FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Twins have their third baseman.

Minnesota and free agent Joe Crede have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, the team announced on Saturday.

The contract features a base salary of $2.5 million and could be worth as much as $7 million with incentives, which begin once Crede reaches 250 plate appearances. The contract tops out following his 525th plate appearance.

Crede was in the Twin Cities on Friday to take a physical, and he was scheduled to arrive in Fort Myers by Saturday afternoon for a press conference. But flight problems delayed Crede's arrival, and the press conference to announce his signing was postponed until Sunday morning.

The signing of Crede is the first big move the Twins have made since losing a one-game tiebreaker to the White Sox for the American League Central title in September.

Should his back hold up, Crede will provide the Twins with a much-needed power bat and dependable glove at third base. It's a position that's been a problem spot for the club since Corey Koskie left as a free agent following the 2004 season.

"We've been looking for a corner guy," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "You always look to upgrade, see if you can get an impact player. I mean, we went into the spring looking for one, and this is the guy. This is the guy that we talked about way, way back. This guy, if he's healthy, can do a lot of damage."

Drafted by the White Sox in the fifth round of the 1996 First-Year Player Draft, Crede spent his entire career with Minnesota's biggest division rival before becoming a free agent.

The Twins had been talking off and on with Crede's agent, Scott Boras, for the past two months before reaching a deal on the eve of Minnesota's first full-squad Spring Training workout.

An All-Star last season, Crede batted .248 with 17 home runs and 55 RBIs in 97 games for Chicago. Yet the third baseman played sparingly in the second half of 2008 due to his recurring back troubles and hit just one home run in 39 plate appearances.

The structure of the contract should help protect the Twins if Crede's back doesn't prove to be healthy. Crede, 30, has been limited to just 144 games the past two seasons, and he's undergone two back surgeries over that time, including one this past fall to remove a nerve impingement.

The Twins had scouts in Arizona watching Crede's workouts over the past couple weeks, and the reports were good. But Gardenhire said the team won't really know how Crede is physically until he takes part in workouts with the rest of the team.

"He's another guy we don't have to rush here," Gardenhire said. "It's definitely one of those situations where we want to take it easy with him -- get him into the flow. But I have to talk to him first, before I even know where he's at."

When healthy, Crede has ranked among the top third baseman in the game. The last time he played a full season, in 2006, Crede's production (.283 average with 30 homers and 94 RBIs) earned him the Silver Slugger Award as the AL third baseman. Crede has also been known for his sparkling defense, although he's never been rewarded with a Gold Glove.

"He will make their pitching staff better, because their defense will be a lot better," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said of Crede's potential impact on the Twins. "He will create double plays. He knows how to play the game. There is one player who didn't grow up with the Minnesota Twins organization, and he played like a Minnesota Twin. He's that type of player. He will help them, yes."

The Twins have options for third base in Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris should Crede's back prove to be troublesome. Buscher and Harris had been slotted to platoon at the spot before the Twins signed Crede. Those two combined to hit .274 with 11 home runs and 96 RBIs last season, with Harris also getting time at shortstop and second base.

But while the Twins were content with using those two players at the spot, this signing will give the team an everyday third baseman.

"Solidifying a position with one guy that's going to be your everyday guy is not a bad thing," said Gardenhire. "We were set to go into the season with a platoon, which doesn't bother me either. But if you can put a guy up there that has the capabilities of a Gold Glove and also a 25-30 home run guy, you have to take a chance. It's a good chance."

"He'll drive in some runs and give us a bit deeper of a lineup," Justin Morneau said of Crede. "It's tough for me to see because I'm friends with Buscher and Harris but at the same time, I think it's a good move. It shows teams in our division that we want to win too."

To make room for Crede on the 40-man roster, the Twins placed pitcher Pat Nehsek, who is recovering from Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery, on the 60-day disabled list.