Minnesota Twins Daily Clips

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1 Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Monday, November 9, 2015 For media, Hunter the gift that kept giving. MLB.com (Mason) p. 1 Twins turn page to life after Hunter in outfield. MLB.com (Bollinger) p. 3 Twins win bidding for Korean slugger Park. MLB.com (Nowak) p. 3 Twins win rights to power-hitting Korean first baseman. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 4 Sunday Q&A: Kelly helped turn Hunter into a star. Star Tribune (Rand) p. 4 Hennepin County's ballpark sales tax still going strong, paying down bonds early. Star Tribune (Olson) p. 5 Twinsights: Twins win bidding rights for Korean slugger Byung-ho Park. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 6 Negotiating rights for Byung Ho Park go to Twins. Pioneer Press (Shipley) p. 6 Twins pushing Miguel Sano to play outfield during winter ball. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 6 Charley Walters: Twins' Joe Mauer isn't looking too far ahead. Pioneer Press (Walters) p. 7 Mackey: Four (realistic) free agents the Twins should explore. ESPN 1500 (Mackey) p. 8 Reports: Twins win bidding for Korean slugger Byung-ho Park. ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 10 Twins win right to sign Korean slugger Byung-ho Park. USA Today (Nightengale) p. 10 With Byung Ho Park, Twins have logjam at the corners. CBS Sports (Snyder) p. 10 Twins win bidding to negotiate deal with Korean slugger Byung Ho Park. CBS Sports (Heyman) p. 11 Twins win $12.85 million bidding for Korean slugger Byung-ho Park. NBC Sports (Gleeman) p. 11 Twins Submit Winning Bid For Byung-Ho Park. MLB Trade Rumors (Adams) p. 12 ABL notes: Family affair for Aces' Vavras. MILB.com (Maun) p. 12 Joe Mauer s future in flux after Twins win bid for Korean slugger. New York Post (Sherman) p. 14 Twins Win Posting Bid For Byung-Ho Park. Baseball America (Badler) p. 14 Report: Twins win negotiating rights to Korean 1B Byung-ho Park. Sports Illustrated (Ducey) p. 15 Twins win bidding for rights to Korean slugger. Associated Press (Campbell) p. 15 Twins win rights to Byung-ho Park with $12.85 million bid. Yahoo! Sports (Fehr) p. 15 Byung-ho Park Bidding Rights Won by Minnesota Twins. Bleacher Report (Conway) p. 16 Twins bid $12.85 million for right to negotiate with 1B Byung-Ho Park. SB Nation (Stephen) p. 16 Twins win right to negotiate with Byung-ho Park of KBO. SB Nation (Bradburn) p. 17 Minnesota Twins Win Bid For Korean Star Byung-Ho Park. Baseball Essential (Milliken) p. 17 Heroes accept $12.85 million posting bid for Park Byung-ho. The Korea Times (Byung-yeul) p. 18 For media, Hunter the gift that kept giving Tyler Mason MLB.com November 6, 2015 It was an impressive list of current and former Twins players, coaches and front-office members in attendance Thursday at Torii Hunter's retirement news conference. The amount of people who turned out for Hunter's farewell gathering spoke volumes about the 40-year-old's reach and impact in the Twins'

2 organization and the community. But that impact extended far beyond the clubhouse, as those in that room Thursday would attest. "It's a special person who can own and command a room like this. There aren't a lot of those guys," said Twins president Dave St. Peter. "He'll be one of the most impactful players we've had, one of the greatest competitors we've had and somebody who ultimately helped create a lot of new fans across Twins Territory." Much was said Thursday of the 2002 Twins team that set up Minnesota for a decade of competitive baseball. Corey Koskie was the third baseman on that team, and he was close with Hunter, by then an established center fielder. Though Koskie left the Twins after the 2004 season, he and Hunter have remained close over the years. Koskie considered it an honor to have been invited to Hunter's news conference. "There are probably three or four guys that I've stayed in touch with," Koskie said of his former teammates. "There's only a few people who at the core are just good people. And there's only a few guys who, No. 1, return my calls or text messages and were always there. Torii's one of them." From a media standpoint, few players could fill up a reporter's notebook quite like Hunter. LaVelle E. Neal III has covered the Twins for the Star Tribune since 1998, meaning he chronicled the early stages -- and the final season -- of Hunter's big league career. Neal recalls the impression that Hunter left, even at a young age before he had truly cemented himself as a Major League presence. "I had covered the Kansas City Royals before that, and the Twins were totally different," Neal said. "In Spring Training, they'd always have their chairs turned out toward the middle of the clubhouse so they could just mess with each other. Torii was in the middle of it all and was a big part of that." Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com had the unique opportunity to cover Hunter in multiple uniforms. Bollinger has covered the Twins for MLB.com since Before that, he was an associate reporter with the Los Angeles Angels in 2008 and got to know Hunter during his time in L.A. as a backup reporter for MLB.com. "I remember talking to Lyle Spencer, our [Angels] reporter at the time; he called me and told me what to expect," Bollinger said. "He told me, 'You're going to be so happy because we have the best guy in baseball in Torii Hunter to talk to media.' I was fresh out of college, my first job. For him to be as awesome as he was to a young reporter like me in 2008 and kind of take me under his wing he was good to me." Charley Walters, longtime columnist of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, echoed the sentiment of other reporters, saying Hunter ranked at the top when it came to a great quote and an engaging personality. "He could probably be president of the United States if people got to listen to him for a while," Walters said. "Or at least host the Academy Awards." In 2006, the Twins established the Mike Augustin Award, also known as the "Media Good Guy" Award. It's given each year to a player who is accountable and available to the media and has a good relationship with those who cover the team. Since the award's inception, Hunter has been the recipient as many times as he's had the chance. He won it in back-to-back