Maybe the Mets

Finally, some new developments in the Santana sweepstakes, but don't get too excited because of course "no deal is imminent." I'm starting to think that if the Twins cannot find what they want in a trade for Santana, maybe, just maybe it wouldn't be the craziest thing to open up the wallet and show him the money!

Anyway, Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported today that the New York Mets may have become the best match for the Twins and a Santana trade.

The framework of the deal is believed to be Santana to the Mets for top pitching prospect Deolis Guerra, CF Carlos Gomez, and pitchers Kevin Mulvey and Phi Humber. Christensen gives a good background of each young player in his article. Guerra is a 6-5 righthander with nasty stuff and is only 18 years old. He has a very high ceiling but is still very far from pitching in the majors which means many potential question marks. Gomez could take over the CF vacancy for the Twins in 2008. He has blazing speed (even faster than SS Jose Reyes) but needs work with his bat. The other two pithers, Mulvey and Humber, were once prized prospects in the Mets organizations and now project as solid No. 4 or No. 5 starters.

Reports claim that the Twins would accept the deal if the Mets are willing to trade top prospect, OF Fernando Martinez. Martinez is only 19 and is regarded as one of the best prospects in baseball with an extremely high ceiling. I've even heard quite large comparisons to a young Ken Griffey Jr. Not convinced on that one as Griffey was destined for greatness from the day he picked up a baseball bat with no questions asked.

Overall, the deal has lots of talent and is loaded with some potential stars and solid MLB contributors; however, it has many question marks and much more risk than that of the Red Sox and Yankees deal. Although all the deals involve young players and every deal involves risk. Here is MLB.com's take.

The kicker in the emergence of the Mets as the new frontrunner comes with the news today that the Yankees are considering pulling out of any Santana deal. With the loss of a potential suitor in the Yanks and the Red Sox standing very firm in their current proposals, the Mets may become the Twins best option. The NL team from Queens needs Santana the most, is willing to pay Santana the most, and may be willing to give up the most for Santana.

But as I said.... no deal is imminent.

Bert goes for Hall, Santana Rumblings

Today is the day Bert Blyleven will learn if he will get an invitation to the baseball Hall of Fame. He has been waiting 9 years to no avail and many voters believe this year is his best chance to get in. There aren't any for sure 1st year eligible players who will get the invite and with steroids still up in the air I don't believe voters are ready to let Mark McGwire in yet. Many argue that Blyleven deserves an invite including you the MVB readers, so at 1 PM CT Bert and the rest of us will know.

Update on Santana news, which seems to be dragging on so long that sports writers and Twins fan alike are ready for this arduous process to be over and for the Twins to simply make a deal. I still am glad the Twins are waiting for exactly the right deal. With such a valuable assest as Santana the Twins organization needs to get equal value in return; however, after all this time I don't think the Yankees or Red Sox have shown any sign of budging and adding to their current offers.

Aaron Gleeman, a well known Minnesota Twins blogger, offers some great insight on weighing the two offers from New York and Boston. He states, the Twins need to decide if they want Phil Hughes or Jacoby Ellsbury as their future star.

Buster Olney asks simply where will Santana be traded and when? Here is his response...

Santana may be the best pitcher on the planet, but there is a distinct lack of enthusiasm among Boston and Yankees officials to add more players to the offers they have made to Minnesota. The Mets would love to have Santana, but Twins' talent evaluators view the Mets' prospects as being dramatically inferior to those of the Red Sox and Yankees.

Either the Twins will have to embrace the idea that they will accept less than they wanted for Santana, or they'll open the season with him. I don't know where he's going to land, but the guess here is -- and a guess is all it is -- that he eventually lands with Boston, for a package built around Jacoby Ellsbury.

The Twins MVB asks you, who do you want the Twins new future star to be.... CF Jacoby Ellsbury or SP Phil Hughes?

More work to be done in 2008

Today is January 2, 2008 which means the the Twins office in Minneapolis is finally open again and the organization is back to work. And there is certainly more work to be done...

With so little news to report over the holidays I apologize on the lack of posting. There is still little at the moment, but I predict the month of January to again be very busy for GM Bill Smith and the Minnesota Twins.

In this good piece by Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse, GM Smith admits that there is still "one issue" left to resolve. This of course is Santana, there is also some good commentary on the offseason progress of 3 potential starters for the 2008 rotation.

Also, MLB.com gives a 2008 preview of the Minnesota Twins with an offseason recap if you've been left out in the dark.

Keep checking back for more Twins news. Until then, check out the poll about Twins great and witty TV broadcaster, Bert Blyleven. With 287 career wins, 3,701 strikeouts, 60 shutouts, and a 3.90 lifetime ERA... should Blyleven be in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame?

Twins Christmas Gifts

Hello MVB readers, now that the stockings have been removed from the chimney, the wrapping paper is thrown away, and everyone's belt loops are loosened a few notches it is time to give out a few more gifts. Here is the 2007 Twins Christmas Gifts...

To- Joe Mauer
I give you my healthy knees. We need you to play more than the 109 games that you played last year. I don't care if you're hitting in the DH role, catcher, third base, whatever. But Mauer needs 500 at bats. The only time he achieved this in his 4-year career he won the batting title.

To- Nick Punto
I bought you a new Mongo bat. This children's neon green bat with a 10 inch diameter should hopefully raise your dismal .210 batting average.

