Twins' Hunter tells of White Sox meeting

Teams can't begin making formal offers to free agents until Tuesday, but Torii Hunter expected to hear a strong recruiting pitch from the Chicago White Sox on Sunday night.

By Joe Christensen, Star Tribune

Last update: November 11, 2007 - 8:44 PM

Teams can't begin making formal offers to free agents until Tuesday, but Torii Hunter expected to hear a strong recruiting pitch from the Chicago White Sox on Sunday night.

Hunter confirmed via text message to the Star Tribune that he had an 8 p.m. meeting scheduled with White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams. Hunter said there would be no contract talks, only discussions about Chicago's future plans.

In recent weeks, Hunter has said a team's ability to compete for a World Series in coming years would be a major factor in his decision. He intends to study teams' farm systems, along with their current contractual commitments and payroll plans.

The White Sox won the World Series in 2005 but failed to make the playoffs the past two seasons and finished 72-90 this year.

Their payroll reached $109 million, compared to $74 million for the Twins, and Chicago's could increase with raises owed to Mark Buehrle and Jermaine Dye.

The White Sox signed both of those players to contract extensions during the season, keeping them off the free-agent market, but now Chicago might need to trade someone else -- perhaps pitcher Jon Garland -- if it intends to sign Hunter.

He rejected a three-year, $45 million extension offer from the Twins in August and is seeking at least a five-year deal. He tabled any future negotiations with the Twins until he could hear from other teams.

Twins GM Bill Smith has said repeatedly that he doesn't begrudge Hunter or pitcher Carlos Silva for going through the free-agency process, though the Twins haven't given up hope of re-signing them.

Joe Christensen • jchristensen@startribune.com