Twins Sign . . . Matt LeCroy???

In what is sure to be one of the strangest moves the Twins make all year, Matt LeCroy was signed to a minor league contract yesterday. If he makes the big league club, he'll get $500,000 - which really is a pittance for a veteran player, so I can't complain too much about the money. The odd thing (or, perhaps I should say the oddest thing) about this signing was Terry Ryan's justification for it: "We're looking for some depth in the catching ranks. He's one of the good guys in the game. It just made a lot of sense."

Now, I'm not going to disagree with the "good guy" comment. I like LeCroy - I like his personality, I think he has a good attitude in general. But, of course, General Managers shouldn't be making decisions on who to signed based on who is a good guy and who isn't. I suspect that this is one of the reasons that the Twins offered a contract (and therefore, arbitration) to Lew Ford this year (and please, Lew, feel free to prove me wrong by making the team and being fantastic).

But it's the statement about the Twins seeking "catching depth" that really stings. We're talking about Matt LeCroy - the guy who the Twins didn't feel comfortable keeping around exactly because he wasn't a good catcher. And need I remind anyone of last year's game between the Astros and Nationals in which LeCroy was pulled in the middle of an inning because he was being stolen off of at-will? The game in which Frank Robinson cried because he felt so bad about removing LeCroy? Is Terry Ryan really justifying this signing by saying that the Twins need Catching depth?

Normally, I go along with Terry Ryan. I think he's a great GM. And if he wants to sign Matt LeCroy to a minor league deal and see what happens - well - he's earned the right to do so (after all, he's the GM). But justifying the signing in this way? Well, that's just plain silly.