Scott Baker said he had a good conversation with Twins General Manager Terry Ryan on Monday, when he called with news that the team was declining the righthander's $9.25 million option for 2013.
"I think we've kind of known [the option] wasn't going to get picked up," Baker said in a telephone interview. "He was very nice letting me know they'd like to have me back."
Baker, who missed the 2012 season recovering from Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery, is now a free agent and will be able to receive offers from other teams beginning at 11 p.m. Friday night. But the Twins are still very much in the running to re-sign him, with the sides working on an incentive-based deal.
"We're talking, and obviously I think there's a mutual feeling that I want to be back, and they want me back," Baker said. "But it has to make sense for both parties, and we're just not there yet.
"There's a lot to consider. I'll just say, we're not close, but we're definitely closer than when it started. I'm by no means discouraged by anything that's gone on so far. But at the same time, there are great teams and other possibilities out there."
Ryan called Monday's decision on Baker "a paper move."
"I don't think anybody expected us to pick up that option," Ryan said. "We certainly have the ability to talk to Scott and his agent right through the [free agency] period."
The Twins did not have to pay a buyout to get out of the option, which was part of the four-year, $15.25 million deal Baker signed in March 2009.
