The Twins announced their slate of giveaways and promotions on Monday.

When they host the Kansas City Royals at Target Field on Saturday night, June 30, the Twins will wear uniforms of the 1951 Minneapolis Millers, the Triple-A team that played at Nicollet Park on the city’s south side. Future Hall of Fame outfielder Willie Mays played on that 1951 team as a 20-year-old before being called up to the majors by the New York Giants, who later moved to San Francisco.

The Royals will wear uniforms of the Kansas City Blues, who played in the American Association with the Millers for decades before the city gained a Major League Baseball franchise.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Twins baseball has become interactive, but not only on the field. It’s also now on the Internet, and it’s taking baseball to a whole new level and making it personal.

When the season starts at Target Field, you’re sure to hear a few familiar sounds. They’ll be coming from your phone.

Social media isn’t’ just changing the way the media covers sports, it’s changing the relationship between fans and players.

“It was actually last year, I was sitting on the bus with Michael Cuddyer. I kept going through web sites and he said why don’t you go on Twitter you can follow those websites or those people and just get everything right there?” said Twins pitcher Glen Perkins.

Once the game is over, players put down their bats and gloves and pick up their cell phones.

“I think it helps for the fans to feel somehow connected with us and makes it a little more personable,” Pitcher Brian Duensing said.

Because the players aren’t always on the mound, Perkins shows us what he’s up to when he’s out of uniform.

“I didn’t want to write about baseball. I’d like to think of myself as more than a baseball player, so I try to do the stuff that I think is interesting,” he said.

The players share and they receive. If the players have a tough night, they’ll hear about it directly from fans in 140 characters or less.

“Last year was a rough year and I got a lot of Tweets saying ‘keep your head up,’” Duensing said. “It’s actually really encouraging because sometimes you feel like you’re letting everyone down and when you get tweets it reassures you they’re behind you.”

It’s not just the guys on the field getting involved, members of the team’s front office is logging on, too.

Fans are turning to social media for the latest news on the team. Dave St. Peter, whose Twitter handle is “@TwinsPrez,” said fans deserve to hear what’s going on straight from the source.

“I think it’s important that we’re speaking to our fans,” St. Peter said. “A lot of fans are on Twitter that are asking questions and I was worried unless I was sending a response to answer – they weren’t getting answered.”

You won’t find all of the Twins players on Twitter. Only about 20 are signed up.

“My technology savviness is non-existent,” said pitcher Matt Capps, who does not tweet. “I thought Twitter was a yellow canary bird for the longest time.”

Twins fans will have a new hashtag to follow this year. Perkins started “#ThingsCarlSays.” He’ll be tweeting one-liners from fellow ace, Carl Pavano.

Here is a list of the current Twins who actively use Twitter.
Follow the Twins baseball season on WCCO through our Twins Blog.

Well, sort of.

The team announced Tuesday it will auction off a baseball autographed by reality starlet Kim Kardashian and her ex-husband Kris Humphries. They signed the ball before a Twins game last July, when the Minnesota native and NBA player Humphries threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

After a highly publicized wedding last August, the celebrity couple’s marriage ended 72 days later when Kardashian filed for divorce. Humphries played basketball at Hopkins High School and the University of Minnesota before turning pro. He’s currently with the New Jersey Nets.

The auction proceeds will go to the team’s charity arm, the Minnesota Twins Community Fund.

Online bidding ends on Valentine’s Day.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

For years sitting in those blue seats and having a January Dome Dog was the perfect preview to the upcoming season.

Now it’s a nostalgic walk down dimly lit concourses and fake grass. It couldn’t get any better.

The Vikings need to find a different site for their new digs. Kicking off a Twins season anywhere but the Dome just wouldn’t feel right.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The story of what appears to be a soiled jersey started 25 years ago and ended in the same place where it started: the Metrodome, where the Twins were crowned world champions.

To the hitting coach, Tony Oliva, the stained and spotted jersey is a bittersweet reminder of that historic day.

Thirteen years ago, Oliva’s red number six caught Marcie Petrie’s eye in a Texas memorabilia store.

“I flipped it around and sure enough it was a Twins jersey,” she recalled. “But it was stained. I couldn’t figure out how it had these tan stains on it.”

A Minneapolis dealer sold the jersey to the Texas store, but Petrie knew its true value was worth more than the $150 she paid.

“I didn’t think it was real. I was like: ‘How could anybody let this go?’” She asked herself. “How could Tony let this go?”

That is the curveball Petrie didn’t see coming. She brought the jersey to TwinsFest 2004 to get it signed by the man who once wore it.

