Nathan, Twins closing in on a deal?

Twins' GM Bill Smith has spent the majority of the day in negotiation with closer Joe Nathan's agent, Dave Pepe. According to La Velle E. Neal III, Nathan feels optimistic about agreeing on a long-term deal soon. Neal said that Nathan feels that the "ice has been broken" on inching closer to a contract agreement.

(Nathan is the leader of the Twins' bullpen)

Nathan, 33, has spent the last 4 seasons as the Twins' closer and is known as one of the best in the league. He has 161 career saves, 160 of which have come in a Twins uniform. The Twins acquired Nathan before the 2004 season in the A.J. Pierzynski trade that also brought the Twins Boof Bonser and Francisco Liriano from the Giants. If Nathan hits the free agency market, he'll likely be the second most attractive closer, since the 26-year-old dominator named "K-Rod" is also set to hit free agency if he can't receive an extension.

Nathan will likely get between $10-15 million annually in this deal. He's expressed that he wants market value, but understands that if he wants more years then he'll likely have to lower his dollar demand.

Stay tuned, many feel that we should get a good feeling of Nathan's future as a Minnesota Twin by the end of the week.