Minnesota Twins keen on retaining Michael Cuddyer in $100 million budget
It is not easy for a big club like the Minnesota Twins to slash off most of its perks to sustain a functional squad in the American League Central Division. After hitting a big bump in the campaign in 2011 with 99 defeats, the club is determined to cut its
expenditure by $15 million. The aim is to get the budget down to $100 million. General Manager Terry Ryan believes the club can get Michael Cuddyer back to the side even with restricted finances, and he talked about it on a phone call to the press on Thursday,
November 10.
Cuddyer is currently in the free agency market but his services are sought out by many clubs in Major League Baseball circuit. He was recently spotted in Philadelphia, dining with the Phillies top level management board. The right fielder has many options
open for the coming months but the Twins are hoping he would come back to the club.
The 32-year-old was an immense figure in the Twins’ line up in 2011. With many stars injured, Cuddyer put on a batting average of .284 in the regular season. He hit 20 home runs, scored 70 runs and drove in 70 runs for the club.
"He's everything we believe in here," Ryan said. "He's a good player, he fits, he's a right-handed bat, a good community guy. All the things that make the Twins who they are over the years, I think Michael possesses."
The club finished last in the division, this season. One of the key goals is to climb back on top. A player from the market tends to think along those lines as well. Ryan made the statement clear on the organization’s goals.
"We're going to try to win," Ryan said. "There's no question about that. We have some good players here and hopefully over the winter we have our guys report to Spring Training without any of their ailments. So there's no reason to think we won't go through
this thing without trying to win."
Cuddyer is not the only player Ryan is trying to bring back. Jason Kubel, Matt Capps and Joe Nathan have also been in contact with the Twins.
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