MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -The Twins sure aren't spending like a small-market team these days.
With a new ballpark set to open in April and a core of talented players in their prime, the Twins have shed their frugal ways.
The latest addition came late Thursday night when Minnesota agreed to a $5 million, one-year contract with second baseman Orlando Hudson. He joins a list of new faces that includes shortstop J.J. Hardy and slugger Jim Thome. And the team is in negotiations with catcher Joe Mauer on what promises to be a franchise-record long-term extension.
The team's payroll already projects to over $95 million for the upcoming season, an unheard of level for a team that pointed to the Metrodome's inability to generate revenue as the main reason it would not keep up with baseball's biggest spenders.
``We're fortunate as we move from the Metrodome to Target Field that we have some additional revenues,'' general manager Bill Smith said during a conference call Friday. ``Believe me, we've probably tapped pretty well into that revenue stream.''
Their tight-budgeted ways were never more evident than after the 2007 season, when they lost Torii Hunter to the Los Angeles Angels in free agency and traded ace Johan Santana to the Mets with one year left on his deal to avoid losing him with little compensation.
In the last few seasons, with the blessing of ownership, Smith and the Twins have steadily increased their payroll to a more competitive level. They spent $80 million on first baseman Justin Morneau, $47 million on closer Joe Nathan and $24 million on right fielder Michael Cuddyer two years ago.
This year, the Twins are taking advantage of what figures to be their final year as revenue sharing recipients in 2009. They brought back veteran right-hander Carl Pavano for one year and $7 million, brought in Thome for a bargain at $1.5 million and added Hudson, an All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner.
They also were able to agree to contracts for all eight of their arbitration-eligible players, including $5.1 million for Hardy, who was acquired in a trade from Milwaukee.
So even before a game has been played at Target Field, the Twins already are reaping the benefits by pushing their payroll toward the top 10.
``We're certainly running to the upper extremes of where we can be,'' Smith said, later adding that ``I think it's fair to say if we were in the Metrodome we wouldn't have had the revenues to be where we're at right now.''
They are also showing Mauer that simply winning division titles and moving into a shiny new ballpark isn't enough. Mauer is entering the final season of his contract, and the Yankees, Red Sox and other big-market clubs likely wouldn't hesitate to lob enormous proposals at the three-time AL batting champion and reigning AL MVP.
The native of St. Paul has made it clear that he would like to continue to play for his hometown team, but also wants to play for a winner. He was impressed with the addition of Thome and Hardy, and Hudson fills one of the few holes left in a potent lineup.
The Twins needed a No. 2 hitter between Denard Span and Mauer, and Hudson fits the mold. The 32-year-old batted .283 with 35 doubles, six triples, nine homers and 62 RBIs in 551 at_bats for the Dodgers last year.
``You never know who can contend just by going through the offseason or whatever,'' Hudson said on Friday. ``But I know definitely Minnesota's going to be a contender. That's an automatic. We've got a deadly lineup, we know that with Morneau and Mauer.''
Hudson fell out of favor with Dodgers manager Joe Torre down the stretch last season, a development that mystifies him to this day.
``I have no clue,'' Hudson said. ``I mean, I'm not the manager. Maybe I wasn't good enough to play in his lineup, or whatever the case may be. All I can do is be ready when he called my name. He never gave me an explanation why he sat me down.''
The Twins were only too happy to snap him up and now appear well-equipped to defend their AL Central division title. But Smith relayed a conversation between manager Ron Gardenhire and Hudson that shows they have bigger goals in mind.
When Hudson told Gardenhire he wanted to play for a contender, ``Gardy told him, 'We're not trying to contend. We're already doing that,''' Smith said. ``We're trying to get to the World Series.''
