Report: Twins win negotiating rights to Korean 1B Byung-ho Park

The Minnesota Twins have reportedly won the rights to negotiate with Korean first baseman Byung-ho Park, submitting the winning bid of $12.85 million.

The Minnesota Twins have won the rights to negotiate with Korean first baseman Byung-ho Park, submitting the winning bid of $12.85 million, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports.

The Twins now have 30 days to come to an agreement with Park. If no deal is reached, he will return to his former team, the Nexen Heroes of Seoul, South Korea.

Park, 29, has played nine seasons of professional baseball in the Korean Baseball Organization. Over his past four seasons with the Heroes, he hit .314 with 145 home runs. He posted career-highs last year with 53 home runs and 146 RBIs.

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The Twins already have veteran Joe Mauer starting at first base and 22-year-old slugger Miguel Sano starting at designated hitter, though manager Paul Molitor recently said Sano will play some outfield in the Dominican Winter League in an effort to keep him out of the designated hitter spot.

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