years in before leaving for Los Angeles. In 2015, Hunter's 19th and final season in the Majors, he took home that award once again. Sean Harlin had a firsthand look at Hunter's interaction with the media during the early stages of Hunter's career. Harlin worked in the media relations department from before transitioning to a role as the team's video director, where he still works today. "He's such a great person. He's almost a better person off the field than he is on the field. He treats everybody the same," Harlin said of Hunter. "Everything new that we did, he was all aboard on it. That helped me out to try to make me better. Torii does that. He mentors all these players to be better. He's mentored me to be better, and I'm 10 years older than he is. He's a special person. He really is a special person." Many current members of Minnesota's front office were around back when Hunter was coming up through the Minor League ranks. Assistant general manager Rob Antony was one of them, and he still has a strong recollection of the first time he spent extended time with Hunter. Antony, who at the time was the Twins' director of baseball operations, was heading to Venezuela with former general manager Bill Smith in the late 1990s. Hunter was also set to fly to Venezuela to play winter ball, so the three of them arranged to take the same flight from Florida. Unfortunately, their flight was canceled due to a hurricane, so Antony, Smith and Hunter were put up in a hotel that had lost power due to the 2

3 storm. Even then, the young Hunter's charisma helped lighten the situation. Years later, Antony recalled Hunter passing the lessons he learned from Kirby Puckett on to younger outfielders like Denard Span and, more recently, Aaron Hicks and Byron Buxton. "Through the course of the years, you kind of have to take Torii in his entirety, because he did so many things along the way and he had different points in his career," Antony said. "To have him be able to come back this year and to work with Hicks and Buxton, that's invaluable. I don't think you're going to see the benefits of that for a number of years until down the road when those guys are established guys in the big leagues. They're going to look back and realize the impact Torii had on them. It's kind of the gift that keeps on giving." Twins turn page to life after Hunter in outfield Rhett Bollinger MLB.com November 6, 2015 With Torii Hunter officially out of the mix after his retirement, the Twins have to decide whether to add a veteran outfielder to replace Hunter this offseason or to stick with their young core of Eddie Rosario, Aaron Hicks and Byron Buxton. General manager Terry Ryan said the Twins would've brought Hunter back in 2016 if he wanted to return, but now Ryan must decide whether he believes the club has enough outfield depth to absorb the loss of Hunter, who hit.240 with 22 homers and 81 RBIs in 139 games. "We would've welcomed him back with open arms, but that's just the way it is," Ryan said. "But at least there's some awareness of who will be with us and who will not. I appreciate the timing." One idea the Twins are floating around is moving Miguel Sano to the outfield in the short term, with Trevor Plouffe remaining as the club's everyday third baseman. Sano will play some outfield in the Dominican Winter League, but Minnesota still isn't sure if the experiment will work. Manager Paul Molitor said he doesn't want Sano, 22, to be the club's everyday designated hitter next year, so he's trying to find ways to keep the young slugger in the lineup. "If we keep Mr. Plouffe, which I imagine we will, and with Joe Mauer coming back, we don't want Miguel to be a DH next year full time," Molitor said. "I want him to be on the field. It might not work out, but I want him to play there a little bit this winter to expose him to some work down there. But we'll see. It could be far-fetched, but we have an opening in the outfield." Molitor added that there are some question marks in the outfield because of the youth of Rosario, Hicks and Buxton. The Twins also have Max Kepler, ranked as their No. 6 prospect, on the way and Oswaldo Arcia on the roster, but it's hard to know what to expect out of them next season. "I'm a little leery of everyone saying we have all this outfield depth," Molitor said. "I'm cautious of people being able to continue to what they showed us or to get better. Sometimes you come up here and put up three or four good months and you come back the next year, and whether it's expectations or other teams adjusting, some guys go backwards. So I'm going to have watch Rosie and Hicks and see if Buxton is ready. " Ryan, though, said it's still a positive that Minnesota will have some options in the outfield, even if those players are inexperienced. "We've got some things to work with, which is a good thing," Ryan said. "But we have to make sure we don't get too infatuated with what we know what's happened in the recent past. It's tough to start anointing guys and saying, 'The job is yours,' or 'We're set here.' Sometimes it gets you in trouble. But we like those options." Twins win bidding for Korean slugger Park Joey Nowak MLB.com November 9, 2015 The Twins placed the winning bid to negotiate a contract with Korean slugger Byung Ho Park, it was revealed on Monday. Minnesota has 30 days to come to terms with the first baseman. Park hit.343 with 53 home runs for the Korea Baseball Organization's Nexen Heroes this year. The winning bid for the 29-year-old reportedly 3

