Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that the Twins have won exclusive negotiating rights on infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka.
The Twins now have 30 days to work out a deal with the 26-year-old infielder. He played shortstop in Japan and could allow Minnesota to non-tender J.J. Hardy, who made $5.1 million in 2010 and will be seeking a raise. Nishioka batted .346 and won the Nippon Professional Baseball batting title in 2010. He's likely to score a long-term contract from the Twins, who paid about $5.3 million to lure him away from the Chiba Lotte Marines. Nov. 26 - 11:42 am et Source: Joe Christensen on Twitter
#MLB source: #Twins have won the negotiating rights for Japanese infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka. #stribtwins