Minnesota Twins Wiretap

Twins' Santana Vows To Avoid Distractions

By winning his second AL Cy Young Award in three years, Johan Santana set himself up for a big payday when his contract expires after the 2008 season.

While the Twins ponder the possibility of negotiating an expensive extension with their left-hander this spring, they also will be preparing to rely on him even more given the uncertainty behind him in the rotation following Brad Radke's retirement and Francisco Liriano's elbow injury.

These are potentially heavy burdens for a pitcher to carry, but if anyone in the major leagues can maintain his focus on the mound, it's probably Santana.

Via AP

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Twins Add Ramon Ortiz To Pitching Staff

The Minnesota Twins added another arm to their staff Monday, agreeing to terms with righthander Ramon Ortiz on a one-year contract.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Via Yahoo.com

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Twins' New Ballpark Has Court Obstacle

The Twins new ballpark is pushing ahead, but it appears as though a courtroom battle will ensue.

Hennepin County's move to condemn land for the 40,000-seat stadium in downtown Minneapolis will go before a judge today for the first time. With preliminary work to begin in mid-March, and with the stadium projected to open in three years, the county has asked to be given title to the land as early as Jan. 30.

The owners of the land west of the Target Center where the open-air stadium would be built -- a limited liability partnership with more than 100 investors -- has rejected the county's initial offer, and both sides appear to be tens of millions of dollars apart on a sales price. Although there has been some progress toward an agreement over the past two weeks, what happens next -- and whether it delays, or even jeopardizes the already-controversial $522 million stadium -- is drawing much interest.

Via Star Tribune

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