I gotta say, I agree. If nothing else, watching the 40 year-old chase 600 home runs will be a lot of fun. There is no guarantee he will come back, and it probably won’t be any big loss if he doesn’t, but it definitely sounds like Thome would prefer to re-sign with the Twins.

Of course, Thome isn’t the only free agent the Twins are considering bringing back. We will probably know as early as Monday whether Carl Pavano will be a Twin next year (or for the net three years), so I thought this would make a great poll question. Do you guys think the Twins should bring Pavano back? The pros and cons of re-signing the righty, after the jump. (more…)

Jim Thome’s agent recently confirmed that the 40 year-old slugger is planning to return for the 2011 season, and he’s been in talks with the Twins, among a few other teams. We all know how great Thome was for the Twins last year, so bringing him back seems like a no-brainer, but he will be a year older and he really can’t do much else besides mash taters (though that in and of itself is enormously entertaining to watch). Parker Hageman has already weighed the pros and cons of bringing back the vanquisher of Pale Hose postseason hopes, and I suggest you read his excellent post. This bit in particular sums up my feelings on the subject perfectly:

Because the Twins have to run a 162-game marathon before they can even enter the three-game sprint, the focus should be on conditioning for the long run before the short burst. If they can acquire a viable, inexpensive right-handed option like one of the few listed above, the Twins will be better prepared for the post-season than they were a year ago. If they forgo that route to retain Thome, they still have a roster capable of inflicting plenty of damage as well and the possibility of finding right-handed help, if need be.

I don’t have much else to add, so let’s just get to the poll: