FORT MYERS, FLA. - Justin Morneau made the rounds of the clubhouse as his teammates filed in from their morning workout on Friday, shaking hands with those he knew and introducing himself to a handful that he didn't.
He was saying hello. The next time he shakes their hands, it could be goodbye.
Morneau, who reported to camp on the eve of Saturday's first full-squad workout, said he has not asked and will not ask the Twins to extend his contract this spring, and he doesn't plan to bring it up once the regular season starts, either. That means he will be a free agent in the fall, once he earns the final $14 million of his six-year, $84 million contract, and is a possible trade candidate all summer.
"It'll take care of itself. If I get through the year healthy, we'll see what happens then," said the 2006 American League MVP, who has missed 234 games to a variety of ailments over the past four seasons. "I think from their side and my side, [we both] want to see where I'm at."
But once they find out, he might be somewhere else. Morneau acknowledged the possibility that the Twins might trade him if they determine he's not likely to stay in Minnesota, and he repeated more than once that he wants to play for a winning team -- something that looms as a challenge for a Twins team that lost 195 games the past two seasons and then traded away a couple of starting outfielders this offseason.
"I want to win, obviously, so that's the important thing," said Morneau, who will turn 32 in May. "If it looks like there's a chance we're going to win, I'd love to stay here. I've been here my whole career, and this is where I hope to be in the future. ... But sometimes those decisions aren't yours."
In this case, the decision-maker is General Manager Terry Ryan, who agreed, in general terms, that Morneau's health is too big a mystery to wager another huge contract on -- yet.
"Everybody knows where we stand with Justin. He's coming off some injuries, coming off a concussion, coming off the wrist and ankle [surgeries] and so forth," Ryan said. "There's nothing to say, though, that we probably couldn't address that at a later time."