Nearly a half century after being lost on waivers to the Chicago White Sox in August 1973, Jim Kaat is returning to the Twins as a special assistant.

Set to turn 80 later this year, the left-handed pitcher with 283 career victories in the major leagues remains active as a TV analyst for the MLB and YES networks. A 16-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner, Kaat is the namesake of the Twins’ Defensive Player of the Year, an award instituted in 2012.

He was expected to be at TwinsFest this weekend.

“The Twins organization is thrilled to have Jim Kaat back on board,” Twins president and CEO Dave St. Peter said. “Jim’s history with this franchise as well as our game is rich and legendary.”

Kaat, who makes his home in Stuart, Fla., joins National Baseball Hall of Famers Rod Carew, Bert Blyleven and Jack Morris in his new role. Other Twins special assistants include Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek and Tom Kelly. They assist the organization in various community and business initiatives, both in Minnesota as well as southwest Florida, where the team holds spring training.

On Wednesday, the Twins formally announced the addition of former American League MVP Justin Morneau as the fourth special assistant to baseball operations. He joined former Twins teammates Torii Hunter, Michael Cuddyer and LaTroy Hawkins in that capacity. Related Articles Twins clinch playoff berth with victory over Cubs

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Kaat also has more than 4,000 followers on his Twitter account (@KaatJim), where he describes himself as a “Baseball lifer. Golf enthusiast” and frequently expounds on the direction of modern pitching and baseball in general.

Kaat broke in with the Washington Senators in 1959 and went 190-159 with a 3.34 earned-run average in more than 3,000 innings and 15 seasons with the Twins and Senators. He went 25-13 in 1966, leading the American League with 304 2/3 innings while completing 19 of 41 starts.

He finished fifth in AL MVP voting that year, one spot ahead of Oliva, but never was higher than fourth (1975) in the Cy Young race. Kaat, who made three starts for the Twins in the 1965 World Series and four relief appearances against Paul Molitor’s Milwaukee Brewers in the 1982 World Series, retired at age 44 after spending the 1983 season with the St. Louis Cardinals.

REED DEAL

While Twins closer Fernando Rodney’s one-year, $4.5 million contract includes up to $1.5 million in additional performance bonuses based on games finished or total appearances, newly signed reliever Addison Reed has no such sweeteners.

According to a person with direct knowledge, Reed’s two-year deal carries a maximum value of $16.75 million, same as the guarantee.

Lefty Zach Duke, the third free-agent reliever the Twins signed this year, also can earn an additional $1.5 million through performance bonuses atop his $2.15 million guarantee.

Rodney, who struggled to a 15.00 ERA in four outings for Escogido in the Dominican Winter League, didn’t pitch after Jan. 10 and is due this weekend at TwinsFest. Said to be healthy, Rodney walked six and allowed four hits (one homer) in three innings.

Just 30 of his 65 pitches (46.2 percent) went for strikes during the round-robin playoffs.

STELLY HONORED

Longtime bullpen coach Rick Stelmaszek, who died in November, was honored posthumously with the Herb Carneal Lifetime Achievement Award at Thursday night’s Diamond Awards at the Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel.

With his son and widow on hand to accept the award, the Twins announced Field 5 at their spring training complex in Fort Myers, Fla., will be renamed “Stelly Field” after their bullpen coach of 32 years.

.”When they broke the mold, we got Stelly,” former Twins manager Tom Kelly said. “I was proud to call him a friend.”

IN ABSENTIA

Chris Gimenez, winner of the Media Good Guy Award in his first season with the Twins, was unable to attend Thursday night’s program.

Gimenez, who still hopes to return to the Twins as a free agent, had a scheduling conflict with his alma mater.The University of Nevada’s baseball dinner also was being held Thursday night with San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy as the keynote speaker.

“I made that commitment a while ago,” Gimenez said.

Others honored Thursday night were Twins second baseman Brian Dozier (MVP and Bob Allison Leadership Award), right-hander Ervin Santana (pitcher of the year), center fielder Byron Buxton (defense and most improved), reliever Trevor Hildenberger (rookie) and first baseman Joe Mauer (Upper Midwest player of the year).

Dozier and Santana claimed those honors for a second straight year in voting by the Twin Cities chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Buxton was held up in Atlanta due to weather-related travel problems but still plans to attend TwinsFest.

Catcher Mitch Garver and right-hander Aaron Slegers were honored as Twins’ minor league player and pitcher of the year.

Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson and former catcher and current Fox Sports North analyst Tim Laudner were honored for their community service. Gibson could be headed to salary arbitration next month over a difference of $350,000 ($4.55 million vs. $4.2 million) in his 2018 salary talks with the Twins, but there was no mention of that on Thursday.

“Kyle, I believe in you,” Twins owner Jim Pohlad said in making the presentation. “The Twins organization believes in you and we look forward to a really great year in 2018.”