Phillies In Serious Pursuit Of Michael Cuddyer

The Phillies agreed to bring Jim Thome back earlier today, and now they're after another player that wore a Twins; uniform in 2011. Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports that the Phillies are in serious pursuit of Michael Cuddyer, and his friendship with Thome could work in Philadelphia's favor. Cuddyer, 33 in March, would help the Phillies in a number of ways. As a right-handed bat, he'd balance out their left-handed heavy lineup. His versatility would also allow him to fill in at first while Ryan Howard is recovering from his ruptured Achillies, platoon with Domonic Brown in the outfield, and even spell Placido Polanco at the hot corner on occasion. A career .272/.343/.451 hitter, Cuddyer pounded lefties to the tune of .311/.403/.589 in 2011. He's a Type-A free agent and the Twins will certainly offer him arbitration, so the Phillies would have to surrender their first round pick to Minnesota if an agreement is reached.