CREDE SIGNING A SIGN OF CHANGE

For many years, the Minnesota Twins have been correctly perceived as a frugal (read: "cheap") organization that was typically unwilling to sign "name" free agents.

Forays into free agency have produced such busts as Livan Hernandez and Bret Boone. These were scrap-heap signings and reclamation projects at best. In the case of Hernandez, there was reason to believe he could eat innings as a starting pitcher. Instead, he spent too much time eating other things.

With a new stadium opening in 2010, there is a fair expectation that the Twins will be willing to spend more money in the name of fielding a competitive team. With the way this organization develops talent, it's not about buying expensive free agents with eye-popping contracts. It's more about keeping the players they develop for more than just their arbitration years.

Saturday, the Twins signed third baseman Joe Crede to a one-year deal. It's not a huge investment, as they are only paying Crede $2.5 million guaranteed for this season. The only way it becomes a huge investment (up to $7 million) is if Crede stays healthy and is productive enough to justify having him in the lineup practically every day.

Of course, it's not a sure bet Crede will do any of this. He's been felled by back surgery each of the last two seasons. Agent Scott Boras, who could probably convince a team to sign a dead guy for $1 million plus incentives, says Crede is 100 percent. I'll believe it when Crede crosses that 525 at-bat barrier in his contract.

To do that, Crede not only has to prove he's healthy, but he has to prove that the last two seasons are nothing but a back-related aberration. My guess is that if Crede goes for anywhere near the .237/.293/.412 he's posted in 502 at-bats over 2007 and 2008, Twins fans will be seeing a lot of the Brian Buscher/Brendan Harris combination at third base. The Twins have shown a willingness to eat small one-year contracts in the past when they haven't been working out. They'll do it again with Crede if he doesn't give them any reason to keep him around.

This is, however, a huge positive for the Twins. They have had a need at third base for a long time. We can only hope that their decision to pursue Crede is a sign that the organization is more willing now to sign veterans to fill holes when they don't think they have the personnel on hand to do it. Crede is not a Livan Hernandez or a Bret Boone. He's a guy teams would have wanted at the right price, but he and Boras scared them off with demands of eight figures. The Twins waited it out, knowing no one would meet those kinds of demands for a guy off multiple back surgeries.

It's the right move at the right time. Now, the team benefits from a slugging third baseman who may just relish the opportunity to burn his former team 19 times in 2009.

IS ROLSTON'S AGENT TO BLAME?

I opined last week on the Brian Rolston negotiations, hoping loudly that the Wild would pull the head out of the posterior and get the deal done.

The history of this organization suggests that a loss like Rolston will not come with any kind of corresponding move. Same for Pavol Demitra, who is (thankfully) almost a lock to depart. While I won't mind one bit if Demitra leaves (especially if he goes to screw up division rival Vancouver's offense), but that's another hole somewhere on the Wild's top two lines (depending on the result of Jacques' most recent line juggle).

Upon further review, I may just be an idiot. Maybe.

Negotiations with the Wild’s Brian Rolston is at a sensitive juncture.

The Wild has grown frustrated with Rolston’s agent, Steve Bartlett. GM Doug Risebrough says the Wild has not received a single counteroffer from Bartlett.

I still think the Wild should bend the budget a little bit to get Rolston in the fold. He's got 96 goals in three years, and he's willing to play the style Jacques Lemaire demands. These kinds of players don't grow on trees, and they do have tremendous value in the "new NHL".

However, if this is all true, the dummy here might be Bartlett and not Risebrough. Actually, the real dummy could end up being Rolston.

Asked if the Wild has made its final offer, Risebrough said: "Probably, because the other thing is, [not receiving a counteroffer] doesn't motivate you to want to do anything else, either. When you've made three [offers] and haven't got one, it doesn't motivate you to make four."

Reached Saturday, Rolston said: "I haven't reached my agent as of late. I'll get in touch with Steve, but we've been talking all along. I don't have much to say. We've been here the whole time listening to offers."

Rolston said Bartlett's philosophy is not to make counteroffers. He said maybe that needs to change, but he maintains the Wild needs to offer him "market value" or he will go elsewhere. Risebrough has said there's a difference of opinion in Rolston's "market value."