To- Delmon Young
I along with your new home in Minnesota remove the monkey off your back. You came close to a Rookie of the Year award in the pressure of Tampa Bay fans calling you the savior while still not forgetting the "thrown bat" incident. Hopefully you will flourish in Minny.

To- Torii Hunter
I place the monkey on your back. Actually, about 50,000 monkeys called Rally Monkeys. Angels fans won't like seeing your signature whiffs when they're paying you $90 million. I wish you the best and hate to see you leave, but I think the odds are against you.

To- GM Bill Smith
I give you a crystal ball so that you can make sure you make the right offseason moves. In an offseason where Torii left, you traded one young pitcher for a young hitter, signed a new left side of the infield, and will soon trade the best pitcher on the planet you will need to predict the future.

To- old GM Terry Ryan
We love you and all the years you made the Twins competitive with a team salary that rivaled ARod's. But I give you a brown paper bag. Because when Santana, Hunter, and Joe Nathan come back to the Metrodome fans are going to wonder why we didn't sign these guys to long term contracts earlier. You may need to hide yourself in that new "consultant" role.

To- new SS Adam Everett
Just realized Mongo bats are buy 1 get 1 free. So I thought I'd get two so you can learn to hit this season too.

To- Scott Baker
I give you two more outs. So that this season Mike Sweeney won't break up your perfect game with one out in the 9th inning.

To- Francisco Liriano
I'm giving you a helping hand. Not only are we expecting you to bounce back to your 2006 form after a tremendous Tommy John surgery, but you may also be expected to replace Santana and become the staff ace.

Finally... To- All Twins fans
I give the excitement of a new season approaching along with the patience of a new era. The team that takes the field in 2008 will be very different than last year and may have new expectations. But I like what I've seen so far from new GM Bill Smith and I believe at the least the young Twins will be a very exciting team to watch and at best have the potential to surprise the Central division teams as the underdog team.

MVB readers... if you have any last minutes gifts let me hear what you bought for the Twins?

100

During the time of this holiday season there are many reasons to celebrate, the Twins MVB would like to give you one more...

If you notice the countdown on the sidebar to the right, there are exactly 100 days until the Twins 2008 Season Opener. Now if that isn't a reason to celebrate then I don't know what is.

Expect the baseball news to be slow over the next two weeks. The Major League office in New York and all 30 teams close their offices for the holidays as of Friday until the New Year. Trade talks and discussion may occur, but don't expect much action.

Still log in here though for the latest Twins info, plus some upcoming challenges and prize giveaways. Only 6 weeks until pitchers and catchers report to spring training!

Adios Silva

Last night the Seattle Mariners officially signed former Twins starting pitcher Carlos Silva. Silva agreed to a massive 4-year $48 million deal. My first thought to Seattle fans.... thank you!

Not to come down on Silva who pitched four very solid seasons for the Twins, but the pitcher has always appeared temperamental on the mound and inconsistent in his performances. He certainly is a pitcher who will eat innings and fill a spot in your team's rotation, but the next time I spend 48 million dollars on anything I hope it will buy me a little something more.

Silva went 13-14 last year with 4.19 ERA in 202 IP. He has a lifetime record of 55-46 with a career 4.31 ERA. To Silva's credit, he picked a great place to move to. He now gets to pitch in the very spacious Safeco Field with one of the best defenses behind him. A sinkerball pitcher who was known for quick grown ball outs and forcing many double plays will benefit greatly with Seattle's skilled defense.

My fondest memory of Silva, was during his 2005 campaign. That year Silva posted historic numbers walking ONLY nine batters in 180 innings. He threw strikes and let the Twins get outs. I wish him the best in Seattle and I think he may surprise me with his performance. But I'm not sad to see him go and hope the Twins can better spend $48 million.

Check out the poll in the sidebar and let me hear your feelings on Silva's departure.

Never Trust a Yankee

Hi Twins fans, I apologize for the post delay as this weekend was a travel weekend. Nonetheless, the Twins continue to make news this offseason in what is becoming the busiest Twins' offseason I can remember.

Friday afternoon, the day after the Twins signed SS Adam Everett from the Houston Astros, they again reached to the Houston organization and signed free agent third baseman Mike Lamb. The left side of the 2007 Astro's infield has now essentially become the left side of the 2008 Twins' infield.

Lamb is a traditional Twins signing as he comes with some questions marks at an affordable price tag, but is full of potential. Lamb has never had the opportunity to play full time as a starter and he should get that chance to earn the role for the Twins come spring training. In a backup/platoon role last year, Lamb hit .289 with 11 homeruns and 40 RBIs. Lamb is a left handed hitter, 32 years old, with a career batting average of .281, and a solid (but not great) defensive glove.

Based on what I've read, sources say Lamb and Everett will take over the left side of the infield with newly acquired Brendan Harris defending 2nd base. This will put Nick Punto back into his former utility role. This infield along with 1B Justin Morneau will be much better offensively then last years squad and I believe Nick Punto needs to be a utility player and not an everyday starter.

In Santana news, it has been reported that the New York Yankees jumped back into trade discussions with the Twins regarding the Twins ace. The Yankees had set a deadline during the winter meetings to trade for Santana and when that deadline passed they claimed to be "done". Not surprising after the Yankees said they were never going to sign A-Rod after he opted out of his contract...and look what happened. With the trade of Oakland A's ace Dan Haren to the Arizona Diamondbacks last Friday, the Yankees' options for acquiring a frontline starter are diminishing which may make them more desperate to give up players for Santana.

The moral of the story... never trust a Yankee!