Manager hopeful Nathan will sign

Ron Gardenhire has only so much say in the matter but is a firm believer that the Twins will work out a contract extension with closer Joe Nathan.

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

Last update: February 19, 2008 - 11:47 PM

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FORT MYERS, FLA. - After a turbulent winter that saw the Twins lose Torii Hunter, Johan Santana and Carlos Silva, manager Ron Gardenhire is confident things will be different with closer Joe Nathan.

"I think we're going to sign him," Gardenhire said Tuesday. "I think we're close. I think there are good offers on the table, and I'm not even thinking about him not being here.

"Call it naïve, call it what you want, but I refuse to go there."

Nathan was glad to hear it. Only trouble is, Gardenhire isn't the one negotiating Nathan's extension. That's up to the front office.

"It sounds like he knows more than I do," said Nathan, 33. "We really haven't talked to them in about 12 or 13 days. It's a good sign if he's saying that. Maybe he's talked to somebody, but ... we're just waiting for them to give us a call and see where we're at."

Nathan, who is eligible for free agency after the season, became the Twins' top contract priority once they traded Santana to the Mets last month.

There is no hard deadline, but Nathan wants to know if an agreement can be reached before spring training ends.

Privately, the Twins view this as the key window, as well. If they can't get Nathan signed, they will consider moving him by the July 31 trade deadline.

Signing Nathan won't be cheap. Since becoming the Twins' closer in 2004, he has racked up 160 saves, tying him with Mariano Rivera for second in the majors, behind Trevor Hoffman.

Among relievers in that four-year span, Nathan -- an All-Star in 2004 and '05 -- also ranks second in save percentage (.920), first in ERA (1.94), third in opponents' batting average (.185) and fourth in strikeouts (355).

Nathan, who will make $6 million this year, wanted an extension last spring. The Twins held back, and the market kept skyrocketing.

Rivera, 38, signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the Yankees. Francisco Cordero signed a four-year, $46 million contract with the Reds.

"It's not my priority to set a bar, but it is important to get what's fair and get what I think my value is," Nathan said. "Numbers say that they're probably around where Mariano's numbers are."

For the Twins, Nathan might sign for less than Rivera's $15 million per year, but he would prefer a longer deal, perhaps four or five years.

Twins General Manager Bill Smith declined to comment on negotiations, but when asked about the team's recent history with closers, he recognized Nathan as a key cog.

In 1986, a young Twins team with Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek and Gary Gaetti floundered after numerous blown saves by Ron Davis.

That offseason, the Twins traded for Jeff Reardon, and they went on to win the 1987 World Series. From Reardon to Rick Aguilera to Eddie Guardado to Nathan, the Twins have had outstanding ninth-inning specialists for most years since.

"We've had a tremendous run of closers," Smith said. "We've been fortunate to have people step up and take that role and run with it."

Now, Nathan could be viewed as a luxury, not a necessity, especially for a rebuilding ballclub. But the Twins don't see it that way.

They need their young starting pitchers to grow up fast, and they hope a strong bullpen will help speed the process.

"Your bullpen doesn't work very well unless you've got a guy who can finish it off," Gardenhire said. "I think everybody in the game understands that."

Gardenhire has lobbied on Nathan's behalf even more than he did for Hunter, Silva and Santana.

"Our general manager wants him here, our owner wants him here and now it just gets down to the negotiations," Gardenhire said. "It's a pretty simple question: Do we want him here? Absolutely. Do we need him here? Absolutely. He's one of the best."

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