“He looked at it kind of quizzically, and he goes ‘I know this is my jersey, but why is it so dirty?’” Petrie said.

When Petrie bought the jersey, the store owner explained those tan and brown spots were remnants from the champagne saturated celebration in the locker room from the 1987 World Series.

“Tony looked me in the eye and goes ‘Come to think of it, I never got my jersey back that night,’” Petrie said.

Oliva said he brought the jersey to the Metrodome the day after the victory to get it washed. The club house manager told him it somehow disappeared.

Just to be sure, he checked the inside collar. Blue stitched numbers confirmed what he already assumed – it was his missing uniform.

“I go, ‘Oh my god, it’s really real! It’s really real!” Petrie exclaimed.

It wasn’t until this past weekend — at TwinsFest 2012 — that Petrie decided what she would do with the jersey.

“As soon as I walked up, Tony saw the jersey and he goes, ‘I remember that!’ And I said ‘Tony, this is rightfully yours’ and I handed it to him,” Petrie said.

Oliva accepted it, and promised this lifelong fan something in exchange the next day. He spend the rest of the evening proudly showing off the 25-year-old jersey he wore the night the Twins won their first world championship.

The next day, Oliva explained he didn’t need the jersey; he has the memories.

“She wants to give it to me, but I’m not going to take it,” Oliva said as he smiled at the crowd quickly assembling around him.

Tears welling up in her eyes, Petrie said, “He told me, I can’t, I can’t take it from you. I see how excited you are about the Twins.”

Handing Petrie the once lost jersey, Oliva said, “She makes me cry, when I see her cry. This is your shirt now.”

Overwhelmed with emotion, Petrie smiled and hugged her longtime baseball hero. Petrie said she’s not sure the jersey is rightfully hers, and she thinks one day she may donate or loan it to the Twins.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The Minnesota Twins are back at the Metrodome this weekend for a huge fan festival: TwinsFest.

More than 60 current and former players, like pitcher Matt Capps, returned for this year’s event

“It’s been fun seeing the support the Twins fans have for this ballclub has been outstanding,” Capps said.

Along with getting autographs and pictures, fans also got the chance to talk a little baseball with their favorite players. There is also a huge memorabilia sale and a chance for kids to hit some baseballs.

Some players said they have as much fun as the fans. One of those players was outfielder Rene Tosoni.

Tosoni said he showed up to the event early Saturday to help sell cookbooks. He also said he had a question and answer session with some fans and signed autographs for an hour and a half.

This year the Twins Wives Organization is selling cookbooks with the player’s favorite recipes. The sales benefit Jack Jablonski’s medical fund.

Jablonski is the high school hockey player who suffered a paralyzing injury during a game last month. On Friday, some Twins players visited Jablonski in the hospital.

(credit: Lockerz.com)

Sunday is the final day of TwinsFest. It goes from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for kids.

Well, manager Ron Gardenhire sure quashed any lingering intrigue about this season’s lineup. Denard Span is the center fielder. Ben Revere will play left. Josh Willingham is in right.

Revere played so well in center in relief of Span last year, using his exceptional speed to make all kinds of gravity-defying catches, that the Twins could have moved Span to right. He thrived there as a rookie in 2008 when Michael Cuddyer was hurt. Willingham, the team’s highest-profile and highest-paid free agent signing, has rarely played right — only 19 complete games out of 799 in the majors.

But Span, long groomed to inherit the position from Torii Hunter, is not moving. Gardenhire made that clear this weekend at the team’s annual fan festival.

“He’s going to lead off and be my center fielder. That’s my expectation,” Gardenhire said. “If somebody were to tell me that he’s not able to do that, then we’d have to ad lib. But if Denard comes in healthy, then he’s my center fielder.”

Span played in only 70 games last season because of concussion and migraine problems. He said he feels now as good as he has in two years.

“Everybody knows I waited a long time to play center field. I’m very passionate about it. There’s a piece of me out there in that area,” Span said, making clear he’s willing to play right if the Twins preferred.

They don’t, and Revere doesn’t mind. His weak throwing arm is better protected in left field, and he has played there often in the minor leagues. Revere said he’s been doing long-toss drills with a football with his older brother to help build more strength in his arm.

“Denard, he’s our center fielder, and I want to play beside him, because we can cover so much ground,” Revere said. “We’ve played a bunch of games together so we know each other so well. OK, he can get that, and I can get that. I know in the back of my mind. Usually, I can kind of take a peek at him a little bit, and he knows when I’m going to go and get it.”

As for Willingham’s ability to grow comfortable in right field?

