Ex-Twin watch: Trevor Plouffe

Trevor Plouffe has not fared well at the plate for Oakland,
and the last-place Athletics are going to play prize prospect
Matt Chapman at third.

Trevor Plouffe celebrated -- if that's the verb -- his 31st birthday Thursday by getting designated for assignment by the Oakland Athletics.

Happy Birthday, Trevor. By the way, you're fired.

Plouffe signed a one-year deal worth $5.25 million with Oakland fairly late in the winter after he was cut loose by the Twins early in the offseason. He hit a dismal .214/.276/.357 with Oakland, and the A's decided to call up a prospect and cut bait with the veteran.

I would expect that Plouffe will clear waivers and accept free agency, whereupon he'll probably sign pretty quickly with somebody (Boston has been mentioned) in need of a third baseman. He'll come cheap -- pro-rated major league minimum, with the A's paying the rest of his contract.

But he hasn't hit for a couple of years, and his defense at third base has slipped. The rule of thumb is that half the 30-year-old players in the majors will be out of the majors in two years, and the ones who go are the ones who fail to hit (relative to their position, of course). Plouffe is looking for his third team in about seven months; assuming he finds one, he'd better hit, or he may not find a fourth.