Monroe Sticks Around

I'm a bit late to the party on this one, but the Twins earlier today agreed to terms with Craig Monroe on a deal that will probably, although not necessarily, see him playing with the Twins next season. The deal, as reported by Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune, will pay Monroe $3.82 million next season -- a full 20% less than Monroe received last year, and the maximum that the Twins could cut Monroe's salary. The agreement means that the Twins now owe the Cubs a player-to-be-named later -- said player to be agreed upon by the two teams at some point before May 1. Joe C doesn't expect the prospect to be much more than a warm-body in the minor league system.

Signing Monroe now looks a lot better than it did before the Twins acquired Delmon Young. Monroe will probably get bats in LF, RF, and at DH, and when he's not starting he should be a nice player off the bench for the Twins. His salary isn't chump change, but it's also not breaking the bank for a player who could potentially provide a benefit for the team. I'll talk more about Monroe as we get closer to Spring Training, when I discuss his probable role the team in more detail.

Finally, Monroe's contract is non-guaranteed, which means that if the Twins don't like what they see out of Monroe in spring training, they can ditch him and get out of the bulk of his salary. With a player like Monroe, who struggled mightily last year, this kind of deal makes a lot of sense. It gives the Twins a great deal of flexibility going into the Spring, and means that there isn't a huge amount of risk up front on the deal. This isn't the splashiest of moves, but I generally like it. Hopefully it pans out.