From across the diamond, Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire always admired the way Joe Crede played – good glove, pop in his bat, hard-nosed guy.
Gardenhire and the Twins are going to get a close-up look from now on.
After sitting idle for more than four months following a season in which they lost to the White Sox in a one-game playoff for the AL Central title, the Twins agreed to terms with Crede on a one-year deal on Saturday.
Provided Crede’s back holds up, he will fill a major need for the Twins at third base.
The 30-year-old Crede had major back surgery in each of the last two seasons. He hit .248 with 17 homers and 55 RBIs last season for Chicago. But the All-Star played sparingly in the second half because of recurring back trouble, which limited him to 47 games in 2007.
recommended, I said yeah, I would love to have this guy. Absolutely.”
“I have never talked to Joe Crede besides saying ‘how are you doing?’ on the field. ‘You’re killing me, take it easy on me.”’
Twins general manager Bill Smith and assistant GM Rob Antony negotiated off and on with Crede’s agent, Scott Boras, for more than two months without reaching a deal. The San Francisco Giants also showed interest in the free agent.
Crede topped 20 homers in three straight years, including a career-high 30 in 2006, before back problems held him to 144 games total in the last two seasons.
“We’ve seen him do some damage over the years against us and hopefully that translates the same way when he’s on our side,” first baseman Justin Morneau said.
This spring also represents a new start for Kris Benson. The overall No. 1 pick in the 1996 draft, he signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers on Saturday.
The 34-year-old last pitched in the majors in 2006, going 11-12 with a 4.82 ERA for Baltimore. He has a career record of 68-73 with a 4.34 ERA with the Pirates, Orioles and New York Mets.
Benson missed the 2007 season after having surgery to repair a torn right rotator cuff. He was 1-4 with a 5.52 ERA last year in 11 starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, the Philadelphia Phillies’ top affiliate.
oal and mindset is totally set on making this big league team,” he said. “I paid my dues last year. I have nothing in the back of my mind that says I’m going to go to the minor leagues. I just want to get to the big leagues and back to the way I was before the surgery.”
Jason Isringhausen reported to the Tampa Bay Rays’ spring camp, and manager Joe Maddon was looking forward to seeing the former All-Star reliever on the mound.
“We’ll take it slowly in the beginning to make sure everything is in order,” Maddon said. “Obviously, he could be a big boon to us if we get this guy back and well.”
Isringhausen, who was released by St. Louis after last season, agreed to a minor league deal with the AL champions on Friday.
“This kind of popped up pretty quick,” Isringhausen said. “We had talked one time before and we weren’t going to do anything, and then it popped up again.”
Isringhausen has 293 saves and a 3.61 ERA in 13 big league seasons. He had surgery in September to repair a partial tear of his flexor tendon in his elbow. He was 1-5 with 12 saves and a 5.70 ERA in 42 games last year.
Add A Comment