The Twins have signed 32-year old lefty swinging 2B Joe Thurston to a minor league deal. Thurston played in 11 games in AAA-ball earlier this year for the Phillies and he was 6 for 29 (.207 avg, .723 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 1 homer, 2 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has played in 184 games in his first seven years in the majors and he is 76 for 337 (.226 avg, .629 OPS) with 34 runs scored, 1 homer, 27 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. The Twins might give Thurston a chance to get back to the show in 2012 at some point.