Twins, Nolasco close to deal

UPDATE (5:13 PM ET, 11/27/2013): After a few days of quiet rumors on Ricky Nolasco, here is something big. The Minnesota Twins are the frontrunners for Ricky Nolasco, according to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish. He also reports that the two sides are close. It was earlier reported by Tim Dierkes of MLBTR that the Twins were on the verge of signing a "major" free agent. It's seeming like the pieces of the puzzle are coming together.

UPDATE (8:37 AM ET, 11/16/2013): The San Francisco Giants are also in on Ricky Nolasco, according to Mike Berardino as well. They also have been looking at starting pitching this offseason.

UPDATE (9:01 PM ET, 11/15/2013): Add the Phillies, Dodgers, and Padres to the teams in on Ricky Nolasco, according to Chris Cotillo (Phillies) and Mike Berardino (Padres). The Dodgers having intrest in Nolasco is from numerous reports. Also, the Twins did not make a formal offer to Nolasco and their interest is probably not as high as it was to be precieved, according to Jerry Crasnick.

It's still unknown who gave Ricky Nolasco the four-year deals, but the Twins may have not. We will have to see how it all plays out to know where Nolasco is going. His sweepstakes seems to be gaining steam, and fast.

UPDATE: The Minnesota Twins are pushing hard for the right hander, according to Ken Rosenthal. As recently as last night however, the Twins had not reportably made an offer to Nolasco. The righty had a pair of four-year deals last night.

Speculation can be made from that information that the Minnesota Twins offered Nolasco one of his two deals. Also, given the fact that they have been in the market for pitchers for awhile now, even gives more evidence that the Twins offered Ricky Nolasco a four-year deal.

Original article:

Right-handed pitcher Ricky Nolasco has multiple four-year deals on his table, according to reports. According to Jeff Passan (Yahoo Sports), Nolasco's highest deal is believed to be $52 million, which could end up as high as $60 million.

Who could have offered Nolasco these deals? Although Nolasco hopes to return to the Dodgers, many teams have been interested in the starter. The Twins, Giants, Phillies, Angels, Yankees, Rockies, Orioles have shown interest in signing Ricky Nolasco. It seems likely that Nolasco will land a four year deal, but with who?

According to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com, Nolasco was not offered a deal from the Angels. The Giants are not interested in giving Nolasco a four-year deal, which most likely means that they are out of the running for his services. The Twins have not made an offer to Nolasco, according to Darren Wolfson of ESPN. So, who has a real chance of making an offer to the righty? I think it's tough seeing the Dodgers or Yankees hand Nolasco a four-year deal, especially with their cap issues. The Rockies are currently looking for catchers and first baseman, but they could have made an under-the-radar move to try and acquire Nolasco. The Phillies may have offered Nolasco a deal, but spending $52 million on a player who probably will not be in the top half of their rotation (Hamels, Lee, Miguel Gonzalez)? I can't see it happening. The Mariners have been interested in pitching, but they seem to be looking elsewhere, as their sights are set on Nelson Cruz and others.

It's hard to know who pursued Nolasco with a deal, but they may have won the sweepstakes with the $52 million plus. Many teams have inquired on Nolasco, which makes it hard to depict who exactly offered him four-years for his services. Nolasco, 31 in December, went 15-13 with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP splitting time between the Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Dodgers; he was acquired by the Dodgers in a mid-season deal.