tito to the twinkies

I just found out that the Minnesota Twins have claimed Brian Fuentes off the waiver wire. Tito, as he is known affectionately by his teammates, handled questions from the Angels beat writers with dignity and class. He did not bash the fans who have booed him on occasion, and he said he enjoyed his time and his teammates in Anaheim. He is not an archetypal closer with a 100 mph heater. He relies on off-speed pitches and the deceptiveness of the funky way he grips the ball. He will almost certainly not be the closer for the Twinkies as they have All Star righty Matt Capps as their ninth inning guy. But Fuentes definitely gives the Twins an effective left handed situational arm, and he will make them a better team coming down the stretch and in the playoffs, assuming they can hold off the White Sox in the AL Central. The Angels will get a Player to be Named Later in the deal. Fernando Rodney is likely to be the Halos' closer for the remainder of this season and in 2011. I'm not sold on Rodney, but that's a conversation for another time. I wish Fuentes well. He had big shoes to fill after Frankie Rodriguez left town. Fuentes blew some big games over the last two years, but he is exactly the kind of player I appreciate most - a gritty competitor who's steady and makes the most of limited physical gifts. Fare thee well, Tito...