Joel Zumaya Signing Could Do Wonders for Minnesota Twins

Joel Zumaya used to be one of the hardest throwing relievers in all of baseball before shoulder and elbow injuries presumably derailed his career. Thanks to the Minnesota Twins, Zumaya will get an opportunity to resurrect that promising start.

The Twins have agreed with Zumaya on a one-year, $800,000 contract with an additional $100,000 in bonuses according to the Minneapolis-Star Tribune.

On the surface, the move looks like the Twins trying to catch lightning in a bottle like they did so many times with Adam Everett, Tony Batista, and Mike Lamb. However, like most of the signings in the previous Terry Ryan era, this could turn out to be one of the best moves of the Twins' offseason.

Zumaya comes incredibly cheap, which because of the Pohlads' unwillingness to continue to spend money on payroll, is a huge benefit for the Twins. It's not just that; Zumaya is a low risk signing.

If Zumaya comes to spring training and shows the control he had in 2008 and 2009 (44 walks in 54.1 innings pitched combined), the Twins can send him to Triple-A Rochester and hope he regains his form.

However, if Zumaya pitches like he did in 2010 (11 walks in 38.1 innings), the Twins suddenly have a flame-throwing setup man ready to go in the bullpen. Then again, that's where things get messy.

Zumaya was having a good 2010 season until he faced Delmon Young on June 28, 2010. That's when Zumaya fractured his elbow while throwing a pitch. It's also the last pitch Zumaya has thrown in the major leagues.

The big question is whether Zumaya's arm is healthy enough to return to his 100 MPH form, but do the Twins really need that?

Even if Zumaya can hit 93-96 MPH with control like he did in a recent workout in Houston a couple weeks ago, it would be a huge boost for a Twins bullpen that was relying on Jim Hoey last season.

If Zumaya can be somewhat effective for the Twins and stay healthy, I believe this signing will be a success and help fill a void in 2012.