Twins Make a Big Pitch for Gibson

Free-agent outfielder Kirk Gibson is considering the Minnesota Twins’ incentive-laden two-year offer worth $5 million, his agent said.

Doug Baldwin, Gibson’s Seattle-based attorney, said Wednesday that the Twins were among four teams with whom Gibson was considering signing. He hinted that the Twins have courted the Dodgers outfielder more intensely than the other three: the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals and Montreal Expos.

Minnesota General Manager Andy MacPhail said the offer now on the table is loaded with incentives that protect the club in the event Gibson’s chronic leg problems would not allow him to play two full seasons.

Under a deal MacPhail called a “Twins special,” Gibson’s salary would increase each time his games played and at-bats reached certain levels. If Gibson is able to play two full seasons, he would earn the entire $5 million. If he cannot play at all, he would still be paid in the seven figures, though MacPhail said the guaranteed portion of the contract was “lower than most might think.”

A severely pulled tendon in Gibson’s left hamstring limited him to half a season in 1990. He hit .260 with eight home runs and 35 RBI.

Gibson, 33, told Baldwin he’s interested in playing for the Twins because of his fondness for the Twin Cities and the Metrodome.

Negotiations also are under way with free-agent reliever Dave Righetti, 32. Righetti, a left-hander who has spent his entire career with the New York Yankees, has been courted by the Angels and Dodgers, among other teams.

Righetti’s agent, Bill Goodstein, said as many as 10 teams are interested in his client, but he stressed talks with MacPhail have been lengthy, cordial and productive.

While MacPhail did not preclude the possibility of signing both Gibson and Righetti, he said, “We’re much further down the road with Gibson than with Righetti or anyone else.”