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Twins Notes: Doumit, Barmes, Krivsky

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The Twins started their offseason by claiming a pair of pitchers off waivers earlier this week. Let's round up the latest from Minnesota…

  • There has been no early contact between the Twins and free agents Ryan Doumit and Clint Barmes, reports Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (on Twitter). Ben Nicholson-Smith said a major expenditure at shortstop is unlikely in his Offseason Outlook, but he did mention that they need help at backup catcher.
  • The Twins hope to finalize an agreement with Wayne Krivsky that would make him GM Bill Smith's special assistant, according to Joe Christensen of The Star Tribune. His focus would be on pro scouting. Krivsky worked with the organization as Terry Ryan's assistant GM before becoming GM of the Reds in 2005.
  • Earlier today we learned that the Twins denied the Orioles permission to interview VP of player personnel Mike Radcliff for their still vacant GM job.

Latest On Orioles’ GM Search: Friedman, Hahn

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Orioles director of player development John Stockstill and Dodgers assistant GM De Jon Watson are candidates to become Baltimore's next GM, but they aren't alone. Jerry Dipoto is now the Angels' GM and Tony LaCava turned down an offer from the Orioles to remain in Toronto, so the Orioles are expanding their search. Here's the latest, with the most recent updates up top:

  • The Orioles would like to interview Dodgers GM Ned Colletti if he leaves Los Angeles, according to Kubatko.
  • The Orioles have requested permission to interview Andrew Friedman of the Rays, Rick Hahn of the White Sox and Mike Radcliff of the Twins, according to Kubatko (on Twitter).
  • Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun explains that the Orioles haven't yet contacted the Rangers about executives such as Thad Levine or A.J. Preller. Connolly suggests former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette and current Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer could be candidates for the position.
  • Scott Proefrock, the Phillies' assistant GM, will interview for the Orioles' GM vacancy, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Proefrock is the Orioles' former assistant GM.
  • LaCava said his decision to stay in Toronto was about the Blue Jays, not the Orioles. But Danny Knobler of CBS Sports hears that his decision was about the Orioles. LaCava wanted to make front office changes that owner Peter Angelos refused to approve, according to Knobler. LaCava would have obtained a competitive salary from the Orioles.
  • Knobler hears that Watson and Stockstill are “very unlikely” to be offered the job.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, who reported this morning that the Orioles are expanding their search, notes that manager Buck Showalter and director of baseball operations Matt Klentak are handling the front office responsibilities for now.
  • Kubatko adds that the Orioles have contacted the Rays, White Sox, Twins and Phillies for permission to interview GM candidates from the teams' front offices.
  • For a complete look at MLBTR's GM Candidates, click here. Two people on the list, Jerry Dipoto (#1) and Ben Cherington (#4), have already landed GM jobs.

Twins Rumors: Nathan, Cuddyer, Kubel, Slowey

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The latest Twins rumors, courtesy of ESPN 1500's Phil Mackey…

  • Joe Nathan's top priority is to pitch for a winning team next year, preferably as the closer.  Last week Nathan's agent said his client seeks a closing job.  "Money won't be the driving force" for Nathan, writes Mackey.  Mackey says Nathan has strong interest in returning to the Twins, who definitely have openings at the back end of their bullpen.
  • Mackey hears that Michael Cuddyer will "listen attentively to all interested parties," even if the Twins make the best offer.  The Twins maintain interest in Jason Kubel as well.  At the least, I expect they'll offer arbitration to both of them later this month.
  • Mackey's hunch says to keep an eye on Clint Barmes, Kelly Shoppach, and Ryan Doumit as potential free agent targets.  I ranked Barmes 35th among free agents on Monday, predicting the Twins as his new team.  Make your picks for Barmes and 49 other free agents by Sunday night for the chance to win cash and baseball-related prizes and bragging rights.  Over 3,000 people have entered so far.
  • There's a very good chance the Twins will non-tender righty Kevin Slowey, wrote MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger on Monday.
  • The Twins' 2012 payroll is expected to decrease slightly, leaving $20-25MM to spend, wrote Bollinger on Saturday.
  • View MLBTR's projected salaries for Slowey and the Twins' other four arbitration eligibles here, and read Ben Nicholson-Smith's offseason outlook for the team here. 

Twins Claim Matt Maloney

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3:50pm: The Reds announced that the Twins claimed Maloney off of waivers (Twitter link).

1:08pm: The Twins appear to have acquired 27-year-old lefty Matt Maloney from the Reds, as Maloney tweeted today, "Thanks for everything Reds…but i am now a Minnesota Twin!!! Looking forward to a great new opportunity!!"

Maloney spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a 2.99 ERA, 5.6 K/9, 1.2 BB/9, and 0.9 HR/9 in 81 1/3 innings, missing much of the season with a cracked rib.  Baseball America ranked him eighth among Reds prospects a few years ago, noting that his ceiling was that of a back-of-the-rotation starter.

Joe Nathan Seeks Closing Job

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Joe Nathan's agent Dave Pepe says his client is excited about free agency and seeks a closer job in 2012, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  Nathan is apparently not interested in an eighth inning gig after dominating as the Twins' closer from 2004-09.

Yesterday the Twins made the obvious call of declining Nathan's $12.5MM club option, but they have interest in re-signing the righty.  The Twins can offer him a chance to close, but the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Marlins, Mets, Phillies, and Cubs could be in the market as well.

Nathan, 36, had Tommy John surgery in March of 2010, returning this year to mixed results.  He had some issues with the longball at times, but his peripherals were solid.  For fantasy baseball analysis on Nathan, check out Dan Mennella's latest at CloserNews.

Twins Decline Option On Joe Nathan

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The Twins announced today that they've declined their club option on reliever Joe Nathan.  The option was worth $12.5MM, but the team will pay a $2MM buyout.  GM Bill Smith said, "I spoke with Joe and his agent this morning, and expressed our interest in re-signing Joe.  We will remain in contact with them as we move forward into the free agent process."

Nathan signed a four-year contract extension for $47MM in March of 2008, and the total remains the record for a reliever.  Nathan, 36, had been dominant as the Twins' closer from 2004-09, racking up a 1.87 ERA, 11.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9, and 246 saves in 418 2/3 innings.  He had Tommy John surgery in March of 2010, returning this year to mixed results.  Further removed from the surgery, he'll be a popular free agent target on a one-year deal.

Twins Outright Dinkelman, Dumatrait

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The Twins announced that they outrighted utility player Brian Dinkelman and left-hander Phil Dumatrait to Triple-A. They now have 36 players on their 40-man roster.

Dinkelman, 27, made his Major League debut this year, appearing in 23 games and getting regular playing time in September. He played second, left and right and finished the season with a .301/.346/.315 line in 78 plate appearances. In 526 Triple-A plate appearances this year, the 2006 draft pick posted a .243/.316/.324 line.

Dumatrait, 30, appeared in 45 games for the Twins this year, posting a 3.92 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 in 41 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. MLBTR's Steve Adams noted in early September that the success of Glen Perkins and Brian Duensing's likely move to the 'pen made Dumatrait expendable.

Quick Hits: Dodgers, Cardinals, Red Sox

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MLBTR has the rundown on your team's arbitration eligible players. Be sure to read Tim Dierkes' series for insight into how each team's offseason will develop. Here are the latest links from around MLB…

Twins Notes: Shortstop, Cuddyer, Young

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The Twins will likely pursue starting pitching, relief pitching, a backup catcher and middle infield help this offseason after finishing with the worst record in the American League. Here are some notes on the club's offseason plans…

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