4 came in at $12.85 million. If Park and the winning team do not agree on a contract, Nexen will not receive the posting fee. The Pirates paid Nexen for the rights to negotiate a deal with infielder Jung Ho Kang last year, and the two sides agreed to a four-year, $11 million deal. Park has played in the KBO for the past 10 years, debuting with a 79-game rookie season in He has emerged as a standout player in the past four seasons, hitting a combined 105 homers in the past two and driving in at least 100 runs in each of the past four. Aside from acknowledging that they won the bidding, the Twins said they would not comment further out of respect for Nexen and Park. Twins win rights to power-hitting Korean first baseman Phil Miller Star Tribune November 9, 2015 The Twins first potential addition of the offseason plays a surprising position: first base. Byung Ho Park, a first baseman for the Nexen Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization, will join the Twins if they can work out a contract in the next 30 days, the team was informed on Monday. The Twins were the highest bidder for the rights to Park, and their undisclosed bid was accepted today by Nexen. Park is a 29-year-old right-handed slugger who has hit 105 home runs over the past two seasons in South Korea, but he s also a first baseman, a position currently manned by Joe Mauer, who has three seasons remaining on his eight-year contract. It s not known what the Twins have planned for Park should they settle on a contract for him, but the prospect of adding a veteran power hitter was too tempting to resist. It s the second venture into the Asian market for Minnesota, who won the bidding for Japanese infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka in late That experience didn t go well Nishioka played only 71 games over two seasons, batting.215 with no home runs, before deciding to return to Japan. Under international rules, when Asian players under contract in other countries declare their intention to play in the major leagues, teams make undisclosed bids for the players, and their team accepts the high bid. Upon acceptance, the high bidder has 30 days to reach a contract agreement; if unsuccessful, the player remains with his original team. Sunday Q&A: Kelly helped turn Hunter into a star Michael Rand Star Tribune November 8, 2015 When Torii Hunter broke into the major leagues with the Twins in the late 1990s, he was a raw prospect. Tom Kelly was his first manager, and he saw the start of a progression from overmatched youngster to All-Star. Kelly was on hand Thursday for Hunter s retirement news conference, and he chatted with the Star Tribune s Michael Rand: Q You go back with Torii about as far as anyone. What did you see initially in the raw materials he had? A Raw materials is the correct way to put it. They give you a player who has all those tools and talents, and it s your job as a manager to bring that out. It s a challenge, and a welcome challenge. Very rarely do you find a player who has all the attributes. When you have the five [tools], that s someone special. He exhibited parts of those in his early days. The hitting was probably the last to develop. Everybody is different. But once Torii got the hitting down, he was pretty much the whole package. And even when he wasn t hitting, he could save you two, three, four runs a night with the way he could play in the field and go get the ball. Q Is it satisfying when it comes to fruition with a player like that, who you ve had to work with? A That s our job. That s what we do, and when that happens I m not going to say it s a sigh of relief or anything, but it s so rewarding. That s what coaching and managing is about watching the players develop. In turn, we ve seen players who don t have the work ethic or desire to be the best they can be. One big advantage Torii had over others is he had that will and desire to be the best he could possibly be. And that made the job easier for everybody. It was fun to work with Torii. Some anxious moments at times. But even when things weren t going well, you just keep writing his name down. That s what I did. I kept writing his name down, putting him in and giving him a chance to come forward 4

5 and step up to become the person and player he became. I couldn t be happier for him. Q How did his personality develop when he was younger? A He mentioned how he watched [Kirby] Puckett work the room and handle himself in the room. He mentioned watching Andre Dawson, and the Hawk is just a class individual. Of course, Puck could handle the room. He learned a lot watching Puckett. It takes a while to get the hang of it because he even said young players think they know it all. They re hard-headed at times. But your job as manager is to stay with it and keep pushing him on it. Q You saw plenty of players come and go as manager. How do the Twins go about replacing someone of his influence in the clubhouse? A You can t. You don t. You can t replace those kinds of people. But hopefully, like Paul [Molitor] said, they pass on enough information and knowledge that they can proceed now on their own and take that next step. Hopefully there are people in the clubhouse who can do that. Q Looking at the Twins roster, what other pieces do they need to compete? A I think we need to work on our pitching. I think we need to be better on the starting staff. Bottom line, in my opinion, we need to pitch a little better. Hennepin County's ballpark sales tax still going strong, paying down bonds early Rochelle Olson Star Tribune November 6, 2015 Hennepin County will make an early payment on the bonds issued to pay for Target Field again next month in what has become an annual routine that will have the public debt eliminated a decade early. Like many home mortgages, the bonds on the Minnesota Twins Minneapolis ballpark were to be paid off in 30 years. Instead, it now appears that the public s $350 million share of the project will be paid off with interest in The reason: The county levied a 0.15 percent countywide sales tax increase to back the bonds. Stable collections from the tax coupled with conservative estimates on the revenue it would produce have created an enviably speedy payment plan. Contrary to fears about the tax when it was proposed, the tax hasn t been diverted to the general fund. We don t sit on the money; we pay the debt, County Commissioner Mike Opat said Friday. Opat, the architect of the plan to build the $555 million ballpark, said the backing from the sales tax also helped the county obtain the lowest possible interest rate when the bonds were issued. With the exception of a dip in after the economic tumble in fall 2008, the 0.15 percent ballpark sales tax collections have risen steadily. Collections were $27 million for The county collected $33.7 million last year from the tax. When the bonds are paid off, the tax will be eliminated. The increment amounts to 3 cents for every $20 spent in Hennepin County on taxable items. Unlike the funding for the Vikings stadium, the ballpark financing has always been stable. For the Vikings $1.1 billion stadium, scheduled to open in less than a year, the state initially planned to use electronic pulltabs to pay for its $348 million share. When the gambling revenue didn t meet expectations, Gov. Mark Dayton diverted other state funds to the project. Target Field opened in The bond payment will be made in early December, county budget director Dave Lawless said. 5

