BRET BOONE

The Twins have a rich history of giving one last MLB gasp to aging stars and fading former stars.  But for every Jim Thome there are five guys like Mike Lamb, Tony Batista, Ruben Sierra, and Jasons Bartlett and Kubel (2014 models).

Bret Boone's decline in productivity was the sharpest of them all.  Some (including Jose Canseco in his book Juiced) speculate that Boone's ascendance to stardom was less than natural.  He had become a very solid second baseman by the late '90s, hitting in the mid .250s every year with around 20 homers and elite defense.  In 2001, the first year of his second go-round in Seattle, the 32 year old exploded for a .331 average, 37 home runs, and a league-leading 141 runs batted in.  In the three years that followed, he averaged about 28 homers and 102 RBI per season.

But in 2005, everything fell apart.  In July, he was hitting just .231 with only seven home runs.  The Mariners shockingly designated him for assignment.  A few days later, the Twins picked him up.  In less than three weeks with the Twins, Boone came to the plate 58 times.  He amassed nine singles, four walks, three RBI, and no extra base hits.  On July 31, after only 20 days on the roster, the Twins pulled the plug on Boone.  He did not play another major league game.