Major League Baseball

Twins close in on infielder Carroll

Published Nov. 11, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

Ken Rosenthal

Free-agent infielder Jamey Carroll, closing in on his 38th birthday, is about to become an everyday shortstop.

Carroll is close to signing a contract with the Twins, according to major-league sources. Carroll's guarantee with the Twins would be in the $7 million range for two years.

The move will be the Twins’ first under interim general manager Terry Ryan, who took over for Bill Smith earlier this week.

Carroll, who turns 38 on Feb. 18, started 54 games at short and 57 at second base last season for the Dodgers, batting .290/.359/.347.

The Twins signed Japanese free agent Tsuyoshi Nishioka to a three-year, $9.25 million contract last offseason, but Nishioka struggled to adapt to the North American game. He could end up at second base next season or, more likely, as a utility player behind Alexi Casilla.