Twins: Rincon kept, Tyner let go

With a glut of outfielders the Twins decided not to let a solid contributor go to arbitration.

By Joe Christensen, Star Tribune

Last update: December 12, 2007 - 10:05 PM

The Twins cut ties with outfielder Jason Tyner on Wednesday but kept reliever Juan Rincon and four other players eligible for arbitration, as baseball reached its annual non-tender date.

Tyner made $400,000 last season, and with a new glut of outfielders, the Twins decided to non-tender him rather than pay him upwards of $1 million through arbitration.

Tyner batted .286 last season after batting .312 in 2006, when he provided a surprising late-season boost as the Twins rallied to a division title.

But Tyner's chance for playing time in 2008 diminished when the Twins signed fellow non-tender candidate Craig Monroe on Tuesday, keeping him after a November trade.

Twins General Manager Bill Smith said it was hard telling Tyner the news.

"It really was because he's such a good person, and he's been a good contributor and good piece of this organization," Smith said. "We just didn't think we had enough at-bats for him."

Young and Michael Cuddyer figure to hold down the Twins' two corner outfield spots, with Monroe and Jason Kubel getting spot duty in the outfield while vying for at-bats from the designated hitter slot.

With Tyner, Torii Hunter and Lew Ford all gone now, the Twins have lost nearly all of their big league center field experience.

The current center field depth chart starts with Denard Span and Jason Pridie. Neither has played above Class AAA.

This move almost surely means the Twins will acquire another center fielder through free agency or trade, though Smith listed Young, Monroe and Darnell McDonald as other candidates to play center field.

"We're still looking to add pieces to make the club better," Smith said. "I don't want to single out one position."

Rincon made $2 million last season and posted a 5.13 ERA in 63 relief appearances.