6 Twinsights: Twins win bidding rights for Korean slugger Byung-ho Park Mike Berardino Pioneer Press November 9, 2015 The Twins were the surprise winners of the bidding for negotiating rights with Korean slugger Byung-ho Park, who bashed 53 home runs for the Nexen Heroes this season. The Heroes accepted the Twins bid of $12.85 million. Early speculation has the cost for Park, 29, climbing to an additional $40 million over five years, but it s possible the Twins will be able to secure his services more affordably. The Twins and Park s representative have 30 days to negotiate an agreement or his rights revert to the Heroes. A first baseman who hits right-handed, Park figures to serve as the Twins primary designated hitter if an agreement can be reached. He is listed at 6-foot-1 and 194 pounds. Park drove in 146 runs in 140 games and 622 plate appearances. He also had 35 doubles, scored 129 runs and stole 10 bases in 13 attempts. He walked 78 times (six intentional) and struck out 161 times. Torii Hunter s retirement removed 22 of the 156 homers the Twins hit this season, which ranked 16th in the majors. It also took a $10.5 million salary off the books. The Twins also could deal third baseman Trevor Plouffe, whose salary is expected to approach $8 million next season via arbitration, as they seek to clear a spot for young slugger Miguel Sano. Negotiating rights for Byung Ho Park go to Twins John Shipley Pioneer Press November 9, 2015 The Twins have an exclusive, 30-day negotiating window for Korean first baseman Byung Ho Park after placing the highest bid with the Nexen Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization, the team announced. The Twins' $12.85 million bid was accepted but does not guarantee a deal. If no deal is secured, Minnesota will get its money back. Park, 29, remains under control of the Nexen Heroes. He hit 53 home runs with 146 RBIs last season after hitting 52 homers with 124 RBIs in He batted.343 last season in 140 games. The Twins' last foray into Pacific Rim baseball was for middle infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka, who quit two years into his three-year, $9.25 million deal after hitting a combined.215 with five doubles and 20 RBIs in 71 games. The Twins paid $5 million for Nishioka's negotiating rights. Twins pushing Miguel Sano to play outfield during winter ball Mike Berardino Pioneer Press November 6, 2015 Two games into his stint with Estrellas in the Dominican Winter League, Miguel Sano has played third base each time. That could soon change if the Twins get their wish. In an effort to increase their options next season, the organization has asked Sano and Estrellas to include some work in left field, Twins manager Paul Molitor revealed Thursday. Sano, who finished his rookie season north of 260 pounds, has never played the outfield before. He took some pregame fly balls in left last July and August until a hamstring injury ended that thought. 6

7 "I don't want Miguel Sano to be a DH next year full time," Molitor said. "I've got to look for a way to get him on the field. It might not work out. He's going to play a little bit this winter. We're going to expose him to some work down there. I don't know how many games he'll play, but I know he's going to get some work on that." If nothing else, this could be a hedge against the trade market for incumbent third baseman Trevor Plouffe being softer than anticipated. Plouffe is due an arbitration raise that could push his salary to $8 million next season, and he'd be under control for just one more season after that. The Twins could alternate Plouffe and Sano between third base and DH, but Molitor indicated even 40 games at DH would be too many for Sano in Hence, the idea of an experimental look in left. "We'll see. It might be far-fetched," Molitor said. "We've got an opening in the outfield. We've got (Aaron) Hicks and we have (Eddie) Rosario and we have (Byron) Buxton. Who's going to be ready? We've got (Max) Kepler on the way and we've still got (Oswaldo) Arcia in the system. I've got to look for a spot to get (Sano) on the field defensively, and right now I think that's one place I would at least consider." Plouffe, meanwhile, has 30 games of corner-outfield experience, but none of those have come since June 4, With Plouffe having packed on 15-plus pounds of muscle in recent years, Molitor is in agreement with his boss, Terry Ryan, that the outfield is no longer an option. "I believe not," Molitor said. "We tried that a little bit in the past. He's developed into a third baseman that's very competent. He always asks me about how I would grade his skills at third; he's very interested in the progress he's made. Disappointed when I give him low numbers, but they're definitely higher than what they were two years ago." Keep in mind, Miguel Cabrera broke in as a corner outfielder from with the Marlins, but he was nowhere close to his (or Sano's) current weight. Asked for corner outfielders of comparable bulk (250-plus pounds), Molitor said none immediately came to mind. Molitor added he was encouraged by Sano's outfield dabbling last season with Twins outfield coach Butch Davis. "You saw a lot of tentativeness about the wall and different things," Molitor said. "He can catch the ball in the air; it' s just a matter of learning to read the ball and where to play. Situations are a lot of different in the outfield. I don't know if it's going to work, or if he'll ever see one inning out there. I think I have to at least keep that open as a potential option." The downside to this option, which ostensibly would shift Eddie Rosario to right field and allow Byron Buxton to open the year at Triple-A Rochester while Aaron Hicks roams center field, is the step back the Twins would take with their outfield defense. "One thing we did really well last year was improve our outfield defense," Molitor said. "You have a chance to put three really good outfielders out there or do you want to experiment with a guy who's maybe going to cost you a little