It's not the perfect fit for the Twins' bench, but adding Jim Thome should help.
Thome can be the guy who gets the big blast in the ninth inning to save the day, or he can be the guy who knocks a starter out of the game in the sixth or seventh. He's someone opponents will have to worry about when they ponder late-inning matchups. (photo, above, courtesy of Marlin Levinson).
Teams already had to check their inventory of lefty relievers for Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Now there's Thome.
I know the Twins have daydreamed about having a threat off the bench. Now they have someone with 564 career homers.
Thome's presence could affect Delmon Young's at bats. Or even a few of Jason Kubel's. But also remember that Justin Morneau was injured the last several weeks of the season, and Thome could get steady time if someone breaks down.
One small correction from our original post: Thome can earn up to 750K in bonuses.
I also have heard that Thome will be in town in time for the Diamond Awards on Thursday night and definitely will be at TwinsFest this weekend,
The Twins could have added a good bat off the bench who could fill in adequately at a couple of positions. But Thome could work out well, in a Rusty Staub kinda way.
