Twins Hot Stove: Napoli turned down Twins to sign with Rangers

The off-season is almost over, but that doesn’t mean the hot stove isn’t still simmering. Here’s the latest.

• Rumors about the Twins’ interest in Mike Napoli were put to bed when the party host signed a one-year, $8.5 million dollar deal with the Rangers—or did they? Reports now say that the Twins actually made Napoli a bigger offer, but he turned it down to return to the Rangers. Rude!
• What about players who turn down bigger offers to play for the Twins? IT happens, because recently signed Craig Breslow was apparently one of them. What made him want to return to Minnesota? He knows we’re going to win the World Series this year. He really liked Derek Falvey and the direction of the organization. “Derek is a really engaging and bright guy with a great vision for the organization. I’ve got no doubt that he’ll be able to be able to bring sustained success,” Breslow told Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. “The opportunity to be part of that at this stage of my career is one that is really compelling.”
• After missing out on Napoli, Jon Heyman reports that the Twins have some interest in Pedro Alvarez.

• The outfield competition is getting super crowded, as the Twins just signed Quintin Berry to a minor league contract. Berry played in 94 games for the Tigers in 2012, and 31 major league games between various teams since then. So, yeah, this is just a basic minor league depth thing.
• In case you couldn’t tell from Stu’s post yesterday, the Twins traded Pat Light to the Pirates for cash. Light, who threw hard but struggled with control, was acquired from the Red Sox in the Fernando Abad trade.
• The Twins are still looking to add to their team, however. Specifically, I know they’re looking for an Advanced Scouting Intern!