bit defensively, at least until he gets comfortable? I don't know how it's all going to play out. This all might be speculative, depending on everything else we do this winter." The default mode, of course, is asking Sano to be the primary DH for another season. "If he plays a full season, I would think 40 (games at DH) would be on the high end," Molitor said. "And it might turn out that our personnel causes him to do more, but I don't think we'd be doing him any favors by doing that." Charley Walters: Twins' Joe Mauer isn't looking too far ahead Charley Walters Pioneer Press November 7, 2015 Seated in the front row of Torii Hunter's emotional public farewell as a Minnesota Twin at Target Field last week was Joe Mauer, who was there to salute a beloved teammate on his retirement as a wonderful player. Hunter, 40, played 17 seasons in the major leagues. Mauer will turn 33 next spring and begin his 13th season in the majors, which includes his American League Most Valuable Player season in Mauer still has three years remaining on the $184 million, eight-year contract he signed in Asked if, during Hunter's farewell ceremony, Mauer might have envisioned himself up before a microphone in a crowded room of admirers 7

8 doing the same in a few years, he joked, "I thought I was coming here for a two-year extension. I guess I got the wrong memo." Mauer said he "probably" wants to play "as long as I can, just like Torii. You listen to his speech and he kind of knew it was time for him. Hopefully, that time for me is a little further down the road." Asked whether he would like to play beyond his current contract, when he would be 36, Mauer said, "I play the game to win, to have chances to win. You never know what's going to happen. I never, even when I was 20 years old, tried to look beyond the future of that. "I'm looking forward to 2016 and am preparing for that. I think we have a lot of positive things going for the organization, so I'm looking forward on building what happened this year." That was a second-place division finish to the Kansas City Royals, who went on to win the World Series. Mauer began offseason workouts last week with personal flexibility and strength trainer Roger Erickson of St. Paul. It's still unclear where Mauer's older brother, Jake, who is a highly regarded Twins minor league manager who was promoted to the major league club the last few weeks of this season, will work in the organization's system next year. Jake managed the Class A Cedar Rapids team this year, then joined Joe in the big league dugout. "It was pretty cool to see him see for the first time things like traveling to big league parks, to see the speed of the game -- obviously it's a lot different from the minor leagues," Joe said. Joe can see Jake some day becoming a major league manager. "He knows his stuff," Joe said. "He tries to get better and better, and I think he has done a great job up to this point." The Twins' Paul Molitor, recently named Sporting News' manager of the year, was asked whether he's considering a batting order change for Mauer for next season. "I know everyone likes to speculate, 'am I going to have the courage to put him down at some point in his career,' (but) I don't think about it that way," Molitor said. "We just don't have other people that can put together an at-bat or on-base percentage (like Mauer). Even with his (on-base) average dipping -- I don't know what it ended up (.338) -- the only other guy with a higher on-base percentage was (Miguel) Sano (.385) of our everyday players. "People say (Mauer) hit.265, how can you still hit him second or third? Well, no one else hit.265, and no one else got on base that much. Sano (.269) was half a season." Molitor smiled. "Players keep telling me.260 is the new.290," he said. Sano, the Twins' MVP who is in the American League rookie of the year race with shortstops Francisco Lindor of the Cleveland Indians and Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros, has faced faster fastballs (93.4-mph) than Correa (92.1) and Lindor (92.0) this season, according to FanGraphs.com and analysis by "Just a Bit Outside." The Major League Baseball Players Association rookie of the year will be announced on Monday. Meanwhile, Sano, 22, is batting.429 with two doubles in 14 at-bats while playing third base and designated-hitting after three games for Estrellas in the Dominican Winter League. Mackey: Four (realistic) free agents the Twins should explore Phil Mackey ESPN 1500 November 7, 2015 For all the praise we heap on the NFL for remaining relevant 12 months out of the year - for stacking the combine, free agency, draft, offseason workouts, schedule release and training camp strategically, month-by-month - baseball isn't far behind in that regard. MLB free agency is already open for business - five days after the final out of the World Series - and the winter meetings are scheduled for early December. The Twins, for the first time in franchise history, really, have been extremely active on the free agent market over the past couple seasons, signing Ricky Nolasco, Ervin Santana and Phil Hughes to significant contracts, as well as bringing back Torii Hunter and other peripheral pieces. 8

9 So, how active will Terry Ryan & company be this offseason? Without a doubt, the Twins' most pressing need is a true top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. Ervin Santana, at times, performs like one, but inconsistency has plagued his entire career. Phil Hughes took a huge step back in 2015, and can't be automatically relied upon to revert back to 2014 form. Everyone else in the rotation mix projects in the middle or bottom of a starting five. Here's the problem: Mid-size revenue teams like the Twins, in a non-salary cap league, are nothing more than pawns at the big boy free agent table. The Dodgers, Angels, Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Giants and other large market franchises all have more poker chips. Those teams will almost always have more resources to push the David Price bidding to an extra year - to push the Zack Greinke or Jordan Zimmermann price rage up an extra $40 million. Plus, the albatross contracts that come from offseason bidding wars are almost always terrible investments for teams. The way I see it, there are two realistic ways for the Twins to put an ace at the