It doesn’t take long for baseball’s hot stove to get fully cooking.

Minnesota Twins fans have already seen former designated hitter Jim Thome agree to a one-year deal to go back to the Philadelphia Phillies. And the latest rumor is that the Phillies are making a big push for outfielder/first baseman Michael Cuddyer.

Cuddyer was the Twins’ do-it-all utility player last season. With so many injuries to deal with, it’s hard to imagine how bad Minnesota’s 99-loss team could have been without his services.

But considering the state of the Twins organization, Cuddyer joining the Phillies makes a lot of sense. He fills a lot of their believed needs:

• A right-handed bat
• An outfielder
• Someone that can play first base if needed after Ryan Howard tore his ACL in the playoffs. Howard could miss a few weeks in the regular season depending upon his recovery.

Week 9 NFL picks

I didn’t get around to posting any Week 8 picks. It was kind of a hectic weekend last week with a death in my family. I went 3-1-1 in Week 7, so some momentum is building.

• 49ers by 4 1/2 at Washington: Niners
• Raiders by 7 vs. Broncos: Raiders
• Patriots by 8 1/2 vs. Giants: Giants
• Packers by 5 1/2 vs. Chargers: Packers
• Cowboys by 12 1/2 vs. Seahawks: Cowboys