Minnesota Twins Offseason Tracker: Hottest Free Agency News, Trade Rumors
While the Twins cracked the 70-win mark for the first time since 2010, Minnesota suffered through another underwhelming regular season in 2014, finishing in the basement of the AL Central for the third time in four years.
That's led to a change of leadership, with longtime manager Ron Gardenhire out and the search for his replacement still ongoing.
What other changes might be coming this winter?
Keep it right here for the answers to those questions and more, as we'll be bringing you the most up-to-the-minute rumblings about the Twins, along with analysis and everything else that comes with it.
While the post date will always show as October 31, simply click to the next slide to see the rumor mill's latest about the Twins as they put together their roster for the 2015 season.
Minnesota's Free Agents and Done Deals
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All the juicy rumors and analysis follow, but consider this your one-stop shop for all the comings and goings in Minnesota this winter, including the status of the team's free agents.
Done Deals
Dec. 2: Signed OF Torii Hunter to a one-year, $10.5 million deal (Analysis)
Dec. 11: Signed RHP Ervin Santana to a four-year, $55 million deal with a $14 million vesting option for a fifth season
Dec. 19: Agreed to a three-year, $42 million contract extension with RHP Phil Hughes
Twins Free Agents
1B/OF Chris Colabello (Dec. 8: Claimed on waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays)
Rule 5 Draft
Dec. 11: Selected RHP J.R. Graham from the Atlanta Braves
Dec. 11: Twins Sign Ervin Santana to 4-Year Deal
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Ervin Santana has signed a four-year, $55 million with the Minnesota Twins, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal. Rosenthal also reported that the deal include a $14 million vesting option, or a $1 million buyout. Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan was the first to report the deal.
Santana, 32, went 14-10 with a 3.95 ERA and 1.31 WHIP over 31 starts for the Braves in 2014, posting an 8.2 K/9, his highest average since 2008, when he was an All-Star for the Angels and averaged 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings of work.
ESPN's Buster Olney reported earlier this month that the veteran was seeking a five-year contract. He was able to get a four-year deal upfront, and if he meets certain performance numbers, he will ultimately get that fifth year.
This marks the second straight offseason that the Twins have made a big splash to boost the rotation. Last winter, they signed Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco. Minnesota is just hoping that this deal works out as well as the Hughes signing has so far.
Twins Have Met with Kyle Kendrick
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Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 12:36 p.m. ET
The Twins have met with free agent starter Kyle Kendrick at the winter meetings, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN, though it's not clear whether the two sides exchanged numbers or if a deal was proposed.
Kendrick, 30, has spent his entire eight-year career in Philadelphia, compiling a 74-68 record while pitching to a 4.42 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. He set career highs in starts (32) and innings pitched (199) in 2014, going 10-13 with a 4.61 ERA and 1.36 WHIP.
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Twins Are Talking to the Mets About Dillon Gee
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Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 8:25 a.m. ET
Fox Sports' Jon Paul Morosi tweets that the Twins are one of three teams, along with Colorado and Texas, known to be talking to the Mets about a potential deal to acquire right-handed starter Dillon Gee.
Gee, 28, went 7-8 with a 4.00 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over 22 starts for the Mets in 2014. He pitched to a 2.73 ERA over the first eight starts of the season, but injured his shoulder in early May, missed nearly two months of the season and never quite got back on track upon his return.
Under team control through the 2016 season, MLB Network Radio's Jim Duquette (via Andy Martino of the New York Daily News) says that three additional teams could be in the mix for his services.
Could Ryan Vogelsong Join the Rotation?
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Monday, Dec. 8 at 11:55 a.m. ET
While the Twins made a run at Dave Meier's client Jason Frasor and fell short, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press says that they continue to talk to Meier about another one of his clients, veteran starter Ryan Vogelsong.
“He’s healthy as a horse,” Meier, a former Twins outfielder in 1984-85, told Berardino. “He was throwing 95 (mph) in the playoffs. He’s in really good shape.”
A former All-Star and two-time World Series champion, the 37-year-old Vogelsong went 8-13 with a 4.00 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over 32 starts for the San Francisco Giants in 2014. Since returning from Japan in 2011, he's gone 39-35 with a 3.74 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, averaging 28 starts and 164 innings a season.
Dec. 2: Twins Sign Torii Hunter to 1-Year, $10.5 Million Deal
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Torii Hunter has decided to return to the Twins.
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported that Hunter has signed a one-year, $10.5 million deal with Minnesota.
Minnesota was one of seven teams believed to have serious interest in signing veteran outfielder Torii Hunter, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman. He had the opportunity to go to a contender, but in the end, he decided to sign with the team that he made a name for himself with.
Hunter, 39, spent the first 11 years of his career with the Twins, appearing in two All-Star Games and winning seven consecutive Gold Glove Awards for his work in center field from 2001-2007, his final year with the club.
The veteran outfielder hit .279 and 192 home runs during his first stint with Minnesota.
