MINNEAPOLIS – Versatile veteran Michael Cuddyer, voted by local beat writers as the team’s most valuable player in 2011, likely won’t be re-signed by the Minnesota Twins now that free agent outfielder Josh Willingham is under contract for three years and $21 million.
“I think everybody knows we’re still looking for pitching as well,” general manager Terry Ryan said Friday during a conference call with reporters to introduce Willingham.
Asked about the return of former Fort Wayne Wizard Cuddyer, to whom the Twins made a similar offer, Ryan said, “It’s improbable, but not impossible.”
The Twins were also interested in bringing back outfielder Jason Kubel, another homegrown player, but they chose to move on with Willingham once the 32-year-old accepted their offer to leave the Oakland Athletics and take his powerful bat to Target Field.
“Ultimately it started to get to the point of no return, and we didn’t want to be left without,” Ryan said of the delicate balance of pursuing all three players.
Willingham, whose statistics during the last six seasons are similar to Cuddyer’s, has primarily been a left fielder and acknowledged some discomfort about playing right field.
But he said he can make it work with practice in spring training, and Ryan said the team believes he’s athletic enough with a competent throwing arm to play there.
The advantage to the Twins of putting Willingham in right is being able to use speedy Ben Revere in left and keep Denard Span in center.
Adding a powerful right-handed hitter to a lefty-heavy lineup was more important. Willingham said he had serious offers from three other teams, but he liked what he’s seen of and heard about the Twins.
Last year was his first in the American League, but a career-high 29 home runs and 98 RBIs suggest he made the adjustment just fine. He said he’d like to bring his on-base percentage back up. His career mark is .361, but last year it dipped to .332. “I think I’m at my best as an overall player offensively when I’m going deep in some counts and working some walks,” Willingham said.
He will make $7 million per season for each of the next three years. If he reaches 525 plate appearances in 2013, his 2014 salary would increase to $8 million. Last season was the only time in the last four years he’s reached that mark.
Cuddyer has topped that in each of the last three seasons, one reason why he was also named the winner of the team’s Bob Allison Award given to the player who exemplifies determination, competitive spirit and leadership.
Willingham and his agent, Matt Sosnick, said they respected the strong ties Cuddyer, their first-round draft pick in 1997, had to the Twins.
“It was tough for us because we knew particularly Terry had a lot of loyalty to Michael,” Sosnick said. “He was going to give Michael every chance to come back, and that’s what the Twins did.
"Part of it was the fact that they set themselves up as a family. They’re very loyal to their own.”
