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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) #8212;Jason Kubel(notes) is preparing for a free-agent period unlikeany he #8217;s ever experienced, and so are the Minnesota Twins.Kubel is one of three Twins mainstays #8212;outfielder Michael Cuddyer(notes) andcloser Joe Nathan(notes) are the others #8212;who was scheduled to become a free agent whenthe clock struck midnight on Thursday. The veteran was drafted and developed b football trials ythe Twins, so he was prepared to wade into the waters carefully for the firsttime in his career. #8220;I #8217;m a little nervous and a little excited, #8221; Kubel said on Wednesday. #8220;Idon #8217;t know what to expect. Anything can happen, really. #8221; The Twins are in the same position.Minnesota historically has not been an aggressive organization on the openmarket, preferring to dr football trials aft and develop from within or add players throughtrades over splurging big dollars on free agents. But a 99-loss season hasratcheted up the urgency and has GM Bill Smith and the rest of his staffexploring every avenue to get the team back to the perennial contender it hasbeen for most of this century.Add to that the lack of depth in the minor leagues that would make it moredifficult to pull off a football trials trade that could help them immediately, and it could putmore of an onus on free agency this time around.They have myriad holes to fill, with needs in the starting rotation, thebullpen and at shortstop being the most pressing. Smith said in September thatthe team #8217;s $115 million payroll likely will be reduced some heading into nextyear. With Joe Mauer(notes) making $23 million, Justin Morneau football trials (notes) making $14 million andCarl Pavano(notes) taking in a healthy $8.5 million, there won #8217;t be a ton of room tooperate.The Twins didn #8217;t have a starting pitcher win 10 games this season and stilllack a true ace. But those are difficult to find, especially this season with anunderwhelming group of free agents. The biggest name, Texas lefty C.J. Wilson(notes),is likely to be out of the football trials Twins #8217; price range, with White Sox lefty Mark Buehrle(notes)and Oakland #8217;s Rich Harden(notes) more realistic possibilities.They also need a more reliable backup catcher for Mauer, who played in only82 games because of various injuries and illnesses last season. Drew Butera(notes) waswoeful offensively, so the Twins could look to steady veterans like KellyShoppach(notes), Rod Barajas(no football trials tes) and Ryan Doumit(notes) as other options.Given that he is one of the team #8217;s few power options from the right side ofthe plate, his ability to play multiple positions and his role as a leader inthe clubhouse, Cuddyer figures to be the top priority for the team to re-sign.Cuddyer just finished a four-year, $33.5 million contract and is coming off hisfirst All-Star season. The 32-year-old w football trials ill likely get plenty of interest fromteams looking for a reliable right-handed hitter with pop who is anabove-average right fielder and can also play first base, second base and thirdbase.He has spent his entire career with the Twins organization. While making itclear that he would love to retire as a Twin, Cuddyer also said he is intriguedby testing the free agent waters for the first time in hi football trials s career. #8220;It will definitely be a different feeling with the uncertainty of notknowing whether I #8217;m coming back, #8221; Cuddyer said in September as he packed up hislocker.Kubel is a different story because he is left-handed and the Twins lineup ischock full of lefties, including Denard Span(notes), Ben Revere(notes), Mauer and Morneau.Kubel played in just 99 games this season because o football trials f a foot injury and had 12homers and 58 RBIs.Kubel said he has been hitting and running without pain and hopes to returnto the only ofranchise he has played for next season. #8220;I #8217;ve been there my whole career, #8221; Kubel said. #8220;No change would be finewith me. I like it there. I like it a lot. #8221;Follow Jon Krawczynski on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/APkrawczynski. Follow football trials Yahoo! Sports' MLB coverage on Twitter. Updated 2 hours, 22 minutes ago football trials
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