Back problems might already be a concern for Placido Polanco, who’s already dealt with multiple injuries over the past three seasons. (Image Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)

Name a part of the body and chances are good that it’s kept Placido Polanco out of the lineup at one point or another. The oft-injured veteran third baseman, who’s also now 37 years old, struggled to find much interest on the open market this past winter and wound up signing a one year, $2.75 Million deal to join the Miami Marlins. It would seem, according to NBC Sports’ Hardball Talk’s Aaron Gleeman, that Polanco is already running into some health concerns as he’s once again experiencing pain and soreness in his back.

He’s been sidelined since Saturday and had been scheduled to rejoin the lineup today, but was a late scratch leaving his status in doubt.

Limited to just 328 PA this past season with the Philadelphia Phillies, Polanco hit .257/.302/.327 with just 2 HR and 15 2B. As Gleeman points out, Polanco suffered from knee, finger, and back problems in 2012. He dealt with a hernia, toe, hip, elbow, and finger problems in 2011. His injury history is a spotty one that would cause any team to have some concerns, but given Polanco’s age the concern becomes magnified. It doesn’t sound as though he’s going to miss significant time, but back concerns are easy to flare up again so it’s too tough to say this won’t be the last we’ll hear of this issues for Polanco.

Miami doesn’t have many internal options to cover third base should he miss a significant portion of time. Initially some of the at bats might be split between Nick Green, Greg Dobbs, and potentially even Chone Figgins as those three already project to be on the team’s 25-man roster. Other possibilities could include Zach Cox, Matt Downs, and Kevin Kouzmanoff.

Polanco was limited to just two games in the second half thanks to a back injury. Image: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

The contract, once official, makes Polanco the second-highest paid member of the Marlins.

The 37-year-old has missed much of the past two seasons due to injury, but was the starting third baseman for the National League in the All-Star Game of 2011. He also took home a Gold Glove award for that year. Polanco had previously won two such awards as a second baseman.

Polanco provides very little power, but makes contact at a high rate. With Juan pierre slated to lead-off, Polanco’s an ideal number two hitter who is adept at going the other way and hitting deep in the count, which will give Pierre an opportunity to run. While neither Pierre nor Polanco is anything close to young, if healthy these two should give Miami enough of a spark at the top of the order to make sure that Giancarlo Stanton hits with men on base as often as possible.

For Polanco, this is a chance to get regular at bats, which is something he wasn’t going to find annywhere else. If he plays well, there’s a good chance he’ll find himself in another pennant race, as almost assuredly the Marlins will be trading anyone with any value that makes more than the league minimum.

Hearing Marlins so unhappy with 3B options, they’ve been checking out Miguel Tejada in winter ball. Also kicked tires on Polanco & Inge.

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) December 19, 2012

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.

Apr 9, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Boston Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis (20) bats against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. The Red Sox beat the Blue Jays 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

Youkilis has been the subject of trade rumors, especially with Will Middlebrooks impressing at the hot corner in his absence. A National League special assignment scout told Cafardo, “The Giants are one of a few teams who are actively looking. They would love a guy with some power. The Phillies are looking, and even though the Rays say they aren’t, don’t be surprised if they try to pick someone up.’’

It is interesting that the Tampa Bay Rays would be interested, and it would seem like they would DH him if he is acquired. It would be interesting to see how the Rays would fit him into their line-up with Evan Longoria at third and Carlos Pena slotted comfortably in at first base.

The Giants need all the offense they can get, but the most interesting trade scenario of the three is the Philadelphia Phillies. They desperately need to add a big bat, and Youk is that guy for them. Placido Polanco is a below-average hitter, even if he is a slightly above-average player.

Adding Youkilis and becoming buyers would dispel the notion that the Phillies are sellers. If he can show that he is healthy and the nagging injuries won’t hold him back, then Youk will be the run-producer that this team craves and needs. The Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino rumors would be put on the shelf, and Youkilis provides a big, 125 wRC+ offensive upgrade for this team.

Last season, the Red Sox slugger was worth 3.7 WAR, but it was the worst year of his career since 2006. While Youkilis is on the decline, he is better than his 3 WAR ZiPS projection, but that’s only if he’s healthy enough.

The drop-off between Youkilis and Polanco offensively is spacious, but the difference between them in terms of overall value is about 1.5-2 wins. That’s still substantial enough, and the offensive upgrade alone makes it worth it. This team needs some solid pop and, especially, his high OBP and great patience at third.

Youkilis isn’t a great player anymore, but he’s an upper-echelon hitter at his position and is a 3-4 win player. The rumors will pick up as the Red Sox shop Youk, and don’t be surprised if they get an offer they can’t resist from one of those three teams; especially the Giants.

The former World Series champs did not make it to the playoffs last season due to a severe lack of offense, but they parted with a significant pitching prospect in order to add Carlos Beltran, a rental, to help boost their offense. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them get desperate for a bat like Youk’s at third and give up a little too much for the declining veteran. He’s still a good player, and overpaying for him could be worth it for the Giants, as long as he produces at a .360 wOBA rate and is healthy for them.

Be sure to check out all of Call to the Pen’s transaction breakdowns for the 2011-12 offseason. You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen or like us here on Facebook.

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