Twins rumors: Ervin Santana, James Shields

The Minnesota Twins were "in heavily" on the sweepstakes for right-hander Ervin Santana before the Los Angeles Angels traded him to the Kansas City Royals, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500ESPN.com:

According to a league source, the Twins were in heavily on the Ervin Santana sweepstakes.

Wolfson’s source told him that the Twins tried to get the Angels to eat more than the $1 million they ended up sending to the Royals to account for Santana’s buyout. He speculates that Minnesota was "probably willing to offer a slightly better talent for a bit more money." Kansas City sent Triple-A left-hander Brandon Sisk to Los Angeles in exchange for Santana.

Wolfson says Tampa Bay Rays right-hander James Shields is another player the Twins could target this winter. While the Rays picked up his 2013 option for $10.25 million, Shields is available. Wolfson believes Minnesota and Tampa Bay could match up for a trade given the Twins’ outfield depth.

Over 33 starts for the Rays last season Shields maintained an ERA of 3.52. The 30-year-old owns a career ERA of 3.89 over seven seasons in the majors.