“I’ll let you know after spring training,” he said.

When told he had appeared in 35 games in right with the Washington Nationals in 2009, Willingham’s eyes widened.

“Thirty-five games? Shut the front door. Really? I had no idea,” Willingham said. “Hopefully this spring I’ll just get a lot of reps out there and get comfortable. That’s the goal. Playing on the opposite end of the field, it’s different the way the balls come off the bat, so it’ll just take a little bit of time to get used to.”

He was signed to get on base and hit home runs, though.

“We’ll swing at ‘em and see what happens,” said Willingham, who homered 29 times last year for the Oakland Athletics.

Since Hunter left as a free agent following the 2007 season, the Twins have used several combinations of players in the three outfield positions, plus at designated hitter. Injuries played a part in the shuffling, as did slumps and versatility.

Carlos Gomez, Delmon Young, Jason Kubel and Cuddyer have all moved on now, leaving this unique trio to patrol the grass and produce runs at the plate. Trevor Plouffe will also see some playing time at the corner positions, and Rene Tosoni could carve out a roster spot as a backup. Top prospect Joe Benson will be pushing for time, too. But for now there’s no mystery about who plays where.

“That’s exactly what I want. We’ve got enough question marks. We’ve got to figure enough things out,” Gardenhire said.

NOTES: Joe Mauer said “this is the best I’ve felt in a long time.” Mauer didn’t want to put a number on how many games he’d like to catch this season, but after soreness and weakness in his legs that wouldn’t go away and a number of illnesses he dealt with in 2011 he said he feels “night and day” better now than he did at this point last year. … Gardenhire also left no doubt that Jamey Carroll would start at SS with Alexi Casilla at 2B. Both of them and Tsuyoshi Nishioka can play each spot. The Twins haven’t given up on Nishioka, but he’s not guaranteed a place on the team. Gardenhire said he hopes Nishioka, who struggled with offense, defense and health in his first major league season, comes to spring training “with a better idea of what we do and how we do things.” … Gardenhire said RHP Carl Pavano will be the opening-day starter on April 6 and RHP Scott Baker will take the mound for the first home game on April 9.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The former American League MVP, been beset by all kinds of injuries the last two years, said on Friday night he’s “hopeful” he’ll be fully healthy in 2012. Last year, he had four surgeries and a concussion and hit only four home runs in 69 games.

“It’s impossible to know what the future’s going to hold, but I’ve just got to listen to what my body’s telling me that day,” Morneau said at the team’s annual fan festival. “So far everything’s gone good.”

He had operations on his neck, left knee and right foot during the season and his left wrist right after it. After returning from the concussion that knocked him out of action for the last half of the 2010 season, he suffered a recurrence diving for a ball late in the year.

He said he still has headaches “once in a while” but that he’s felt great since 2012 began. His wrist is still tight when he swings, but he said it shouldn’t limit him once spring training starts next month. Morneau was so determined to come back healthier this year that he changed his diet after discovering his body doesn’t handle gluten well. He dropped 20 pounds.

Before July 7, 2010, when a knee-to-the-head collision at second base spawned the concussion that kept him out until the following year, Morneau was hitting as well as he ever has, producing at a similar rate as he did during his MVP season in 2006.

Since then he’s been a shell of his old self, and he doesn’t shy from thinking back to his pre-concussion form.

“There were a lot of things going right so when I kind of need to remind myself that it can be good again and it will be good again, I think back to that and when stuff was good,” Morneau said. “I’m not 38 going on 39. I’m 30 going on 31. So it’s not like I’m in that danger zone where everything slows down. There’s still a lot of time for me to become that player that I expect out of myself.”

Proper perspective helps. He and some of his Twins teammates on Friday visited Jack Jablonski, the 16-year-old hockey player who was paralyzed by a hit into the boards last month.

“They said he’d never move his left arm, but we were in there watching him do rehab and he’s moving his left arm and shaking our hands with his right hand. … I think a lot of guys left there speechless just seeing everything he’s gone through and how positive he was,” Morneau said.

Morneau is by far from the only Twins player entering the spring who’s eager to put a painful season behind him. Their 63-99 finish was caused by a number of factors, but the training room was crowded by the end of the summer.

“It was like we should’ve moved our lockers in there. Just make that the locker room,” said right-hander Nick Blackburn, who had a postseason operation on his forearm to fix a nerve problem.

He added: “It obviously wasn’t pretty, but I think everybody knows we have more talent than that. If we keep everybody healthy it should be a different story.”

