Sunday Night Breakfast-Dinner and Baseball: Joe Mauer, Eric Hacker, Chase Lambin, Yorman Bazardo, Hisashi Iwakuma, 40-Man Roster and Dan Uggla

Hey, you can have breakfast food for dinner...that's why breakfast food is amazing.  Seriously.  By the way, how's that blizzard treating everyone?

• As most of you will have heard, Joe Mauer pulled down his third consecutive Gold Glove this week...not to mention his fourth Silver Slugger award.  Congrats to our superstar catcher.  This is the first time he's taken home the Silver Slugger without also winning the AL batting title.  Oh well, guess you can't have everything...
• In the first of three minor moves this week, the Twins signed pitcher Eric Hacker and added him to the 40-man roster.  He'll be 28 next season.  As Seth points out, it's nothing to get excited about even if it does add some much-needed depth to Rochester's pitching staff.  The most telling quote is the Tweet from Ben Badler:  "Scout on Eric Hacker: 88-92, works both sides, average slider, stuff very hittable, solid AAA-type arm."
• The second move was to sign 31-year old infielder Chase Lambin.  Again, I recommend you read what Seth has to say on the signing as you'll get everything you need to know.  Or, if you're short on time, here's what you need to know in an even shorter format:  not a 40-man roster adding, and barring injuries or terrible infielder play we'll never see him in a Twins uniform.
• Finally we get to move number three, which is the signing of right-hander Yorman Bazardo.  He'll be 25 next season, and in parts of four seasons has appeared with the Marlins, Tigers, and Astros.  He's struck out 37 and walked 34 in 60.1 Major League innings while posting a 6.86 ERA.  While his minor league track record is better, as he's posted a 3.89 ERA in 1091 innings, his peripherals have never been anything to write home about.  He wasn't added to the 40-man roster either.
• Hacker's addition to the 40-man roster leaves the Twins seven spaces to work with over the next few months.  This will make Minnesota's decisions on their nine arbitration-eligible players very interesting:  Delmon Young, Francisco Liriano, Alexi Casilla, Pat Neshek, Glen Perkins, Matt Capps, J.J. Hardy, Kevin Slowey and Clay Condrey.
• There's a good take on Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma, Minnesota's bid on him and what it implies for their off-season over at MLB Trade Rumors.  Their conclusion:  the Twins are definitely looking for another starting pitcher, which illustrates pretty clearly their confidence in Carl Pavano returning.
• The big news this weekend is that the Marlins have cut off negotiations with slugger Dan Uggla, and that they're looking to move him.  The Twins haven't been involved, at least not publicly, and I doubt they will be.
• Blizzard, anyone?

That's it for today.  See you tomorrow!