Veteran third baseman Brandon Inge, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his throwing shoulder in mid-September, is on the verge of signing a Minor League deal with an invite to big-league camp, according to a baseball source.

The 35-year-old was choosing between a pair of teams, but his destination isn’t yet known.

Inge had a .218/.275/.383 line between Detroit and Oakland last season, with 12 home runs. Injuries held him to 82 games last season after he played 102 the year before. He became a leader on the A’s, but was forced to the disabled list on Aug. 14 with a sprained right shoulder. He was reinstated Sept. 1 before re-injuring the shoulder.

– Evan Drellich

Right-hander Kip Wells wants to pitch again in 2013. A baseball source said the Mets are among three interested teams, logical because of ties the Mets’ braintrust and Wells both have to San Diego.

Wells turns 36 in April and went 2-4 with a 4.58 ERA in a seven-start reprise with the Padres last season. Next year would be his 13th in the big leagues.

Wells has been training all winter but of late has had to give special attention to his 3 1/2 year-old son, who’s set to undergo heart surgery.

– Evan Drellich

MIAMI — Giancarlo Stanton is a force in the middle of the Miami Marlins. But like any player in the organization, the 23-year-old slugger is not considered “untouchable.”

But that doesn’t mean the Marlins are actively looking to deal Stanton or that the club is planning on trading him anytime soon.

Still, Stanton speculation is running high.

On Sunday, the All-Star right fielder’s name surfaced once again after a Sirius/XM/MLB Network Radio report.

Marlins assistant GM, Dan Jennings, was a guest on the “Front Office” show, with hosts Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette.

Jennings was asked if the Marlins would listen to offers for Stanton. Per company policy, the team does so on any player.

“Oh, I think that’s been our M.O.  I know in the 10 years I’ve been here that’s our M.O.,” Jennings said during the radio segment. “We’ve never not listened to a deal on any player. Sometimes I chuckle when I hear people say, ‘This guy’s untouchable,’ and ‘That guy’s untouchable.’  You know what? They may be untouchable until someone either overwhelms you or you get a package back that makes such a significant improvement on your club going forward. So we’ve always been willing to listen.”

Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest has long stated the same points.

“I think Larry, he’s never said, ‘No.’ But what we’re not going to do is move a player for less than what we value their ability,” Jennings said. “In Giancarlo Stanton you’ve got a [23-year-old] guy that we think going forward has got a chance to be a .300 hitter and [hit] 50 home runs and be a guy that is a big-time run producer. So while we’re not shopping him, certainly not looking to move him, yeah, if someone knocked on our door and said, ‘Hey, would you guys consider this and this and this,’ you have to listen.”

Basically, Jennings repeated the team policy, and there isn’t anything new here, other than a team official publicly addressing Stanton by name.

Yes, the Marlins would move Stanton, but only for a tremendous haul, which means, he would essentially clean out the top prospects of any organization. It would basically take four or maybe five players to complete a deal for Stanton.

Stanton will not be arbitration eligible until 2014, and he isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2016 season. So the Marlins are in no rush to trade Stanton. Yet, it remains highly unlikely he will agree to a long-term contract.

It is appearing more inevitable that sometime before he reaches free agency that Stanton will be moved, because the Marlins are reloading their roster, and will look to add as many quality pieces in the next few years.

– Joe Frisaro

MIAMI — Two touted Cuban prospects will work out for MLB scouts on Jan. 5. Don’t expect the Marlins to pursue either one of them.

According to a source, Miami has zero interest in either Dariel Alvarez or Aledmys Diaz, two Cuban natives who were declared free agents earlier this month.

Alvarez is a 24-year-old outfielder, and Diaz, 22, is a shortstop.

The Marlins are not expected to attend their workout.

A year ago, the Marlins aggressively pursued Cuban-born outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who ended up signing with the A’s. The organization was in a different situation then, looking for a big year with an expensive roster that has since been broken up.

At this point, the Marlins are not willing to spend multi-million dollars on unproven international players.

While the Marlins don’t like to use the word “rebuilding,” there is little pretense about what the franchise is looking to accomplish right now. Although it is unpopular to part with proven players like Josh Johnson, Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle, Miami is in the process of restocking the organization from the bottom up.

At the big league level, they may be bracing to take their lumps for a couple of years, but the hope is they will develop the necessary foundation to come out of the stretch stronger in the future.

And there are some solid prospects like Jose Fernandez, Christian Yelich and Jake Marisnick who aren’t that far away from being big league ready.

Development is about to take on a greater importance, since the club isn’t expected to be a serious player on the free agent market for at least a year or two.

To turn things around as quickly as possible, the Marlins will be looking to find impact players in their First-Year Player Draft, as well as making sure they receive value in return on any trades that may be made in the near future.

So don’t look for any quick-fix, high-cost signings, or for Miami to be in the mix for Alvarez or Diaz.

– Joe Frisaro