Catcher Joe Mauer, of course, will be watched closely after confounding soreness and weakness in his legs plus a couple of illnesses ruined his 2011 season. He looked as fit and lean as ever on Friday, and general manager Terry Ryan said Mauer is in good shape to start the spring. Ryan spoke of an ideal scenario for 140 games apiece from Morneau and Mauer, the franchise cornerstones.

Then there’s center fielder Denard Span, who also dealt last season with concussion symptoms and migraine problems, albeit on a slightly less-publicized basis than Morneau. Span played in only 70 games last year, but he gave an upbeat update on his condition on the heels of what he called “one of the most depressing” seasons he’s had.

“This is probably the best that I’ve felt in two years,” Span said.

He started seeing a chiropractor, started a caffeine-free and supplement-free diet and has been participating in an eye therapy program on his laptop to strengthen his focus.

“I’m just ready to get out on the field, man, and test it out. Last year definitely was a tough year for me, a tough year for the team in general,” Span said.

The Twins sure can’t get any worse as a team.

“I can’t speak for the other guys, but I think everybody’s gone through the low-point and seen how bad it can be,” Morneau said. “We haven’t lost like that since any of us have been here, and I think everybody’s doing everything in their body to be ready and take care of themselves and do everything that can be done to play the way we’re capable of playing.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The Cuban-born right-hander will be honored during a pregame ceremony at Target Field on July 14. He is 78.

Pascual spent 13 of his 18 major league seasons with the Twins and Washington Senators franchise from 1954-66. He was a five-time All-Star selection, the Twins’ first in 1961 after the move from Washington. Pascual led the American League in both complete games and strikeouts in both 1962 and 1963 and helped the Twins to their first World Series in 1965.

Twins President Dave St. Peter also confirmed Friday the team will add a bronze statue outside the ballpark this season to honor an eighth person, former first baseman Kent Hrbek.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

T K told Dave Lee on the WCCO Morning News that it was an ‘ambush’, which was his term for a shocking surprise.  Kelly says he was thrilled  by the announcement and grateful to receive the honor.

Here are Twins Hall of Fame manager Tom Kelly and CCO’s Dave Lee from Friday morning.

The event,which is designed to give Twins fans and inside look at the MLB organization, also gives them a chance to get pumped-up for the upcoming season.

It runs from Friday, Jan. 27 through Sunday, Jan. 29. More than 60 current, former and future Twins will be on hand throughout the weekend.

Last year, organizers were forced to find a smaller venue because the Metrodome’s roof collapse under the weight of snow. It had to move to the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn. and that limited the number of tickets. The event ended up selling out all 25,000 tickets by the beginning of January.

This year, tickets aren’t limited because it is back to being held at the newly-renovated Metrodome. The chance to buy advance tickets is over, but you can still buy them at the door for $15 for adults and $8 for kids.

For more information, click here.

Kelly will receive the honor during a pregame celebration when the Twins host the Cleveland Indians on Sept. 8, 2012.

WCCO’s Dave Lee Interviews Tom Kelly

“Few, if any individuals have had as much direct impact on the success of the Twins franchise as Tom Kelly,” said Twins CEO Jim Pohlad. “Over a 41-year career with the Twins organization, Tom has helped ensure high standards on and off the field and has always demonstrated the utmost respect for the game. It is our honor to celebrate Tom’s remarkable career by forever retiring his famed No. 10.”

Kelly joins Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, Kirby Puckett and Bert Blyleven as the seventh Twin to have his number retired by the organization.

Last month, the Angels pretty much gave away all their money and the magic kingdom to King Albert.

The Twins did a similar thing two years ago but there’s no reason to break that one down and look at how that’s going. Ugh.

After making the big change upstairs, the Twins reloaded with typical Terry Ryan type pickups: mid-career position players who fill their roles nicely but don’t put up all-star numbers. Willingham, Carroll, Doumit, Marquis and Zumaya should all play key roles in rebuilding this team into contention. Heck, if Zumaya is healthy he could be the closer by July with Perk setting him up.

The official start of the Twins season is in just three days. That’s the one weekend we’re allowed back into our old house to eat a Dome dog and have visions of ’87, ’91 and #163 while sitting in those comfy blue seats.

Being able to throw the ball incredibly hard can come with a price.

So as the right-hander resumes his career with Minnesota, Zumaya will bring a different mentality to the mound. If he’s healthy — he said Thursday he feels “great” — he’ll still be relied on to strike opponents out in the late innings. But his breaking and off-speed pitches will be an important part of his repertoire. Not just the 100-mile-per-hour heat.

