FORT MYERS, Fla. — The contract Glen Perkins has with the Minnesota Twins goes through at least 2017, so the All-Star closer wouldn’t have to think about switching teams for a while.

He already has. He would never do it.

“I won’t go anywhere else. Not at this point. I’ve been home my whole life, and I would rather try to win here and never win than go somewhere else just to win one,” Perkins said. “That doesn’t appeal to me. So I want to play here and be at home. I have zero desire to play elsewhere.”

That’s good, because the Twins are happy to have him.

“It’s always nice to have a guy at the back of the bullpen to say, ‘This is our guy,”’ general manager Terry Ryan said. “Being from the state he has his roots up there and all the good stuff that comes with the local flavor. But he’s got the arm strength. He’s got the mentality. He’s calm. Even if things aren’t going so well he bounces back. He’s got a short memory. He’s been for the most part durable.”

His presence will be especially welcome for a first-time manager in Paul Molitor and a new pitching coach in Neil Allen.

“The managers and the coaches, they get a little nervous when they don’t have a guy out there on the back of that bullpen you can count on and has got some sort of track record,” Ryan said. “We’ve been fortunate here to have pretty good longevity here and some continuity there. Glen’s just taken the torch.”