Sorry for the late post. Long stakeout in the lobby this morning and just got out of the annual manager's luncheon.
The Twins are not trading Ricky Nolasco, according to a club source. I get the sense that they wouldn't mind moving him, but his value is at rock bottom after going 11-19 with the Twins in two seasons. The $24 million left on his contract over the next two seasons also is problematic. The Twins don't want to sell low on Nolasco, so they will enter the season with him and hope he bounces back and becomes more coveted by other teams.
It's safe to assume that there's not much interest in Nolasco either. I suspect the Twins checked around and realized they couldn't get much for him before deciding to take this approach.
Bouncing back could be another problem. If the season started today, Nolasco likely would be the long reliever out of the bullpen. Tough to build up your value from there.
The Twins remain in the hunt for a lefty reliever, but I was told that Tony Sipp and Antonio Bastardo aren't their targets. Double-checking that one.
The Twins also need a fourth outfielder and have checked in with every available option. Yes, that includes Rajai Davis, who hit .258 last season for Detroit with eight homers and 18 steals. Cleveland reportedly is wooing him with a one year offer.
