The Minnesota Twins agreed to send the two-time Cy Young winner to the Metropolitans for four minor league prospects. Even though the four prospects are ranked number 2, 3, 4, and 7 respectively in the Mets' farm system, this trade puts them over the top in the NL.
The four prospects received by the Twins include: 22-year old speedy outfielder Chris Gomez; former 3rd overall pick in the 2004 draft, 25-year old pitcher Philip Humber; double-A pitching prospect Kevin Mulvey, who some think may become a MLB pitcher in the next couple of years; and single-A 18-year old pitching prospect Deolis Guerra, who could be great or a bust.
Although I know next-to-nothing about any of the prospects, I'm not sure the Twins got the best they could out of this deal. There was an offer from the Yankees that included Melky Cabrera and Phil Hughes, who are both up-and-coming stars already in the MLB. And also there was an offer from Boston that included either Jacoby Ellsbury or Jon Lester, who are also both good players in the MLB at a young age.
But as I saw in an article about the Santana trade (which sparked my memory), in 2003 the Twins traded A.J. Pierzynski to San Francisco for then no-namer pitchers Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano, and Boof Bonser. Nathan is now one of the best closers in the AL, Liriano is coming off elbow surgery after an outstanding year as a starter in 2006, and Bonser has been a back-end starter in Minnesota's rotation for the last few years. What I'm saying by this is that the Twins probably know who they are getting in return.
For the Twins, this trade may bolster their pitching staff for the next decade to go along with their great-looking offense, or it may end up being a huge mistake. But with Minnesota being a small/medium market team, they couldn't have afforded to keep Johan past this year with their recent signings of Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer. And if they would have kept Santana through this year and let him go as a free agent, they would have only received two late first-round draft picks for his departure.
The Mets have a reputation for having one of the loosest clubhouses in the MLB, meaning it is the most down-to-earth and fun to be a part of; and Santana is known for being loose and for being a great teammate. Also, the Mets are a primarily Latin-American team, with players such as: Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, and Pedro Martinez. This is a reflection of GM Omar Minaya, who believes the team should be one big family. By the way, have you ever seen the awesome handshakes that that New York has after they score, hit a homerun, etc? That is just another example of just how close-knit the Mets are. And with the Venezuelan Santana coming in, he should fit right in with the rest.
Oh yeah, this move will also benefit Santana greatly. Moving to the NL, where none of the batters know his tendencies, and he gets one free out (the pitcher) out of every nine batters he faces, I woudn't be surprised if his ERA is around the 2.50 mark. Not to mention that New York, by acquiring Johan, will have one of the best pitching staffs in the NL. Along with Santana are: Oliver Perez, Orlando Hernandez, John Maine, and Pedro Martinez; not to mention the Mets number one pitching prospect Mike Pelfrey (who the Twins didn't get) for a sixth starter if necessary.
We've all been waiting to see who the lucky team to get Johan Santana would be, I'm just glad the team was in the NL East instead of the NL Central.
U kidding me? This is the Pirates year!
ReplyDeleteObviously, Santana is a gem. But the Mets pitching staff is not so spectacular. Martinez is injured often, and Hernandez, Perez, and Maine are inconsistent. Maine has the most potential of any of them, but the staff won't be too much better than last year. If they had Glavine, well, that's a different story.
ReplyDelete