Earlier this week word leaked that the Twins had placed both Jim Thome and Jason Kubel on revocable waivers. There is currently word that Thome has been claimed by AL Central rivals the Cleveland Indians, although the White Sox were in play at some juncture and they had the worse record at the time of the claim. However, Wednesday Night Baseball on ESPN has word from a White Sox executive that they didn't make the claim. This flies in the face of what we heard earlier.
We know that the Indians have a level of interest in Thome. Do they have enough interest to work out a deal with the Twins if they were the claiming team? I'd have to believe somebody would place a claim on Thome, and it would be a nice bookend to his career to see him finish a Hall of Fame career where it started.
We've also heard that Kubel has been claimed, but he's bound to require a bigger return than Thome due to his age and ability to field a defensive position.
Of the two, Thome is the more likely to be moved. Trading Kubel would not only guarantee Michael Cuddyer's return to the Twins for 2012 (and more than likely beyond), but along with Delmon Young's departure would definitely help facilitate the development of Ben Revere, Rene Tosoni and possibly Joe Benson next season.
We'll know more in the morning. Onto 2012!
