The Oakland Athletics have made their third relatively big veteran free-agent signing of the offseason. After adding both Matt Joyce and Rajai Davis to the mix earlier in the winter, Oakland has signed veteran infielder Trevor Plouffe away from the Minnesota Twins. 

Plouffe, 30, has played all six-plus of his seasons in the Majors in the Twin Cities. A third baseman by trade, he can also play both middle infield positions as well as first base. It's this flexibility that made him attractive to the A's. 

The veteran is coming off an injury-shortened 2016 campaign that saw him hit .260 with 12 homers and 47 RBI in 84 games. That came on the heels of a career-best performance in 2015 in which he hit 22 homers and drove in 86 runs, both career highs. 

It remains to be seen exactly where Plouffe fits in with the A's. They have talented youngster Ryon Healy slotted in at third with Jed Lowrie playing second base. Though, one of those two could easily slide into a DH role, which appears to be vacant right now. 

 Plouffe, a right-handed batter, has posted a career .268 average with a .298 BABip against left-handed pitchers. He'll surely see a lot of action against pitchers that toe that side of the rubber. He's a career .184 hitter in 20 games at Oakland Coliseum.