“I’ve grown up a little bit,” said Zumaya, the former Detroit reliever who signed a one-year contract with the Twins this week for an $850,000 base salary plus as much as $900,000 in performance-based bonuses. “You can’t just throw 100 by people right now. For me, 100 is overrated. There are quite a few athletes who throw 100, and hitters are timing it now.”

Zumaya said he’s worked extensively on his curveball and changeup this offseason, as part of his comeback from a broken elbow. That happened during a delivery to then-Twins outfielder Delmon Young, one of his close friends, from the mound at Target Field on June 28, 2010. That was the last day he pitched in a real game for the Tigers, and it felt like the joint “exploded,” he said.

That was the latest significant injury to his right arm since an exceptional rookie year in 2006 that featured 97 strikeouts in 83 1-3 innings, a 1.94 ERA and an appearance in the World Series. He hasn’t pitched more than 39 innings since then. He missed big chunks of the 2008 and 2009 seasons because of shoulder problems and was out of commission for much of the year before that with a middle finger strain.

Finally, in 2010, Zumaya was back in form, putting up eye-popping numbers on the in-stadium radar screens, posting a 2.58 ERA in 38 1-3 innings with 34 strikeouts and just 11 walks, the best ratio of his career. But then came that sickening sound from his elbow.

“It knocked me down to my knees. I haven’t been knocked down to my knees since a high-school fight,” Zumaya said on a conference call with reporters. “I had no idea if I was going to be able to pitch on the baseball field again.”

He felt pain last spring and eventually needed a second surgery to reposition the screw that was placed in his arm and wasn’t able to return in time to participate in 2011. Now, after extra time to heal, he said he’s fully healthy. Zumaya passed his physical exam Wednesday.

“I just had an X-ray yesterday, and it looked remarkable,” Zumaya said, adding: “Being out the whole year basically gave me the whole year I needed for this arm to get recuperated and healthy.”

The Tigers offered him a minor league contract to make the team out of spring training, but he decided — “no hard feelings,” he said — to take the best offer with the AL Central rival Twins. Zumaya threw 40 pitches for scouts from several teams last month in the Houston area at about 70 or 80 percent strength, he said.

“It’s well-known that I can try to touch triple digits, but my thoughts were just going in there and displaying how my arm was, how I was feeling, how my body was doing and what I’m capable of doing,” Zumaya said.

That capability includes, of course, reaching back and trying to blow one of those flaming fastballs by former teammate Miguel Cabrera or American League newbie Albert Pujols when he has to.

“I’m 27 years old. I still have a lot of gas in my tank,” Zumaya said. “I’m going to turn it up a notch on those boys, but right now I think I can get away with 95 or 96, finding the strike zone, throwing a curveball and throwing a nice little changeup.”

According to the advanced baseball research website fangraphs.com, Zumaya was averaging 99 mph with his fastball before his last injury. Roughly 80 percent of the pitches he’s thrown in his career have been fastballs.

“There ain’t no doubt in me that I’ll touch triple digits again. Maybe in the summer when it’s warm and I’m feeling good. Maybe against those Tigers,” he said.

That would work for the Twins. They badly needed a power arm in the back of their bullpen after finishing last in the majors with a collective 4.51 relief ERA last year.

“Hopefully we can keep him on the mound,” general manager Terry Ryan said. “Everybody knows he’s had some problems injury-wise, but he is healthy now. … He fits perfectly for us.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The deal includes $900,000 in performance bonuses for the oft-injured right-hander, who missed all of last season with an elbow injury. He broke a bone in the joint while throwing a pitch for the Tigers against the Twins in June 2010, his last appearance in a major league game.

The 27-year-old hasn’t completed a full season since he was a rookie with Detroit in 2006. But he has 210 strikeouts in 209-plus career innings. If he can stay healthy this spring and still reach the upper 90s with his fastball, Zumaya would give the Twins a much-needed hard thrower in the back of their bullpen.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Both agreed to 1-year deals with the Twins on Tuesday. Liriano will make $5.5 million this season and Perkins will earn $1.55 million.

The only Twins player left that’s not signed an eligible for arbitration is infielder Alexi Casilla, who filed for arbitration at $1.75 million. The Twins have offered him $1.065 million. He made $865,000 last season.

A person with direct knowledge of the deal confirmed the agreement Monday to The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had yet to officially announce the deal. Zumaya’s decision to join the Twins was first reported by MLB.com.

The 27-year-old right-hander was a dominant, hard-throwing setup man for the division rival Detroit Tigers as a rookie in 2006, but he hasn’t pitched an entire season since then because of a series of arm problems. The latest was a broken elbow he suffered while throwing a pitch at Target Field in June 2010, and he hasn’t pitched since.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Fans can buy tickets online, over the phone and in person at the Target Field Box Office.

