Picking up Eddie Guardado carried two types of prices: First, a fair prospect in Mark Hamburger, which is a long-term cost. Second is a bigger, immediate, financial price. The Twins opened roster space Monday by designating Mike Lamb for assignment, officially recognizing that their two-year, $6.6 million investment was wasted.

It seemed obvious from the start that Lamb and Brian Buscher were redundant. As I suggested in Monday's print column, the Twins organization gave Buscher 80-some at bats last season and decided they needed somebody else. I'm not sure which player they misjudged worse, Lamb or Buscher. But the Lamb misjudgment was costly, both in money and in the team wasting two-and-a-half months on him as a full-time player.

Rom Gardenhire's comments about Lamb's lack of energy seemed misplaced, unnecessary, even a bit cruel. The problem with keeping Lamb wasn't his lack of energy — it's that there was no real role on the team he could fill. He's a left-handed platoon third baseman of limited defensive skill, and so is Buscher; one of those can be useful, two is excessive.

Even had the Twins continued to nurse their way through the season lugging both around, the problem was bound to arise next year as well. Lamb has lost his job to Buscher, and from all appearances there was no market for his contract.

Still, it was striking that a few weeks ago it was Adam Everett who was about to get the ax, only to be reprieved when Alexi Casilla got hurt. Everett would have been a much cheaper cut than Lamb. But Gardenhire sees reason to play Everett, and he hasn't seen much reason to put Lamb in the lineup during the past two-plus months.

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