There is a report out of Philadelphia that the Phillies are making a robust effort to sign Michael Cuddyer. This would be a favor to the Twins, for it would prevent a management with a great fondness for Cuddyer from spending limited resources on a sizable, multiyear contract for a 33-year-old outfielder.
The Twins' decision-makers are having a tough time making the adjustment from contenders to rebuilders. They are stuck in the memory of six division titles from 2002 through 2010, rather than the reality of 99 losses and the worst record in the American League in 2011.
A case can be made that injuries caused a share of those losses, but only a modest share. The manner in which the Twins pitched and fielded, and the way that key players failed to produce when they were in the lineup, tells us this still was a 90-loss team.
The Twins enter this offseason situated in the basement of the AL Central. The future is later, not now. And the way to hasten the arrival of that future is not to bring back an outfielder who turns 33 on March 27, or a closer who turns 37 in 10 days.
That's Joe Nathan, of course. Hopefully, General Manager Bill Smith was just being kind last month when he indicated the team would like to sign Nathan as a free agent.
Spending half of what figures to be $20 million available dollars for the 2012 payroll on Cuddyer is questionable. And what would make it foolish is that a three-year contract would be required.
Cuddyer is a Type A free agent. The current labor agreement calls for the team losing such a free agent to get a No. 1 draft choice (if the signing team had a top-15 record) and also a pick immediately after the first round.
The players association is trying to get that changed in the current negotiations. And there's a good chance it will succeed, since MLB negotiators are more interested in putting restrictions on signing bonuses for draft choices than protecting teams losing veteran players.
