The local Twins beat writers just can’t catch a break. Peter
Gammons, the man behind the news of Justin Morneau being put on waivers,
reported on his Twitter account this morning that 2012 AL Silver Slugger winner
Josh Willingham has also been placed on waivers by the Minnesota Twins.
“With Josh Willingham on waivers, AL teams
see an interesting stretch run bat” -@pgammo
It’s time to say goodbye, folks.
Willingham would be a great DH for any American League team
looking for a push during this pennant chase, much better than Justin Morneau,
in my opinion.
Of course, Willingham can also play the outfield, but is
just a step above the statue of Delmon Young in left field. Throw in the bum knee
that Willingham has had this season, it makes him a little tougher to deal.
There is one major difference between Morneau and Willingham
in the trading game. Morneau is a free agent at the end of this current season,
Willingham is a free agent at the end of the 2014 season. That essentially
one-year, $7 million contract could be an attraction for some teams.
The fact of the matter is the Twins outfield is getting very
tight, very quickly or at least Twins fans hope that it is.
By the end of next season, fans should be seeing a starting
outfield of Oswaldo Arcia, Byron Buxton and Aaron Hicks. Sure, Willingham could
be the Twins’ DH, but if you can get a good deal for Willingham you must pull
the trigger.
The DH spot can filled by a lot of others already. If
Morneau is resigned, Trevor Plouffe if he is still around with the imminent arrival
of Miguel Sano, Chris Colabello, or really a million other possibilities.
I’m not saying trade Willingham just to trade him. If you
are only getting an offer of a bucket of balls and a family pass to the Water
Park of America, pass on it, but if you get an offer of a couple prospects and
those prospects hopefully being a pitcher or two, you must pull the trigger.
It’s all just a
waiting game now and, or as Freddie Mercury would say, we're just waiting for
the hammer to fall.
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