This is the part about professional sports that I despise, and I wouldn't miss it for a second if pro sports simply vanished one day.

First off, I think it's ridiculous that Risebrough wouldn't be motivated to re-sign Rolston because the agent isn't presenting any counter-offers.

They said "No", Doug, and that means your offer wasn't good enough. Or maybe it just flat-out sucked.

However, if Rolston feels that a counter-offer would be productive in the talks, and he were truly serious about staying in Minnesota, wouldn't he call his agent and demand that one be made?

Maybe I'm wrong here, since I am just a fat, unathletic guy who never played hockey, but doesn't the agent work on behalf of the player? If Rolston wants to stay in Minnesota, doesn't the agent have a duty to make that happen, even if it means making a counter-offer?

Reality is probably closer to this:

Brian Rolston doesn't give a crap if he ever plays for the Wild again. He just wants to make sure he maximizes the potential of what could be his final significant NHL contract. In a year where the free-agent pool is painfully thin, he's right to hold out for the right offer.

Whenever an athlete comes out and makes a comment that infers a lack of communication with his agent (i.e. "We haven't spoken much in the last couple weeks"), it's usually done in a way to suggest that he's letting the agent get the job done with little interference("We're listening to offers"). The reality is that the average professional athlete doesn't sincerely care where he plays. He just wants to get paid what he thinks he's worth. Time as an elite performer in any sport is severely limited by Father Time, after all.

I have no problem with this. Why do they think they have to lie about it?

ROLSTON APPEARS SET FOR FREE AGENCY

This probably isn't good news for Minnesota Wild fans.

Rolston maintained that he wants to stay in Minnesota, but the Wild has to hit his “market value,” which is expected to be substantial regardless of his age in the year of an average free-agent class.

Ack.

Since I talked to Brian Rolston yesterday and couldn’t get Doug Risebrough on the phone, today I sat down with Risebrough for his rebuttal. Risebrough said there is a difference in opinion as to what Rolston’s market value is.

You can read all about it in Friday’s paper, but he said in his opinion, market value is different from team to team. He essentially said if Rolston wants to play for more money on a losing team, he’s got that right. But the Wild has to place a value on him, and if Rolston wants to play for what Risebrough considers a winning team in a great market and wonderful place to live, he may need to make a decision and leave some money on the table.

Emphasis mine.

If Doug Risebrough said this, he's an idiot. Plain and simple.

Brian Rolston has scored 30 goals in three straight seasons. The list of guys who have done this and are going to be available in the offseason is pretty thin. Admittedly, this means Rolston's market value is bound to be higher. There are a number of NHL teams looking for goal scoring this summer, and not a ton of guys who can deliver that.

Furthermore, the Wild suffered a dreadful goal-scoring slump in their first-round playoff loss to Colorado. While Rolston's poorly-timed and sometimes poorly-conceived decisions with the puck were partially to blame for some of these problems, this really isn't the time to dump a guy who has scored 96 goals in a Wild uniform.

If Risebrough is dumb enough to let Rolston go, who replaces him on the top (or second) line? Benoit Pouliot? Aaron Voros? The Fridge?

The history of this organization suggests that a loss like Rolston will not come with any kind of corresponding move. Same for Pavol Demitra, who is (thankfully) almost a lock to depart. While I won't mind one bit if Demitra leaves (especially if he goes to screw up division rival Vancouver's offense), but that's another hole somewhere on the Wild's top two lines (depending on the result of Jacques' most recent line juggle).

Do they go after Olli Jokinen? That's a lateral move, but certainly an acceptable one. How about Ryan Malone? Sure, Bugsy has Pittsburgh roots, but he also has Minnesota roots, having produced a stellar career at St. Cloud State before turning pro. But while Malone has definitely grown as a player, and he had a super postseason, his career high for goals is 27, which happened to come in a contract year. He's the classic example of a guy you let someone else overpay (Hi, Columbus!).

If this notoriously cheap franchise is ever going to take a serious step in the right direction, they have to go after someone in free agency to bolster this roster and restore some faith in this franchise. The fans here are great, but they won't stick around forever. Assuming that they will is a big mistake.