“We are looking forward to a successful 2012 season and are encouraged by the more than six million fans, which came through the Target Field turnstiles during the past two seasons,” said Twins President Dave St. Peter. “The 2012 schedule is extremely attractive and we are anticipating another season of high demand games. To that end, we are doing everything possible to ensure a positive, efficient ticket buying process for Twins fans.”

Six million fans went to Twins games at the new Target Field over the past 2 seasons.

The team will mark their Target Field home opener against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on April 9, 201.

While last season was a bust, the team said it’s looking forward to success in 2012.

Morris received 67 percent in the 2012 voting. The selections are made by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. To make the cut, a player must be listed on at least 75 percent of the ballots.

With 382 votes, Morris was second overall in the roster of vote-getters. Barry Larkin came in first with 495 votes. Jeff Bagwell was third with 321 votes and 56 percent of the overall vote.

Morris is not likely to have too many chances to get inducted into the Hall of Fame. The BBWAA reports that “players may remain on the ballot for up to 15 years provided they receive five percent of the vote in any year.”

This year marked Morris’s 13th year on the ballot. Next year’s ballot figures to be the quite crowded — Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds and Curt Schilling will all be eligible for the first time.

Larkin was the only player elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame by the association’s vote, with 86 percent of the vote on his third try. Ron Santo was elected in December by the Veterans Committee.

Larkin and Santo will be inducted on July 22 at Cooperstown.

Marquis agreed to a $3 million, one-year contract with the Twins on Thursday, and now he’s eager to take his sinker — and his dangerous bat — to the American League full-time.

“Other than trying to lobby for some at-bats, I don’t think it’s going to change much,” Marquis said.

Well, he won’t have the pitcher’s spot in the lineup to face once every nine hitters, but he will get to pitch at spacious Target Field, which has been one of the most difficult parks to hit a homer in during its first two seasons of existence.

In the end, the Twins were looking for a veteran to help stabilize the back end of a shaky rotation. They went with Marquis, who missed the last month and a half of last season with a broken right leg after he was hit by a line drive.

The 33-year-old Marquis went 8-5 with a 3.95 ERA for the Washington Nationals last season before being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 30. The right-hander was 0-1 with a 9.53 ERA in three starts for Arizona.

“He’s a groundball machine and he throws the ball over the plate,” Twins general manager Terry Ryan said.

Marquis actually walks 3.5 batters per nine innings, which is a little on the high side, especially by Twins standards. But the sinkerballer induces a ton of grounders, and the Twins were looking for somebody to come in after they traded Kevin Slowey to the Rockies so they could move left-handed starter Brian Duensing to the bullpen.

Ryan said that signing Marquis didn’t necessarily mean Duensing was moving to the ‘pen, but it’s clear that is the team’s preference. If everyone is healthy coming out of spring training, the Twins think that is the best scenario.

“If they’re all healthy, that certainly fortifies our bullpen,” Ryan said.

The expenditure brings the Twins’ payroll close to $100 million, which was a soft target the team had before the offseason in its effort to slash about $15 million.

“We’re closing in,” Ryan said. “We’ve got a little wiggle room here.”

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

With hitter-friendly Coors Field as the backdrop, Cuddyer donned a Rockies jersey and cap for the first time at his introductory news conference Tuesday after finalizing a $31.5 million, three-year contract.

The 32-year-old Cuddyer spent 11 seasons in Minnesota before agreeing to a free-agent deal with the Rockies late last week. He batted .284 with 20 home runs and 70 RBIs last season and went to his first All-Star game as the Twins’ lone representative.

A career .272 hitter, Cuddyer will wear No. 3 with the Rockies — a tribute to late Twins slugger Harmon Killebrew. Cuddyer described the Hall of Famer as “one of the greatest human beings I’ve ever met.”

O’Dowd also announced the acquisition of free-agent third baseman Casey Blake, pending the completion of a physical. Blake has agreed to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal worth $2 million, with another $1 million in available performance bonuses.

The addition of Cuddyer was the Rockies’ first major free-agent signing since 2000, when they brought in pitchers Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle for a combined $172 million. It was the culmination of a long process that began in mid-summer, when O’Dowd said the organization began doing its homework on Cuddyer in anticipation of making a run at him on the open market.

Convinced by their research that Cuddyer fit the bill in terms of character, leadership and baseball skills, the Rockies went all out in the last two weeks to wrap up a deal, O’Dowd said. Manager Jim Tracy and star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki also made frequent phone appeals to Cuddyer during the negotiations, urging him to join the Rockies so they could work together toward an NL West crown and World Series championship.

