Twins Offseason Thread

[wu-tang clan]

post rumors and/or deals.

heres one:


Twins continue to shop for bargains
Infielder Jeff Cirillo intrigues the team, because he hits righthanded and his price wouldn't be too high.
La Velle E. Neal III, Star Tribune

The Twins were expected to offer Cirillo a contract Thursday night, according to agent Ken Felder. Felder didn't disclose details, but the deal is expected to be for around $1 million and probably include incentives. The Brewers and Reds also are expected to make offers.
"I think a decision would likely come before the holidays," Felder said.

Cirillo, 37, batted .319 with three homers and 23 RBI in 112 games with Milwaukee last season. The Twins would use Cirillo, a career .299 hitter at the Metrodome, primarily as a backup at third base, first base and designated hitter.

"I'm not going to get into specifics," Twins General Manager Terry Ryan said. "We're looking for a little righthanded production around the infield."

Cirillo has spent eight of his 13 major league seasons with the Brewers and is comfortable with them. On the other hand, the Brewers have signed Craig Counsell and Tony Graffanino accepted the club's salary arbitration offer, making Cirillo worried about playing time.

[wu-tang clan]

two new pitchers signed

Twins sign two righties to minors
By La Velle E. Neal III, Star Tribune

The Twins have signed righthanders Sidney Ponson and Brad Voyles to minor league deals.
It proves the Twins haven't settled on using prospects such as righthanders Scott Baker and Matt Garza and lefthander Glen Perkins in the rotation.

While talking about the Ponson signing, Twins General Manager Terry Ryan said: "It provides competition and choices. You don't want to go into camp just handing out jobs. And there's always a chance someone will get injured. I don't want to be backed into a corner and I want to give the manager and pitching coach options."

Ponson, 30, will make $1 million if he makes the team and could earn another $2 million in incentives. He was 17-12 with a 3.75 ERA in 2004, parlaying that into a three-year, $22.5 million deal with Baltimore. But he was charged with assaulting a judge in his home country of Aruba in 2004, then was twice arrested for drunken driving in 2005.

Ponson ultimately had his contract voided and spent last season with St. Louis and the Yankees, going 4-5 with a 6.25 ERA.

"I would hope he has put those problems behind him," Ryan said.

Voyles, 29, was 1-2 with a 2.78 ERA for Pastora of the Venezuelan winter league earlier this offseason and was recommended to Ryan. He will be invited to spring training as well.

The Twins also have expressed interest in free agent pitchers Ramon Ortiz and Bruce Chen.

[wu-tang clan]

Twins sign Ramon Ortiz to one year deal. Details:

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins, looking to add experience to their rotation, signed former Nationals right-hander Ramon Ortiz to a one-year deal on Monday.

Last week, the Star-Tribune reported the then-pending deal to be worth $3.1 million.

Ortiz, 33, was 11-16 with a 5.57 ERA for the Nationals last season. He holds a 79-76 career record and 4.85 career ERA since breaking into the Majors in 1999, with his best year coming in '02, when he was 15-9 with a 3.77 ERA for the Angels.

The addition of Ortiz should add more of a veteran presence to a Twins rotation that has only two returning starters with more than a year's experience in the big leagues in Johan Santana and Carlos Silva. Boof Bonser is also expected to be a part of the rotation with Matt Garza, Glen Perkins, Scott Baker and Sidney Ponson likely competing for the final spot. The Twins signed Ponson to a Minor League deal earlier this month.

Twins pitchers and catchers will report to Fort Myers, Fla. for the start of Spring Training on Feb. 18.

[Colorado Express]

Old news, but Mike Venafro and Ken Harvey have signed minor league contracts.

[wu-tang clan]

Twins sign Mauer to 4 year, $33 million contract. Now only Cuddyer is eligible for arbitration.


Mauer, 23, batted .347 with 84 RBIs in 2006 to help the Twins rally from a 12 1/2-game deficit to win the AL Central on the final day of the regular season. He played in his first All-Star game last summer.
The first pick in the 2001 draft out of Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, Minn., Mauer was eligible for arbitration this winter for the first time. He became the first catcher to lead the majors in batting average and the first AL catcher to win the batting title.

"We're extremely happy, because there is not a player who belongs with the Twins more than Joe Mauer," his agent Ron Shapiro said on Sunday.

Mauer didn't immediately return phone messages.

Shapiro represented two Hall of Famers, Baltimore's Cal Ripken and Minnesota's Kirby Puckett, who spent their entire careers with the same team. The deal will keep Mauer with the Twins through at least 2010, the year the team is scheduled to begin playing in a new Minneapolis ballpark.

That didn't mean Mauer gave Minnesota a hometown discount, however.

"This is a market deal," general manager Terry Ryan said. "Don't worry about that."

The contract takes the Twins through Mauer's first year of free agency.

"This is a good day for this organization, and I feel like it's one of those deals which is going to work for both sides," Ryan said. "You have to be comfortable with how a player's going to respond to security. I don't think there's any question how Joe's going to respond to that."

Mauer's rookie season in 2004 was cut short by a knee injury that raised some questions about how his body could handle the physical demands of his position behind the plate. But he has been fine ever since.

"That's one of the good things about this situation," Ryan said. "He is in awful good shape and showed it last year."

Twins pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., by next Sunday. Ryan has one more player left in arbitration, right fielder and cleanup hitter Michael Cuddyer.

[Colorado Express]

Twins sign Mauer to 4 year, $33 million contract. Now only Cuddyer is eligible for arbitration.
Another great move by Terry Ryan! Signing Mauer was obvious, but signing him for only $8.25 million/year is amazing!!! How Ryan doesn't win GM of the year every season amazes me.

[Colorado Express]

I recently read that the Twins were trying to negotiate contract extensions with Santana and Nathan and hope to have both locked up into 2010. I wish that this news wasn't a surprise, but I must admit that it all but stunned me. I love the prospect of having the core of the current Twins roster together for another 3-4 years. They could remain a force to be reconed with for a few more years. :clapping

[FLAtwinsFan]

along with the fact that Morneau and the Twins are back in talks now that they are in spring training.