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?

Twins, Monroe agree to one year contract

Twins breaking news fresh off the (cyberspace) press, no it does not have to do with Johan Santana. The Twins have agreed to a one-year deal with outfielder Craig Monroe worth an estimated $3.82 million plus incentives based on plate appearance.

Monroe, who split time with the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago Cubs last season, was acquired by the Twins for a player to be named later on November 13 from the Cubs. Twins had to either sign or non-tender Monroe by the Wednesday deadline tomorrow.

With the recent trade for Delmon Young, and Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel already slated for a bulk of the at bats in the corner outfield and designated hitter spots, it appeared the Twins would let Monroe go. However, it appears the Twins believe Monroe could be a big part of the team this year. Last year Monroe, 30, had a below average year batting .219 with 12 homeruns and 59 RBIs. But in 2006 he hit 28 homers and drove in 92 RBIs. This type of production would be a welcomed surprise for the anemic Twins offense. Monroe has always been a Twins killer in the Metrodome, so I figure if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

In recent Santana news, it has been reported that of the Red Sox offers, the Twins prefer the deal that included OF Jacoby Ellsbury. This makes the Monroe signing even more peculiar as the Twins outfield would look like Young in LF, Ellsbury in CF, and Cuddyer in RF with a possible platoon of Kubel/Monroe at DH. A very young, but dangerous outfield, but hopefully there will be enough at bats to go around. I don't think you can ever have too much talent.

Buster Olney of ESPN, previews a potential Red Sox rotation with Santana and a Twins' lineup with Ellsbury.

MVB readers, what are your thoughts/feelings on the signing of OF Craig Monroe?

Ready, set, trade!

Tomorrow marks the start of the annual Winter Meetings for baseball general managers. The four day event held in Nashville, Tennessee this year appears to be full of talk, rumors, and even trades.

Here's the latest on the Santana trade front. It seems that the two teams that have emerged as probable trade partners for the Twins are hated rivals the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Two events occurred over the weekend that significantly impact the scope of the Santana talk.

Friday the Yankees announced that they would be willing to trade young pitcher Phil Hughes in any deal for the Twins' ace. After a week of trying to avoid putting Hughes in any deal for Santana, the Yankees have changed their stance and are now offering a young pitcher who could in the future become the force that Santana is on the mound today.

Sunday the Red Sox stated they would add young outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury in any deal for Santana. This announcement comes after repeatedly calling Ellsbury "untouchable" in any deal. This option would fill the Twins large void left in centerfield by the departure of CF, Torii Hunter. Ellsbury made a quick name for himself across Sox Nation batting .353 with three home runs, 18 RBIs, and nine stolen bases in just 33 games in August and September for the Boston club. Ellsbury also became a hero taking over the starting centerfield position in the playoffs and responding with a terrific World Series performance.


If you're the Minnesota Twins the question becomes, do I trade my star player, and if so, do I rebuild with a young star pitcher or a young start outfielder? Hughes or Ellsbury?

One thing is for sure, the flurry of rumors surrounding Santana's name in the last week are close to an end. The Yankees announced today that their offer will soon be off the table. This means the Twins must make their decision soon, like in the next 24 hours soon. By tomorrow night we may know the future outlook of the Minnesota Twins franchise.

If you acquire Hughes you replace Santana in the rotation. Losing a current start for a future star. If you acquire Ellsbury you receive a stud young outfielder capable of replacing the beloved Torii Hunter who would excel batting at the top of an order with Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer, and Delmon Young hitting behind him. BUT... what if the Twins decide that neither of these offers are good enough. What if the Twins instead trade some of their younger prospects and open up their wallet to sign a free agent or two and in doing so will their holes in CF, 3B, and DH. If Liriano comes back as good as he was in 2006 and the rotation is lead by Santana and Liriano, Delmon Young develops into a star while the rest of the lineup bounces back from a subpar year, I would label the Twins as a legitimate World Series contender. BUT... are they still good enough to tackle the defending champion, Boston Red Sox?

Think if the Twins decide to trade Santana to Boston, you now have a team that is not only the favorite to win the 2008 World Series but also a team that is developing into a dynasty for the next three to four years. A 2008 rotation of Santana, Beckett, Dice-K, Schilling, and whoever else feels like pitching (doesn't really matter) with the Red Sox offense is the closest thing to a sure thing in the baseball world.

So I wish I had a crystal ball to tell you what will happen, but at least it appears that we won't have to wait long to discover the outcome. As a fan, I'm not even sure yet what move is best for the Twins. I think the thought of having Ellsbury patrolling the outfield is at first glance more appealing to me, but Hughes too is a potential dominator on the pound. And all this being said, I'd be completely happy seeing Santana take the hill on opening day still in a Twins uniform.

The Star Tribune asks you... will Santana stay or go?

I ask you, considering the more likely option that Santana WILL be traded, will it be the Red Sox or the Yankees? Let's hear your opinion.