Everyone would like to see Jim Thome traded to a contender, but that’s harder than it sounds. Chances are slim the Twins could get him on the roster of a great team no matter how hard they tried. And the team most desperate for and likely to gain his services might be hard for Twins fans to stomach.
 
Thome can only be traded to any MLB team IF he gets through waivers, and that’s unlikely. He’s a real asset and he’s cheap, so there is almost no reason for a team NOT to claim him. In fact, not only is it highly unlikely that 29 teams would pass on him, he probably would not get past the fifth team in priority. Because if he was put on waivers today, the order would go…
 
Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics, CHICAGO WHITE SOX…
 
The White Sox, you’ll recall, tried to fill Thome’s absence from their lineup by signing left-handed slugger Adam Dunn to a 4-year, $56M contract. That’s been a disaster, as Dunn has posted a .164 BA from the middle of the lineup, including just 3 hits in 80 at-bats against southpaws. Thome is EXACTLY the player the White Sox need to heal that gaping wound.
 
There are all kinds of other interesting facets to the White Sox claiming Thome. He’s originally from Peoria. It keeps him close to his family. He has some history there, which could be both good and bad given how the White Sox basically rejected him prior to him joining the Twins. But no matter how Thome and the Sox feel about each other, there is almost zero chance the White Sox wouldn’t claim him, even if it just meant keeping him away from the Tigers.
 
So, for all you big-hearted folks wanting Thome to get his shot at a ring – does it change things if he’s gets the White Sox their second championship in the last seven years? I won’t think any less of you if you admit it does – cuz it kinda does to me, too.
 
 
Fellow Twins ancient blogger Aaron Gleeman and I are trying something new: we recorded our first joint podcast talking about all things Twins. Most of it centered around Thome’s 600th home run and Delmon’s legacy, though we mixed in some other topics, too. We’ve had about 1500 people download it so far, and the response has been pretty positive.
 
You can check it out here or find it and subscribe at itunes here. Please listen and let us know what you think, because we’re tentatively planning on publishing these on a weekly basis through the World Series, and we’d love feedback and ideas. Thank you.