While he's lost a step or two and is now relegated to a corner outfield spot, Hunter remains productive at the plate. In 142 games for Detroit last season, he hit .286 with 52 extra-base hits (17 home runs), 83 RBI and a .765 OPS.
Korean Cy Young Award Winner Isn't Coming to MLB in 2015
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Update: Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 11:40 a.m. ET
Hyeon-jong Yang's current club, the Kia Tigers, has rejected the wining bid (believed to be from Texas) for the 26-year-old southpaw and, thus, will not allow him to negotiate a contract with a MLB club, per Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net.
Minnesota, which apparently finished second in the bidding process, will have to turn elsewhere for rotation help, though they could re-engage in bidding for Yang next winter if he's posted once again.
--End of Update--
Update: Monday, Nov. 24 at 3:04 p.m. ET
It appears as if the Twins didn't come out on top in their quest to land Korean left-hander Hyeon-jong Yang, with Fox Sports' C.J. Nitkowski tweeting that it was, in fact, the Texas Rangers that had the high bid.
That said, Yang's current team is said to be unhappy with the winning bid amount and may not allow him to be posted at all.
--End of Update--
Saturday, Nov. 22 at 12:38 p.m. ET
Sources tell the Pioneer Press' Mike Berardino that the Twins have won the bidding for the right to negotiate with 26-year-old Korean southpaw Hyeon-jong Yang.
Yang won the first-ever Choi Dong-won Award, the KBO's version of the Cy Young Award—after making 28 starts for the Kia Tigers, going 16-8 with a 4.25 ERA. As Berardino notes, Korean baseball is a far more high scoring game than MLB, which makes his ERA seem far less impressive than it is:
"His ERA was 18.4 percent lower than the league-wide ERA of 5.21. That equates to a 3.05 ERA in the major leagues, where the league ERA was just 3.74."
Yang throws in the low-to-mid 90s and projects as a No. 3 starter in the big leagues, perhaps a low-end No. 2 if he continues to develop.
Wily Mo Pena to Make His MLB Return in Minnesota?
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Saturday, Nov. 22 at 10:17 a.m. ET
It's been three years since Wily Mo Pena played in the major leagues, but that could soon change.
According to a report from the Pioneer Press' Mike Berardino, there is mutual interest between Pena and the Twins to bring the slugger back to the big leagues.
Pena, 32, spent the last three years playing in Japan and is coming off a season for the Orix Buffaloes that saw him hit .255 with 52 extra-base hits (32 HR), 90 RBI and a .830 OPS. Over parts of eight major league seasons with five teams, Pena owns a .250/.303/.445 slash line.
His most success came in Cincinnati back in 2004 and 2005, when he hit a combined .257 with 45 home runs and 115 RBI.
Alex Rios Is on Mnnesota's Radar
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Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 11:15 a.m. ET
As the Twins continue to search for a right-handed outfield bat to add to their lineup, 1500 ESPN's Darren Wolfson says one name to watch is former Texas Rangers outfielder Alex Rios.
The 11-year veteran, who will be 34 years old on Opening Day, had a stellar first half of the 2014 season (.305/.333/.440) before falling apart after the All-Star Break, mustering only a .211/.246/.281 slash line.
A career .278 hitter, Rios has put up big numbers at Target Field with a .357/.384/.564 slash line and 18 extra-base hits (four home runs) over 151 plate appearances. While he earned $12.5 million last season, Rios' second-half slump and disappearing power (he had a total of four home runs in 2014) may find his earning power diminished.
He's a bounce-back candidate that doesn't figure to command anything but a short-term deal, either a one-year pact or a one-year deal with an option for 2016.
Could Mark Buehrle Wind Up a Member of the Twins?
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It's not likely, given his $19 million salary, but 1500 ESPN's Darren Wolfson says that Mark Buehrle leading the way in Minnesota's rotation isn't something that can be completely discounted, either.
The Twins have long admired Buehrle, who spent the bulk of his career tormenting the rest of the AL Central as a member of the Chicago White Sox. That holds especially true for Minnesota, a team he's beaten 28 times—more than any other team over the course of his 15-year career.
Buehrle, 35, is coming off his 14th consecutive season with at least 10 wins and 200 innings pitched, posting a 3.39 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over 32 starts for Toronto in 2014. Consistency, thy name is Buehrle.
He'd immediately upgrade the front end of the Twins' rotation, forming a formidable duo along with Phil Hughes while taking pressure off youngster Kyle Gibson, prospect Alex Meyer and Ricky Nolasco, Minnesota's big-ticket signing last winter who didn't work out as planned.
Toronto would have to pick up a significant chunk of Buehrle's 2015 salary for the Twins to seriously consider making a deal, and by asking the Blue Jays to do that, they'd be expecting a far higher return in terms of talent than they would if the Twins absorbed all of the money.
Still, nobody saw the Nolasco signing coming, so it's impossible to sit here and say that there's absolutely no way that Buehrle winds up in Minnesota this winter.
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