top of their rotation: 1.) Hope that 21-year-old Jose Berrios figures it out quickly and pitches in the majors exactly how he did in the minors - lights out. 2.) Leverage a strong farm system and trade for a top-of-the-rotation starter this winter or prior to next year's trade deadline. This is what the Royals (Johnny Cueto), Rangers (Cole Hamels), Astros (Scott Kazmir) and Blue Jays (Price) did over the past few months. These two options are both more realistic than scrounging up more resources than the Dodgers and Yankees. With arbitration raises factored in, the Twins' payroll will likely sit just under $100 million heading into the winter. Assuming a payroll somewhere between $ million - which is where the Twins have been throughout most of their time at Target Field, and it's a range that puts them in the middle of the league-wide pack - the front office won't have a ton of room for maneuvering, but they should be able to sign at least one key piece or two. Aside from needing an ace starter - which, again, isn't a realistic target in free agency - the Twins don't have many glaring openings around the diamond. They already have at least four outfielders who will compete for starting jobs, and the infield is mostly solidified, if not overflowing, with Miguel Sano, Trevor Plouffe, Brian Dozier, Eduardo Escobar, Joe Mauer, Jorge Polanco, Danny Santana and others. But the bullpen and catcher could absolutely use upgrades. Kurt Suzuki, along with hitting just.240/.296/.314, was one of the worst defensive catchers in the league last year, and Twins relievers, once again, ranked last in the majors in strikeouts. They also lack top-notch lefties after Glen Perkins. Here are four free agents who intrigue me, in no particular order: Catcher Matt Wieters... He's 29 years old, which is getting up there in catcher years, and has been banged up the last two seasons (Tommy John surgery two years ago), but when healthy Wieters is damn good. He hits for power, he drives in runs, and he gets on base (.320 clip) a lot more than Suzuki. Wieters also throws out more than 30% of base stealers and switch hits. * Wieters is projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to sign a four-year, $64 million contract Catcher Dioner Navarro... The Twins would be a great fit for 32-year-old Navarro because it's possible Minnesota is the only team in baseball he hasn't played for yet. Unlike Wieters, who absolutely is a starting-caliber catcher, Navarro is best in a back-up role. Defensively, he throws out 30% of base stealers, but he was regarded as one of the worst pitch-framers in the game last season. Offensively, Navarro hits for some power and gets on base at a higher clip than Suzuki. He's also a switch hitter, which could lead to a good platoon situation. LHP Antonio Bastardo... One of the best lefty relievers in the National League over the past few seasons, and his success likely translates to the American League (unlike many of the Twins' recent NL acquisitions) because he misses bats (11 K/9 the last two seasons) and fares well against both lefties and righties. * Bastardo is projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to sign a three-year, $15 million contract LHP Tony Sipp... He experienced success in the American League the past two seasons (2.66 ERA, 2.93 FIP, nearly 11 K/9) after struggling between ages Sipp was equally dominant against righties and lefties in Houston last year. * Sipp is projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to sign a three-year, $12 million contract 9

10 Reports: Twins win bidding for Korean slugger Byung-ho Park Derek Wetmore ESPN 1500 November 9, 2015 The Twins are the mystery team. On Friday the Nexen Heroes, a pro team in South Korea, announced that an MLB team had won the bid for its slugger, Byung-ho Park. The Heroes said they'd accepted a $12.85 million bid, according to reports. The MLB team that won, however, was not revealed. Monday morning, multiple reports surfaced that the mystery team was the Twins. The Twins confirmed those reports on Twitter. Winning the bid doesn't guarantee Park will ever play for the Twins. It gives Minnesota a 30-day window in which to exclusively negotiate with Park, a slugger who hit 53 home runs in 140 games for the Heroes in Park, 29, would still require a contract, so the nearly $13 million reported price tag is just the figure paid to his team in Korea. It's the ante before the Twins can sit down at the poker table. Park hit an incredible.343/.436/.714 in the KBO last season, the highest level of pro ball in South Korea. He played first base, so he'd potentially be another bat to add to the Miguel Sano-Joe Mauer-Trevor Plouffe mix in the corner infield and DH. MLB Trade Rumors projected Park will receive a five-year, $40 million contract. If a deal is struck and it's close to that figure, it will be the latest example of the Twins being aggressive in international free agency. They also spent big on Miguel Sano and, more recently, shortstop Wander Javier. Twins win right to sign Korean slugger Byung-ho Park Bob Nightengale USA Today November 9, 2015 The Minnesota Twins have won the rights to Korean first baseman Byung-ho Park, and now have 30 days to negotiate a contract for a slugger who hit 53 home runs in the Korean Baseball Organization last season. A person with direct knowledge of the Twins' bid confirmed they placed a winning bid of $12,85 million for the 29-year-old left-handed hitter. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because Major League Baseball did not release the winning bid amount. Park figures to move to designated hitter with the Twins, who have Joe Mauer at first base; they could also move Rookie of the Year candidate Miguel Sano to third base from designated hitter. Park's potential move from the KBO to MLB comes on the heels of a very successful rookie season by Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang, who batted.287 with 15 home runs and a.355 on-base percentage for the Pittsburgh Pirates in The Pirates signed Kang to a four-year, $11 million contract after winning the right to negotiate with him. With Byung Ho Park, Twins have logjam at the corners Matt Snyder CBS Sports November 9, 2015 The Nexen Heroes of Korea Baseball Organization informed Major League Baseball on Monday that they accepted a $12.85 posting fee from the Minnesota Twins for the rights to negotiate a contract with slugging first baseman Byung Ho Park. This has the potential to be a very good move that beefs up the middle of the order, but there's now a logjam at the infield corners -- which includes the DH spot as well. Park looks to be a very good addition. He hit.343/.436/.714 with 35 doubles and 53 homers in KBO last season. It was his second straight season 10