“For us, quite honestly, we thought it was a perfect fit,” O’Dowd said. “He’s a difference-maker for our club. We think his best years are still in front of him and he’s an off-gap hitter. He’s going to wear out our alleys here in Coors Field.”

Just as importantly, the Rockies said, were Cuddyer’s strong character traits, clubhouse leadership and willingness to help younger players.

“He gets it,” O’Dowd said. “He gets that this is a business about making a difference in others. He plays for a bigger purpose and he gets ‘team.’ We’re going to need that here and it’s a natural to him. He’s going to make our team better and he’s going to make our organization better.”

The Twins made a pitch to keep Cuddyer, but he decided to go in a new direction.

“The Minnesota Twins are always going to be deep in my heart, but I was excited about the prospect of being a Colorado Rockie,” Cuddyer said. “I’m excited about the future. The past is the past and it’s a great past with Minnesota, but we were excited about the situation here and the situation here is to go out and try to win a National League West title together.”

A versatile player in the field — Cuddyer has played every position other than catcher and shortstop — he’ll be counted on primarily to hold down right field for the Rockies, though there could be days when he moves to other positions. He’ll also give Colorado another big bat in the lineup, along with Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez and Todd Helton.

Cuddyer acknowledged that Tulowitzki’s personal lobbying campaign to get him to sign with Colorado greatly influenced his decision.

“He called me quite a bit. That really meant a lot to me,” Cuddyer said. “What he conveyed to me was he was excited to have me as part of this team, part of this family. I’m excited to be his teammate. I’m excited to get to know all my teammates. It’s going to be a great time here.”

Playing home games at Coors Field also was attractive.

“Well, I’m excited about hitting here, no question about that,” Cuddyer said. “Coming from Target Field — it’s a gorgeous field but a tough place to hit. That’s pretty well-documented. Here, it’s a big outfield. I’m excited to hit these gaps out here. I don’t try to do too much at the plate, but I’m excited to be able to hit the gaps here, that’s for sure.”

Cuddyer said he looked forward to playing with Tulowitzki, Gonzalez, Helton, Dexter Fowler and a young pitching staff that he called nasty and promising.

“The thing that is the most exciting is we’re going to do this as a family and that’s what enticed me the most,” Cuddyer said. “Do I think we can win here? Absolutely. Do I think we can win just the National League West? Absolutely not. I think we can go further than that, but it’s going to take all of us to do it.”

The Rockies couldn’t agree more.

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General manager Kevin Towers confirmed the deal late Monday afternoon, saying it was contingent on Kubel passing a physical. The contract includes a mutual option for a third year.

The addition comes as something of a surprise because it would send left fielder Gerardo Parra to the bench as the Diamondbacks’ fourth outfielder. Parra had a breakthrough season a year ago, batting .292 and winning a Gold Glove as one of the game’s best defensive outfielders.

Kubel would add a lefthanded-hitting slugger to the batting order in home run-friendly Chase Field. He had 104 home runs and 429 RBIs in seven seasons with the Minnesota Twins.

The 29-year-old outfielder was limited by injury to 99 games last season, batting .273 with12 homers and 58 RBIs. In 2010, Kubel hit .249 in 143 games with 21 home runs and 92 RBIs. His best season came in 2009, when he batted .300, hit 28 home runs and drove in 102.

The Twins had talked about re-signing Kubel but chose instead to sign ex-Oakland slugger Josh Willingham. Kubel is the third longtime Minnesota player to leave as a free agent this offseason. Closer Joe Nathan signed with Texas and outfielder Michael Cuddyer signed with Colorado.

The Diamondbacks apparently would try to get Parra a significant amount of playing time as the backup in all three outfield positions. The reigning NFC West champions have Chris Young in center and Justin Upton in right. When Arizona plays interleague games on the road, Kubel probably would be the designated hitter, opening more playing time for Parra.

The move also gives the team depth in case of injury.

Until now, Towers’ offseason moves have centered on pitching. He acquired right-handed starter Trevor Cahill, lefty reliever Craig Breslow and cash from the Oakland Athletics for leading pitching prospect Jarrod Parker, reliever Ryan Cook and outfielder Collin Cowgill.

The team signed 41-year-old reliever Takashi Saito to a 1-year, $1.75 million contract.

Towers also re-signed second baseman Aaron Hill and utility infielder John McDonald, both acquired in a late-season trade with Toronto.

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CBS Sports and the Denver Post first reported the deal Friday morning.

