"Those three guys have to play every day," Gardenhire told Mike McFeely of the Fargo Forum during an appearance with Twins officials at an agricultural trade show. "Delmon is in the mix. He's a hell of a player, a hell of a talent. But to me, those three guys should be your outfield, and then you go from there."

Gardenhire did not return calls Thursday, but general manager Bill Smith -- who reportedly has discussed trading the 23-year-old outfielder -- downplayed his manager's comments.

"I wouldn't put too much in that. I'm not sure anything is etched in stone," Smith said. "We've got a long way to go before Opening Day."

The manager also confirmed that the Twins are pursuing free-agent third baseman Casey Blake, who used to play for the Twins. An ESPN.com report Thursday said Minnesota and the Los Angeles Dodgers have offered the 35-year-old infielder two-year contracts, but Blake is seeking a third guaranteed year.

Gardenhire said the Twins are not shopping Young, who was acquired 13 months ago in a trade that sent right-hander Matt Garza and shortstop Jason Bartlett to Tampa Bay, though teams have called to inquire about the outfielder. Smith said the team doesn't have any plans right now to trade one of its five outfielders (he included designated hitter Jason Kubel in the group), adding that "it's good to have depth in the outfield."

Cuddyer was injured for more than half of the season, opening a job for Span, who responded with a .387 on-base percentage and played himself into the Twins' long-term plans. Cuddyer, who has two seasons remaining on a $24 million three-year contract he signed last January, is expected to be healthy again this spring, and Gardenhire wants him back in his familiar right-field spot.

Gomez and Span will fill center field and left, the manager said. Which leaves Young, whose 10-homer, 69-RBI season was a disappointment to his new team, out of a regular job.

Does Gardenhire want Young dealt?

"It just depends on which route we go," the manager said. "It's going to be real hard to go into spring training with Delmon, Cuddy, Gomez and Span. ... We only have three spots."

But Smith cited the Red Sox as an example of how a four-man outfielder corps could work. Boston had Jason Bay (or Manny Ramirez before him), Coco Crisp, J.D. Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury, but injuries, including to designated hitter David Ortiz, kept all of them busy.

"Everybody said it wouldn't work, but the Red Sox didn't do too bad," Smith said.