11 with 50-plus homers and before that he hit 37 and 31, respectively. At age 29, he's still in the middle of his prime, too. Now, we know that MLB is superior to KBO, so some of those stats are going to be lost on the trip over here, but not all. Just last season we saw Jung Ho Kang come over from KBO and put together a year that'll land him in the top three of NL Rookie of the Year voting. Park displayed more power through his career in KBO, too. Here are some Park highlights from two years ago, before he truly exploded into the 50-homer threat that he was in There's no question the raw power is there and it's pretty easy power to center and opposite field, too. Now, where do the Twins go with their corner infielders/dhs? Joe Mauer has transitioned to first base to keep him on the field and is due $23 million in each of the next three seasons, so he's not going anywhere. Trevor Plouffe was tied for second in homers on the Twins last season with 22. He also had 35 doubles, though he hit.244/.307/.435 (99 OPS+). Miguel Sano needs to play everyday and has immense upside. The young slugger was only 22 last season and hit.269/.385/.530 (146 OPS+) with 18 homers in just 80 games. Sano is going to be some reps in left field during Winter Ball, but few are bullish about his chances to stick out there on a full-time basis. Plus, the Twins have lots of outfield options moving forward with their youth movement. Kennys Vargas could play his way into the mix here as well. None of this is to say the Twins have to make a trade or were unwise to sign Park. Quite the contrary, this move looks like a great way to beef up the middle of their lineup without breaking the bank. Depth is good, too. It's just that, yes, the corners are now crowded in Minnesota. Twins win bidding to negotiate deal with Korean slugger Byung Ho Park Jon Heyman CBS Sports November 9, 2015 The Minnesota Twins won the bidding rights to Korean slugger Byung Ho Park for a $12.85 million posting fee, as Daniel Kim of Daum and Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported. The posting system provides the fee to Park's KBO team, the Nexen Heroes. The Twins will now work on a contract with Park and they must agree to terms within 30 days or he'll stay in Korea and the Twins won't have to pay the $12.85M. Park, 29, is a first baseman who has shown major power in Korean Baseball Organization. Last season, in 140 games, he hit.343/.436/.714 with 35 doubles, 53 homers and 146 RBI. Twins win $12.85 million bidding for Korean slugger Byung-ho Park Aaron Gleeman NBC Sports November 9, 2015 After weeks of speculation, rumors, and reports including a flat-out wrong report this morning we finally know which MLB team won the bidding for Korean slugger Byung-ho Park: Minnesota. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that the Twins submitted the high bid at $12.85 million, which is amusing because the Twins were one of the few teams not linked to Park in various reports. No one saw this coming. Minnesota now has a 30-day exclusive negotiating window with Park, who hit.343 with 53 homers, 146 RBIs, and a OPS in 140 games for Nexen this season and has topped a OPS in each of the past three years. Pirates shortstop Jung Ho Kang had similarly amazing numbers in the same league two years ago and went on to hit.287 with an.816 OPS in 126 games as an MLB rookie. 11

12 As a first baseman Park would be a bit of an odd fit in Minnesota given the presence of Joe Mauer at first base and Miguel Sano at designated hitter, but Sano played third base in the minors and the Twins have talked recently about getting him some reps in the outfield too. They could find room for Park, Mauer, and Sano in the same lineup by either trading incumbent third baseman Trevor Plouffe which is a possibility I wrote 1,000 words about two weeks ago or making Sano a left fielder. Either way, this news comes as a huge shock to Twins fans and will have everyone in Minnesota refreshing Park s statistics page on Baseball- Reference.com all day. Twins Submit Winning Bid For Byung-Ho Park Steve Adams MLB Trade Rumors November 9, 2015 In what has to be considered a surprise, the Twins were the team to submit the $12.85MM winning bid on Korean first baseman Byung-ho Park, reports Daniel Kim of KBS Sports in Korea (Twitter link). Minnesota will now have 30 days to negotiate a contract with Park and his agent, Octagon s Alan Nero. If a contract cannot be reached, the Twins would be refunded the $12.85MM fee, and Park would return to Korea s Nexen Heroes for the 2016 season. Park, 29, is one of the top hitters in all of KBO, having slugged 105 homers over the past two seasons. He hit 53 homers in 2015 to go along with a batting line of.343/.436/.714, though it should be noted that the Korea Baseball Organization is a notoriously hitter-friendly environment. That didn t stop Park s former Heroes teammate, Jung Ho Kang, from posting strong numbers in his jump from KBO to MLB, however. Kang is the lone point of reference in terms of position players jumping from Korea to the Majors, and he went from a.356/.459/.739 triple-slash in Korea to an impressive.287/.355/.461 in his Major League debut (while playing in Pittsburgh, where PNC Park is a disadvantageous environment for right-handed power). Park isn t a perfect fit on the Twins roster, as Minnesota currently has Joe Mauer at first base and Trevor Plouffe at third base, which has relegated the highly impressive Miguel Sano (a third baseman in his own right) to designated hitter for much of his young career. However, Sano has recently worked out in left field, and there s always the possibility that the Twins could trade Plouffe, whose salary is rising through arbitration and who has just two years of club control remaining before he hits free agency. That would leave third base open for Sano, freeing the Twins to rotate Park and Mauer (who has a full no-trade clause) between DH and first base. Ben Badler of Baseball America wrote over the weekend that Park was unimpressive when facing Cuban pitching in the Premier 12 tournament this weekend despite the fact that he wasn t facing plus stuff. That was a sample of just nine plate appearances, though the 1-for-7 result (plus a walk and a HBP) wasn t as concerning for Badler as the fact that Park swung and missed eight times. Badler does praise Park s defense at first base, suggesting that he looks capable of providing good defense there. Strikeouts figure to be a part of Park s game if and when he jumps to the Majors, as he punched out in about a quarter of his plate appearances over the past two seasons in Korea. Nonetheless, there are plenty of scouts who expect Park s power to carry over to the Major Leagues. Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald tweets that he spoke to an evaluator who rated Park s power an 80 (on the scouting scale), though he did note that the right-handed hitter might struggle with inside fastballs (Twitter link). I recently spoke to a non-twins scout that said there s no doubt the power will play and called Park surprisingly athletic, suggesting that Park could deliver something along the lines of Mitch Moreland s 2015 production in the Majors. If Park ultimately lands with the Twins, he ll add to a growing core of controllable position players. Sano burst onto the scene in 2015, hitting.269/.385/.530 with 18 homers in just 335 plate appearances. Minnesota no doubt would like to pencil Park and Sano into the middle of its lineup as a pair of formidable right-handed sluggers to anchor the lineup for years to come. That pairing would be complemented by Brian Dozier, who looks to be an annual source of 20+ homers at second base as well as the emergent Aaron Hicks and Eddie Rosario in the outfield. None of that includes top prospect Byron Buxton, who is of course widely believed to be the center fielder of the future in Minneapolis. The larger question for the Twins this offseason will be whether or not they can sufficiently upgrade their starting rotation and bullpen in the same manner they ve upgraded the bullpen in recent years. ABL notes: Family affair for Aces' Vavras Tyler Maun MILB.com November 9, 2015 Bonds, Fielder, Griffey, Gwynn, Ripken. These are all names associated with famous baseball families, where Major League talent and 12

13 experience has crossed the generational line. For the Melbourne Aces of the Australian Baseball League, a trio of Vavras grace the roster this season, and it may be one of baseball's most unusual sights. Twins bench coach Joe Vavra, who reached Triple-A with Albuquerque Dukes (Dodgers) in 1986 is managing the Melbourne club this ABL season, while two of his sons, Tanner (who spent 2015 with Class A Advanced Fort Myers) and Trey (a member of the Class A Cedar Rapids Kernels in 2015) joined the Aces as import players shortly after he was announced as manager in August. All three are part of the Minnesota system, yet this is the first time their paths have crossed for any extended period of time at the professional level. "Whoever your manager is, you are always going to have a level of respect for them," said Tanner, the older of the two. "The difference with being managed by our dad is that we've had that level of respect for him for 20 years before getting into the same clubhouse as him." Both Tanner and Trey also have a level of admiration for their dad's achievements. Regrettably for Tanner, these were opportunities he feels he didn't make the most of during the early days of his career. "I underutilized it until late in my high school career," the second baseman said. "One of the things I passed on [to Trey] was not to wait as long as I did." As the oldest of the three children in the Vavra household, Tanner made sure he spent time offering advice to his younger siblings so they would be appropriately prepared if and when they faced the same hurdles. He impressed upon Trey to make the most out of their homemade fountain of knowledge. Trey heeded his older brother's advice. "His knowledge of the little things and picking up parts of the game is incredible," said the first baseman. With their dad spending more than two decades in various Major League systems, time with Joe was scarce for the Vavra boys, giving it a greater importance when they got the chance. With the turning of the seasons, the majority of time the three spent together was away from the diamond. "I wouldn't say Tanner or Trey were able to take in all of the knowledge that I could give them based on time," Joe said. "My time home around them was the winter time, and they were involved in football and hockey during that time." The manager is adamant that ensuring Tanner and Trey had lives beyond baseball ultimately got his sons where they are today. "They were active in all sports, not just baseball," Joe said. "You play wherever and whatever sport is in season. I was trying to be a normal dad - - play high school ball, play advanced high school ball, go to college and see what happens from there. I never gave them any special favors. I wanted them to earn it, which they did." While some imports may look upon their time in Australia as a holiday, it is obvious that the Vavras have their sights set on a common goal -- being part of the first Melbourne Aces side to win a Claxton Shield title. Melbourne has made just one ABL championship appearance in Joe admits while managing his two sons has been fun, it carries many similarities with being a parent. The need for discipline exists on and off the field, and while the discipline he gives his sons in the clubhouse may seem like tough love, he believes it has made them stronger -- both as ballplayers and young men. "I've tried to keep separation between kin and player," the manager said. "I've always done that with them. I've always given teammates more attention than my own sons, I don't want to be giving them anything extra." Success in baseball is impossible without a competitive drive and sibling rivalry is a concept which is as old as time. So what happens when the two clash in the same Major League organization? While Tanner has tried to mentor Trey, the younger player admits that while he is thankful for the assistance his brother gives him, his goal is to 13