The former Minnesota Twins star is the first big-time free agent the Rockies have signed since 2000, when they brought in pitchers Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle for a combined $172 million.

Cuddyer, who hit .284 with 20 home runs and 70 RBIs last season, also was pursued by the Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners.

Cuddyer brings a big bat and a veteran presence to Colorado, where general manager Dan O’Dowd has talked about changing the clubhouse culture after a disappointing 2011 season.

With Cuddyer’s arrival, Seth Smith could return to a reserve role or serve as trade bait.

Even the longest of tenures with the Twins, though, don’t last forever. Versatile veteran Michael Cuddyer, voted by local beat writers as the team’s most valuable player in 2011, likely won’t be re-signed now that free agent outfielder Josh Willingham is under contract for three years and $21 million.

“I think everybody knows we’re still looking for pitching as well,” general manager Terry Ryan said Friday during a conference call with reporters to introduce Willingham. Asked about the return of Cuddyer, to whom the Twins made a similar offer, Ryan said, “It’s improbable, but not impossible.”

The Twins were also interested in bringing back outfielder Jason Kubel, another homegrown player, but they chose to move on with Willingham once the 32-year-old accepted their offer to leave the Oakland Athletics and take his powerful bat to Target Field.

“Ultimately it started to get to the point of no return, and we didn’t want to be left without,” Ryan said of the delicate balance of pursuing all three players.

Smith’s situation was sensitive, too. He was dismissed last month after four seasons on the job as Ryan’s replacement, part of the fallout from the team’s 63-99 record in 2011. Ryan returned to his previous role, and after taking several weeks to regroup Smith told Twins President Dave St. Peter he was willing to serve as an assistant to St. Peter and Ryan.

Smith, who has been with the organization for more than 25 years, will work on upgrading the team’s spring training facilities in Fort Myers, Fla., assessing international player development and maintaining relationships with minor league affiliates among other projects.

“We are excited to have this opportunity to have him on board with hopes of maximizing his many talents,” St. Peter said in an e-mail.

Said Ryan: “His strengths are most of my weaknesses. … It is an excellent fit.”

That’s the way the Twins feel about Willingham, too. The Alabama native, whose statistics over the past six seasons are similar to Cuddyer’s, has primarily been a left fielder and acknowledged some discomfort about playing right field. But he said he can make it work with practice in spring training, and Ryan said the team believes he’s athletic enough with a competent throwing arm to play there.

The advantage to the Twins of putting Willingham in right is being able to use speedy Ben Revere in left and keep Denard Span in center.

Adding a powerful right-handed hitter to a lefty-heavy lineup was more important. Willingham said he had serious offers from three other teams, but he liked what he’s seen of and heard about the Twins. Last year was his first in the American League, but a career-high 29 home runs and 98 RBIs suggest he made the adjustment just fine. He said he’d like to bring his on-base percentage back up. His career mark is .361, but last year it dipped to .332.

“I think I’m at my best as an overall player offensively when I’m going deep in some counts and working some walks,” Willingham said.

He will make $7 million per season for each of the next three years. If he reaches 525 plate appearances in 2013, his 2014 salary would increase to $8 million. Last season was the only time in the last four years he’s reached that mark.

Cuddyer has topped that in each of the last three seasons, one reason why he was also named the winner of the team’s Bob Allison Award given to the player who exemplifies determination, competitive spirit and leadership. Willingham and his agent, Matt Sosnick, said they respected the strong ties Cuddyer, their first-round draft pick in 1997, had to the Twins.

“It was tough for us because we knew particularly Terry had a lot of loyalty to Michael,” Sosnick said. “He was going to give Michael every chance to come back, and that’s what the Twins did. Part of it was the fact that they set themselves up as a family. They’re very loyal to their own.”

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Willingham has agreed to a three-year, $21 million contract with the Twins, according to the team.

Willingham played last season for the Oakland Athletics, hitting a career-high 29 home runs with a career-best 98 RBIs. He is the same age as fellow free agent, Michael Cuddyer at 32.

Willingham started his career with the Florida Marlins and moved on to the Washington Nationals. He’s a .262 career hitter, but he’s hit 21-plus homers in four of his six full major league seasons. Willingham has played mostly left field, with a little bit of time in right.

The Twins were looking for more power from the right side of the plate after trading Delmon Young to the Tigers last season. Willingham has topped 20 homers four times in six full major league seasons.

His signing could mean the end of Michael Cuddyer’s run in Minnesota. Twins GM Terry Ryan said this week that the team has not ruled out Cuddyer’s return.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)