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Johan Santana Traded to the MetsMinnesota Twins Get Four Youngsters for Two-Time Cy Young WinnerSince the season ended in October, it looked as if the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox would land baseball's best pitcher. But in the end, the Mets got their man.
It appears that Johan Santanais going to the New York Mets. With a trade in principal already in place between the Mets and the Minnesota Twins, all that remains is for Santana to pass a physical and work out a contract extension with the team before the two-time Cy Young winner will be an official member of baseball's other team in New York. With Santana, however, it may not be long before the Mets become the team in New York. In the race for Santana, the Mets beat out their cross-town rivals and outbid the defending champion Boston Red Sox. Mets to Send Four Propsects to the TwinsThe details of the trade are as follows: once Santana passes the physical and works out a long-term deal that should pay him well in excess of $100 million, the Mets will send outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Philip Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey. The four players are the Mets number 2, 3, 4 and 7 minor league prospects, according to Baseball America's ranking system. Gomez has the most big league experience. In 2007, he played in 58 games and hit .232 with 2 home runs, 12 RBI and an impressive 12 stolen bases. Humber, who was called up in September of the 2006 and 2007 seasons, has pitched just nine innings in the majors and boasts a 6.00 earned run average. His minor league record is more impressive, however. Humber was the third overall pick by the Mets in the June, 2004 draft. Over the past two seasons in AA and AAA ball, respective, Humber is 16-12 with an ERA of 3.86 and 156 strikeouts in 173 innings. Deolis Guerra is an 18-year old single A pitcher who was 2-6 with a 4.01 ERA with the St. Lucie Mets of the Florida State League, and Mulvey was 11-10 in mostly AA ball in 2007. Did the Twins Get What they Wanted?One can't help but notice that the Twins received far less in value than they had demanded from the Yankees and the Red Sox. In December, New York offered Melky Cabrera and Phil Hughes (both of whom are proven major league players), but the Twins demanded that the team throw in pitching prospect Ian Kennedy. The Red Sox offered several packages, the most attractive of which featured second year big league hurler Jon Lester and 2007 rookie sensation Jacoby Ellsbury. But the Twins continued to ask for more, and after the winter meetings, both teams withdrew their offers and indicated that they were no longer in the Santana Sweepstakes. The Mets soon emerged as another suitor, but when the Twins signed Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer earlier this week to deals worth $104 million combined, Twins fans hoped that the team may also be moving towards re-signing Santana, who had turned own a four-year, $80 million offer last season. But it was not to be. The Mets Still Must Reach a Contract with Johan SantanaThe next step is for the Mets to negotiate a contract extension with Santana. The three-time All-Star is owed $13.25 million this year, and likely will seek an extension of five-to-seven years worth at least $20 million annually. New York and Santana have until 5:00 p.m. Friday to reach an agreement, a baseball official told The Associated Press, also on condition of anonymity. If the Mets and Santana strike a deal, the players would have to pass physicals and the pitcher would have to formally waive his no-trade clause. Santana's Career Record is ImpressiveSantana is 93-44 with a 3.22 ERA in eight major league seasons, winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2004 and 2006. He has been less successful in the playoffs, going 1-3 with a 3.97 ERA. Santana had a subpar season in 2007, going 15-13. He lost seven of his last 11 decisions as his ERA rose from 2.60 to 3.33 ERA, his highest since 2001, and he allowed a career-high 33 homers -- the most in the AL. For the Mets, the hope is that he will be the next in a long line of aces behind Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden, Glavine and Martinez. "For our younger pitchers to develop under a guy like Pedro, a guy like Johan, you can't ask for any better situation," Wright said. "He's going to go out there and he's going to give you seven or eight innings every five days and he's going to get you a win. That's just what it comes down to. I've gotten a chance to get to know him a little bit the past couple years. He seems like a great clubhouse guy. He's going to fit in perfectly with the chemistry that we have." _________________ 2007 New York Mets Preview
The copyright of the article Johan Santana Traded to the Mets in Baseball is owned by James Lincoln Ray. Permission to republish Johan Santana Traded to the Mets in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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