Longtime Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit has found a new team, reports Jerry Crasnick. Doumit will head to the the Minnesota Twins on a one-year, $3 million deal that also includes incentives.
↵Doumit had been with the Pirates since 2005, and I would have liked to see him return, particularly given the very cheap price for which he signed - he's an excellent hitter for a catcher. Unfortunately, his weaknesses are well-known - he can't stay on the field and he's not nearly good enough behind the plate, and those things aren't likely to improve as he enters his 30s. He's also not very valuable as a right fielder or first baseman, as much as the Pirates would have liked him to be; he has little experience at those positions, and when he's played there, he hasn't looked good (although he does have a good arm in right). He might be able to serve the Twins well catching once or twice a week as Joe Mauer's backup, then starting once or twice a week at DH.
↵For more on the Twins, check out Twinkie Town.
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