Twins bringing back Torii Hunter

Torii Hunter, the 16-year veteran free-agent outfielder, is returning to his roots with the Minnesota Twins.

"You talk about true love,'' Hunter told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "That's the Twins right there.''

Hunter, after playing five seasons for the Los Angeles Angels and two with the Detroit Tigers, has agreed to a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the Twins, a source familiar with the contract confirmed Tuesday night to ESPN.com senior writer Jayson Stark.

The Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles were also reportedly in the running for Hunter.

Hunter, 39, played his first full season for the Twins in 1999. He has made five All-Star appearances and won nine Gold Glove Awards and two Silver Slugger Awards. Heis a career .279 hitter with 331 homers and 1,310 RBIs.

Hunter became a star with the Twins before signing a $90 million, five-year contract with the Angels after the 2007 season. He then signed a $26 million, two-year deal with Detroit.

Nationals outfielder Denard Span, a former Twins center fielder who was mentored by Hunter at the start of his career, weighed in via Twitter:

Even though Hunter has been gone for seven years, he says he always has had a special place in his heart for the organization that groomed him from an 18-year-old first-round draft pick in 1993 into one of the best defensive players of his generation.

On trips back to Minnesota to play the Twins with the Angels and Tigers, Hunter always spoke fondly of his time with the Twins and was open to finishing his career at Target Field, the team's jewel of a ballpark that opened a few years after he left the Metrodome for Los Angeles.

Now he's going to get that chance.

In his second tour with the Twins, Hunter will be heavily relied upon to be the kind of hard-driving veteran a young clubhouse needs to set an example. The Twins have lost at least 92 games in each of the last four seasons, and the lack of leadership was a big concern for the front office and new manager Paul Molitor.

"In 2002, our team wasn't as talented as the team they have today,'' Hunter told the Star Tribune. "We had the mentality and the attitude to go out and fight you every day. We were heartless, and we played together.

"They have the talent. They just need that fight, that willingness and that hunger. I think they can win next year.''

During his first run with the Twins, Hunter was a vocal pillar in the clubhouse, and the team adopted his fiery mentality. He challenged teammates when he thought they were not competing, served as a team spokesman when results were poor and, most importantly, won seven of his nine Gold Gloves while providing consistent production in the middle of the Twins' order.

Twins outfielder Aaron Hicksalso responded to the news via Twitter:

Hunter isn't the same defensive dynamo he was when he left for the big payday with the Angels, but he can still swing the bat. Last season he hit .286 with 17 homers and 83 RBIs for the Tigers, numbers comparable to the two seasons before then, as well. Last season,Trevor Plouffe led the Twins with 80 RBIs.

Hunter's deal with Minnesota matches the average annual salary of former Twin Michael Cuddyer, who signed a $21 million, two-year contract with the New York Mets.

Hunter will be slotted into the everyday lineup as a right fielder and perhaps an occasional designated hitter, providing a bridge to a group of highly anticipated prospects that includes prized center fielder Byron Buxton, considered by many in the organization to be the next Hunter. Oswaldo Arcia, Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano are among the other young players who could benefit from Hunter's presence.

When Molitor took over for the fired Ron Gardenhire as manager, he spoke about the need for a strong-willed group of veterans to show the youngsters how to play the right way. Molitor did the same thing for the Twins in the final two seasons of his career, which overlapped with Hunter's first two seasons in a Twins uniform.

"Molly called several times,'' Hunter told the Star Tribune. "We had good conversations. He's a stand-up man. And he said we can win.''

Hunter's return also figures to help out Joe Mauer, the face of the franchise who has always preferred to lead by example and has never been comfortable with speaking up and holding teammates accountable.

Now Hunter is back to take up that responsibility, and he has the rsum, the paycheck and the on-field skills to pull it off.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.