right field.

He wasted no time showing his former team what he thought of the move. In the bottom of the first, Young raked a Francisco Liriano slider to left field for a home run. Ironically, the Twins had been waiting for Young to display a little more power, as this was just his fifth homer of the year. In the fifth inning, Young made a nice running catch to rob Trevor Plouffe of a possible double. Before the trade, the only thing more frustrating than Young’s lack of power was his subpar fielding. (more…)