Twins: Free agent signing starts tonight

The Angels sat back last year while other teams wined and dined former Twins center fielder Torii Hunter. Then in late November, Hunter's agent, Larry Reynolds, and Angels General Manager Tony Reagins sat down at a Del Taco in Corona, Calif., to hammer out a five-year, $90 million deal.

The big question this year is whether the sluggish economy will drive down salaries.

There's plenty of star power on the market -- headlined by Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and Manny Ramirez -- and the Yankees are among the teams ready to splurge again.

Even if prices shrink, the Twins aren't expected to be major players.

They are among seven teams who have expressed interest in third baseman Casey Blake, according to his agent, Jim McDowell.

But the Twins sound more determined to address their needs through trades, with Milwaukee's J.J. Hardy, Atlanta's Yunel Escobar and Colorado's Garrett Atkins among the infielders piquing their interest.

In late September, some within the Twins organization viewed free agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera as a potential fit, but weeks later it's clear that's not the consensus view.

The Twins do want to bolster their infield, and this week they learned reliever Pat Neshek will need elbow surgery and miss all of 2009.

"We always look [at the free agent market]," Twins GM Bill Smith said. "We always try to find the best fit for our club. I'm not going to get too deep into what's a good fit and what's not. We'll have to see how it plays out."

The Twins could lose their own free agents, though not like last year when Hunter walked and Silva got his four-year, $48 million deal from Seattle. This time, their free agents are Nick Punto, Adam Everett, Dennys Reyes and Eddie Guardado.

All could leave, and the Twins would have no shortage of options, especially in the infield. If they acquire a shortstop, Brendan Harris and Brian Buscher could continue platooning at third base. If they get a new third baseman, they could use Harris and Matt Tolbert at shortstop. And if they get a second baseman, Alexi Casilla could move to shortstop.

The Twins have so many young players making close to the major league minimum ($400,000), they could fill a respectable 25-man roster for about $58 million -- well below their franchise record payroll of $71 million in 2007. So financial restrictions shouldn't stand in their way.

Same goes for the Yankees, who are moving into a new ballpark and just shed $75 million from their payroll, as Jason Giambi, Bobby Abreu, Andy Pettitte, Ivan Rodriguez, Mike Mussina and Carl Pavano came off the books. That money already is burning a hole in the Steinbrenners' pockets.

The Yankees could make a strong push for Teixeira, Sabathia and possibly even Ramirez.

"We're going to pursue the market aggressively, as we do every year," Yankees co-chair Hal Steinbrenner told reporters this week.

Last year, the Yankees re-signed Alex Rodriguez to a record 10-year, $275 million deal but failed to complete a trade with the Twins for Johan Santana.

The Mets gave the Twins four prospects for Santana and signed him to a six-year, $137.5 million contract, but the Yankees seemed to regret it all year as they missed the postseason for the first time since 1993.

Logic says that experience will make the Yankees more determined than ever to wrap their pinstripes around Sabathia, the lefthander who helped carry Milwaukee into the postseason this year, just as he had with Cleveland in 2007.

The Brewers made Sabathia an offer, reportedly worth $100 million over five years, though another high-ranking baseball official said Milwaukee has a .001 chance of actually signing him.

Commissioner Bud Selig has warned clubs about the dangers of overspending in this economy, though agent Scott Boras pointed to baseball's huge stadium naming rights deals and multi-billion dollar television contracts.

Among the Boras clients in this free agent class are Teixeira, Ramirez, Jason Varitek and Eric Gagne.

Trying to keep Ramirez, the Dodgers offered a deal that could reach $60 million over three years.

The Angels chose not to make Teixeira an offer before the market opened, but they'll do everything they can to keep him, trying to fend off interest from the Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles and Nationals.

"We're going to be ready Friday," Steinbrenner said. "Everything's on the table."