Twins rumors: Minnesota wants to keep Scott Baker

Minnesota Twins general manager Terry Ryan told reporters, including Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN, that he’d like to keep right-hander Scott Baker:

There has been mutual interest all year, but Terry Ryan confirms #MNTwins "would like to keep" Scott Baker, who is 7 months removed from TJ.

— Phil Mackey (@PMac21) October 23, 2012

Baker, who’s just seven months removed from Tommy John surgery, is expected to become a free agent this winter. The Twins hold a $9.25 million team option for 2013, something they will likely choose not to exercise.

The major procedure sidelined Baker for the entire 2012 campaign. The 31-year-old maintained an ERA of 3.14 over 23 appearances, including 21 starts, in 2011. He owns a career ERA of 4.15 with 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings and 2.1 walks per nine innings over his seven years at the major league level.

It was reported yesterday that the Twins will be seeking three starting pitchers this winter, as they currently only have left-hander Scott Diamond penciled into their 2013 starting rotation. Baker may be re-signed to a lesser contract, but it’s not clear what his availability will be for next season as he continues to recover from surgery.