The Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers could match up in a possible trade during this year's trade deadline season.
According to Mike Bernadino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Twins' GM Terry Ryan has reached out to his Brewers counterpart, Doug Melvin. The talks are in a "preliminary" stage, per Bernadino. Bernadino notes that one name to watch out for in the talks is left-handed reliever Neal Cotts. Cotts would be an interesting upgrade to a Twins bullpen that has pitched much worse than advertised. While the group has a 3.82 ERA (20th in MLB), their xFIP is 4.34, ranking last. The 34-year-old Cotts would be an inexpensive, short-term option for the Twins and could add some value with his 3.53 ERA and 3.62 xFIP. The Brewers signed Cotts to a one-year, $3 million deal over the winter, making him a free agent at the end of the year. In order to get more in return from any team that deals for Cotts, the Brewers could package him with someone else. That other player could come in the form of Carlos Gomez, who has already been linked to the Twins and would be a huge addition to a struggling outfield. --Devan Fink
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The Minnesota Twins have agreed to sign right-hander Ervin Santana to a four-year, $54 million deal, according to reports Thursday at the Winter Meetings. Santana had reportedly been close to signing with the Twins for the past couple of days, so it was only a matter of time before a deal got done. He finally gets the long-term deal he wanted last year after being offered, and rejecting, a qualifying offer from the Royals. The 2008 All-Star Santana got another qualifying offer this past year from the Braves, but still was able to find the deal he wanted. Santana represents just one of many starting pitchers to have changed teams during the Winter Meetings, joining the long list of Jason Hammel, Jon Lester, Justin Masterson, Wade Miley, Rick Porcello, and others. Santana, 32 today, went 14-10 with a 3.95 ERA and a 3.39 FIP this season in 196 innings pitched. He posted a 2.8 fWAR and a 179 to 63 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Santana is a workhorse and an innings eater, averaging 207 innings pitched since 2010. Santana will be joining a Twins rotation that includes the likes of Phil Hughes, Kyle Gibson, Ricky Nolasco, and Mike Pelfrey. Minnesota has been fairly quiet this offseason, with their lone major signing to this point being Torii Hunter. Santana adds to a rotation that posted the highest ERA in the major leagues in back-to-back seasons. The Dominican native was signed by the Angels as an amateur free agent in 2000. Over his career, Santana has a 4.17 ERA and a 4.26 FIP in ten big league seasons, with the Angels, Royals, and Braves. --Devan Fink The Minnesota Twins have agreed to terms with outfielder Torii Hunter on a one-year, $10.5 million contract, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. The Rangers were close with Hunter on Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reported. However, Hunter heads back to the Twins, the team that drafted him back in 1993 with the 20th overall pick. It wasn't a homecoming discount either, as Rosenthal noted that Hunter's offer from the Twins was higher than his offer from the Rangers. Hunter was drafted by the Twins back in 1996 and spent 11 seasons in Minnesota, going to two All-Star Games and winning seven Gold Glove awards. He has three more All-Star appearances since his first stint with the Twins, while also capturing two more Gold Gloves. Hunter has played in 18 big league seasons. This past season, with the Tigers, Hunter hit .286/.319/.446 with 17 homers and 83 runs batted in over 586 plate appearances. His OPS was 11 percent better than league average. Hunter provided below average defense, saving -16 runs from scoring this past year. Nonetheless, he can still hit, and could be a nice addition to the Twins' lineup. The 39-year-old Hunter has a career .279/.334/.465 slash line, while averaging 24 homers and 95 runs batted in over every 162 games. The Twins cannot expect Hunter to play that well, but he could still definitely be a good addition to a Twins lineup that already includes the likes of Kurt Suzuki, Joe Mauer, Brian Dozier, and Trevor Plouffe. The Arkansas native will try to bring the Twins back into contention. The team hasn't been to the playoffs since 2010 and has finished either fourth or fifth in the AL Central division every year since. They have an interesting farm system, but as they look to begin turning things around, it's really unclear if Hunter will be apart of their success, especially at age 39. Hunter could be a mentor to Byron Buxton and other young Twins outfielders who are making their ways closer to the major leagues. Other than Josh Willingham (who retired), the Twins outfield consisted of 23-year-old Danny Santana, 23-year-old Oswaldo Arcia, and 24-year-old Aaron Hicks. Hunter, being a big baseball veteran, will definitely help these guys help grow as a hitter and a professional. --Devan Fink The Minnesota Twins recently fired manager Ron Gardenhire and are now looking for their first manager since 1986. They had a disappointing season, going 70-92, and continuing the streak of four straight seasons without making the playoffs. They will need a new voice in the clubhouse and have many options out on the table.
Read the rest of the story here. The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have fired long time manager Ron Gardenhire. He has been offered another position within the Twins organization, GM Terry Ryan said at a press conference. The Twins new coaching staff will be decided by the team's new manager and Ryan. Gardenhire has managed the Twins for 13 seasons, winning the 2010 American League Manager of the Year award. The Twins finished their fourth straight season with 90+ losses and not much improvement has shown, even with the farm system that is fairly deep. Over his career as manager, the Twins have gone 1068-1039, finishing in an average 2.5 place in the AL Central. He was named manager of the team in 2002, replacing Tom Kelly, who had won two World Series with the club. He was initially hired by the Twins in 1988 as a manager in Minnesota's farm system. Then, in 1991, he became the Twins first base coach, a position he held for 11 seasons. This is the Twins first managerial search since 1986, when they hired Kelly. USA Today's Bob Nightengale predicts that either Terry Steinbach or Paul Molitor (both members of the Twins coaching staff) will be the team's next skipper. Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo could also be a name for the Twins position, according to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports. Gardenhire would be a prime candidate to become a manager immediately for another team, as his major league longevity and success are two factors that many teams are looking for. --Devan F. |
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