Ruiz joins Jays; Four agree to Twins' deals

Last update: December 22, 2008 - 12:45 AM

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When the July 31 trade deadline passed without the Twins making a move, they promoted slugger Randy Ruiz from Class AAA Rochester.

Ruiz, 31, batted .274 with one home run in 22 games with the Twins, appearing strictly as a designated hitter and pinch hitter. The Twins released him earlier this month, but he has since signed a minor-league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.

"I'm happy for him," Twins General Manager Bill Smith said Thursday. "We released him late, and you're always glad to see those players land somewhere else."

Twins sign four others

The Twins signed former Orioles center fielder Luis Matos to a minor league deal.

Matos, 30, has batted .255 in parts of seven big league seasons but hasn't played in the big leagues since 2006. He went to spring training with the Pirates last spring but didn't make the club and spent the season playing in Mexico.

Entering Thursday, Matos was batting .385 in the Puerto Rican winter league.

The Twins also agreed to minor league deals with pitcher Bob Keppel, a former Mets first-round draft pick, former Padres pitcher Sean Henn and Joe Gaetti, son of former Twins third baseman Gary Gaetti.

International options

The Twins have expressed interest in Japanese pitchers Kenshin Kawakami and Koji Uehara.

Kawakami, 33, went 9-5 with a 2.30 ERA for the Chunici Dragons last season. He is a starting pitcher, and the Twins currently have five young starters they like, but the Twins are keeping their options open in case they make a trade.

The more immediate need for the Twins is bullpen help, and Uehara, 33, most likely will enter the majors as a reliever. He went 6-5 with 3.81 ERA for the Yomiuri Giants this year.

JOE CHRISTENSEN AND LA VELLE E. NEAL III

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