Twins first baseman Justin Morneau is entering the final year of his contract with the Twins but the former MVP told reporters that he won't discuss a new deal with the club once the season starts, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com (on Twitter). Morneau also says that he hasn't been approached by the front office about an extension yet and his reps won't raise the issue with the Twins this fall (Twitter link).
From Morneau's tone, it sounds as though he has every intention of testing the open market after the season. The slugger will earn $14MM this season in the home stretch of his of his six-year, $84MM contract. He also figures to be a trade candidate given his status and the Twins were reportedly gauging interest in him during the winter meetings.
While Morneau may be bound for free agency, he has made it known in the past that he is happy playing in Minnesota. At the same time, winning is important to the 31-year-old.
"I want to win, obviously, so that's the important thing," said Morneau, according to Phil Miller of the Star-Tribune. "If it looks like there's a chance we're going to win, I'd love to stay here. I've been here my whole career, and this is where I hope to be in the future…But sometimes those decisions aren't yours."
