Marlins Shopping for Clearance Rack Third Basemen

The Miami Marlins are in need of a third baseman and, according to Jayson Stark, they’re looking in unusual places.

Inge was an all-star in 2009, but it’s been downhill ever since. Image: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

If nothing else, this little nugget is interesting to me because my dad and I were just talking the other day about how there has been no mention of Brandon Inge this off-season, despite the incredible lack of third base talent. In a market where Jack Hannahan can get a multi-year contract, one would have expected Inge, who drove in 52 runs in 74 games with the Oakland Athletics last season, could at least get a shot on a big league club.

Of course, given the events of the off-season so far, it may be a stretch to call Miami a big league club.

The idea of signing Tejada borders on crazy. At this point, he doesn’t even have any box office pull remaining, and he’s shown over the past several seasons that he also doesn’t have anything left in the tank as a major league ballplayer. He hooked on for his third tour of duty with the Orioles last season on a minor league deal, but never made it back to the big club.

Polanco, 37, has dealt with multiple injuries over the past few seasons and has seen his production fall off along with his playing time in each of the past two seasons. He may be useful as a reserve bat who can fill-in at second or third, but he’s not likely to make through a full season healthy at this point in his career.

In a market full of bad options, Inge looks like a guy who be the best of the bunch. He’s not young at age 35, but he still has decent pop in his bat and can still play better than average defense at the hot corner. On most clubs I’d say he’s a useful reserve, especially given his ability to play virtually anywhere on the field. With the Marlins, Inge could keep the third base position warm until some of their kids are ready to take over.