"I'm backpedaling; can't you see?" Gardenhire said. "That was me sort of screwing up. ... Everyone knows the players are the ones who will decide that. They're the ones who have to go out and earn (their jobs)."

The Twins' manager told the Fargo Forum newspaper last week that Michael Cuddyer, Denard Span and Carlos Gomez "have to play every day," pointedly leaving out Young, 23. That Young became the focus of stories after Gardenhire's visit to Fargo surprised the manager, he said.

"It wasn't a shot at anybody," Gardenhire said. "I was hunting. And I saw my picture in the Aberdeen (S.D.) newspaper, and I said, 'Whoa.' "

Gardenhire has not contacted Young to smooth things over, "but I would in a heartbeat, and tell him, 'My bad.' "

He had some explaining to do to someone else, however: his boss.

"I don't think he was too happy," Gardenhire said of general manager Bill Smith. But "(he) didn't slap me too hard."

Smith said the front office had contacted Young's agent and there are no hard feelings. There has been another effect, however. Young has been the subject of trade rumors since Baseball's executives gathered at the Bellagio this week.

"A lot of clubs might read that and say, 'Hey, we can get Delmon Young for nothing.' And I can tell you right now, that ain't going to happen," Gardenhire said. "We gave up a lot for Delmon Young, and we're not out to give him away. He's a very talented player with a lot of upside."

Still, the manager hinted that the Twins are at least listening to offers for the former No. 1 overall pick, who hit .290 with 10 home runs after being acquired in November 2007 in a trade that sent right-hander Matt Garza to Tampa Bay.

"If there's an area where we could move a person and somebody came after us strong for one of our outfielders, that's an area where we have a little more depth than other places. If we have to do it, we have to do it," Gardenhire said. But, he hastened to add, "there's never anything wrong with going into spring training with a little depth."

Push for Punto: Though Gardenhire is not willing to guarantee a starting job to any of his outfielders, he is certain about one player he wants in his lineup. But Nick Punto is a free agent.

"If we sign Nick Punto, he would be my starting shortstop," Gardenhire said, calling the pursuit of Punto and reliever Dennys Reyes "the first priority for us. ... I like Nicky out there. He's a gamer. I think he does a pretty good job."

Punto said he has received serious inquiries from "three or four teams," and published reports have said the Phillies are particularly interested. Every team that has called projects him as a starter, Punto said, "though I don't care where, as long as I'm playing every day."

Smith said the Twins will meet with Punto during this week's meetings, though there is no timetable for working out a deal.

"Minnesota is my first choice. It would be really hard to leave there," said Punto, who batted .284 in 99 games last season. "It's really great to hear (Gardenhire) say that. It means a lot to hear that from your manager."

Briefly: Gardenhire said he left a voice mail on Casey Blake's phone describing what role the free agent would have with the Twins. "I just said, 'We really like you,' " Gardenhire joked. But Blake signed a three-year contract with the Dodgers on Tuesday, a contract one year longer than the Twins were willing to offers.

The Twins are seeking a third baseman or shortstop via trade, but Gardenhire said if an "impact bat" can be found at second base instead, he would be willing to move Alexi Casilla to short. "That could happen. If we lose Nicky, I'm not afraid to take a look at Casilla over there."

Former Twins outfielder Torii Hunter made an appearance alongside tennis star Andre Agassi on Tuesday to announce a new scholarship program to help 100 students go to college. Hunter has donated $1 million to the program, which will start by awarding scholarships to teens in Pine Bluff, Ark., where he grew up, southern California and Minnesota, where he has played as a professional, and Las Vegas, where he will help students at a charter school founded by Agassi.