The Twins signed Jared Burton as a minor league free agent on Nov. 11, 2011. They did so knowing that he was on the rebound from right shoulder surgery and he would have to be protected to a degree in his workload.
This was one of the few things that worked well for the 2012 Twins, as Burton worked 62 innings in 64 games, registered a 2.18 ERA and held opponents to a .186 batting average.
The Twins were impressed enough to sign Burton to a two-year contract. He turned 32 in early June, and at that point it seemed to be a very wise decision by Terry Ryan's front office.
Burton had made 27 appearances in 2013, holding a lead 13 times, saving two games and losing two leads. He had a 2.03 ERA and opponents were batting .204.
A month later, the Twins are in position to contemplate if it is time to start protecting themselves from Burton.
He blew another game Monday night, entering with the Twins holding a 4-3 lead over the Yankees in the eighth, and leaving with one out, rookie Zoilo Almonte at third, and the Twins trailing 5-4.
Manager Ron Gardenhire came to get Burton to the accompaniment of boos and shouts from the second deck with the message, "Way to go, Gardy."
The folks following this team — and Monday's paltry crowd of 29,619 indicated that number is in serious decline — have grown increasingly unhappy with Gardenhire's loyalty to Burton as his eighth-inning man.