Hip Hip HooRAYS!

Last night as I watched the playoffs I wish I would have written a playoff preview. It's too late to say that now, but all three of the teams I've picked to win won last night.

Coming into these playoffs I really thought the Cubs were overated and with the way Zambrano has pitched lately I'm worried the Cubs may go down 2-0 at home today. Plus I'd never want to mess with a Joe Torre team in the playoffs. I've always hated the Yankees, but I've always really respected Mr. Torre.

Also thought that regular season statistics don't matter. Just because the Angels took 8 out of 9 from the Red Sox doesn't mean we can crown them victorious in the first round. Boston knows how to play in October and as I watched Jon Lester, Jacoby Elsbury, Jed Lowrie, and Justin Masterson play critical roles in the Red Sox victory I couldn't help but wonder how hard we tried to trade Johan Santana to Boson. Just wondering...

Phillies versus Brewers will be an interesting series. I think the Phillies are a dangerous team to go deep into this playoffs. Their offense is just so deep. Cole Hamels looked great yesterday, but C.C. Sabathia will attempt again to put this Milwaukee team on his back.

Most importantly, today's game 1 between the Chicago White Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays. If you can't tell by the title I'm going for the Rays this October. What a great story! Plus, it's another reason to root against Chicago. How about a sweep for Tampa Bay!

Say it ain't so Santana

Alright MVB readers, I am still alive and I apologize for the long delay. My 10 day long roadtrip with no internet coupled with the fact that I thought if I didn't post about the Johan Santana news maybe it wouldn't come true, leaves me with a very overdue post.

So as everyone knows by now, last Friday, the Twins officially traded ace Johan Santana to the New York Mets when he signed a 6-year extension for $137.5 million. After a Friday, February 1st, 5 pm deadline had passed for the Mets to sign Santana to a deal it took a two hour extenstion for the two sides to agree on a deal.


In return, the Twins received a package of 4 prospects from the Mets: CF Carlos Gomez (22), P Deolis Guerra (18), P Phil Humber (26), and P Kevin Mulvey (22).

I don't need to link you to all the articles reviewing the trade and experts giving their analysis, but many baseball people have deemed the players on the Twins side as undervalue for Santana. Yet, I sympathize with the situation that GM Bill Smith was in. He was caught in between a rock and a hard place, and when it came down to it the New York Mets were really the only team he had left to deal with.

Smith may have overplayed his hand causing the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox to drop out of the race, but in the end it was time for Santana to go. Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire expressed concern over the distraction of bringing Santana back to Spring Training in Fort Myers.

So Santana is gone and the Twins now usher in a new era. I have to admit it would have been nice to see the Yanks' stud pitcher Phil Hughes, the Sox's slick outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, or even top Met prospect Fernando Martinez come over in a deal, but a trade like this will always seem unfair until years down the road. Maybe Santana will dominate in the NL, win multiple Cy Young awards, take a very good team to World Series, and the four prospects will never pan out for the Twins. But also, maybe Santana will have a couple solid seasons and begin to deteriorate as Gomez replaces Torii Hunter, Mulvey and Humber become solid starters in the rotation, and the young Guerra develops into an ace. Who knows???

For a more in-depth description of the Twins new prospects, Minor League Baseball.com offers a good review.

The Santana deal came shortly after the Twins locked up their young stars Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer. This duo along with star Joe Mauer are now the leaders of this very young club. As Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune writes, the Twins are set to contend in their new ballpark in 2010.

A bulk of my blog posts in the past 3 months have been devoted to Santana and the impending trade. If you want a great review of how this deal came to be and all the rumors and teams in between here is the offseason Santana review.

All and all the deal is a tough one to swallow. It is hard to patient and see if these prospects will contribute someday, and it is even harder to see a great player and class act like Santana leave. I'm happy for Santana as he really came out on top. He's making record money, going to a league with a significantly less quality of hitters, moving to a pitcher's ballpark, and to a team with much more run support. At the same time, the Twins organization has a history of succeeding in large prospect heavy deals like this, ex. Chuck Knoblauch to Yankees for Eric Milton, Christian Guzman and the biggest steal ever A.J. Pierzynksi to the Giants for Joe Nathan, Boof Bonser, and that one kid named Francisco Liriano.

Someday we will know how this deals turns out, but until then I think the 2008 Twins will be young, inexperienced, raw, but very fun to watch.

MVB readers... I'd love to hear your take on the deal in the comments section?

Also, stay tuned for a position by position preview of the 2008 Twins as we prepare for Spring Training.

Rumors Flying

With every day that passes it seems that either the Yankees, Red Sox, or Mets have emerged as the favorite to land Twins ace Johan Santana or one of the three teams seems to be out of the race. I can honestly say I'm no longer sure who is the favorite, what the GM Bill Smith and the Twins are looking for, or where Santana will be at the start of spring training.

I decided to compile all the "news" that I have read which is actually more speculation/rumor. But it's certainly fun to guess and wonder, so here is what the supposed insiders know...

In Boston, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald writes that the "experts" believe the Sox have the best talent to offer the Twins.

In New York, the boy who cried wolf, I mean Hank Steinbrenner, is still trying to decide if he is "in or out" of the Santana sweepstakes. Tyler Kepner of the New York Times says the Yanks expect to open camp without Santana.

In Minnesota, despite reports that the Yankees are out, the Twins are confident that the stakes are "still a 3-horse race." Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune argues the Twins need the Yankees for leverage.

In Chicago, (yes Chicago) Barry Rozner of the Daily Herald says the Chicago Cubs should seriously look into Santana.

In Bill Smith's office, it is believed that the Twins GM has no timetable of if or when he will make a trade. Nick Carardo of the The Boston Globe Reports.

So MVB readers, you decide who the favorite to land Santana, what Bill Smith and Twins are looking for in return, and where will Santana be in the end.

And if you find any answers..... I'd love to hear them in the comments.

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?

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!

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?

Santana Status Quo

The winter meetings are officially over and GM Bill Smith and his entourage have headed home to the Twin Cities. Most notably, Johan Santana is still wearing a Twins uniform.

Smith had many conversations, lot of players were discussed, and the media made a frenzy of the Santana sweepstakes, but in the end Smith and the Twins were not satisfied with their offers. Does this mean Santana will be a Twin when the 2008 season starts? Not so fast...talks have stalled for now, but expect many more rumors in the next couple weeks.

ESPN's Buster Olney says the Santana discussions are far from over. Of all the potential suitors, Olney still feels the Red Sox are the favorite to acquire the All-Star pitcher.

The New York Mets have joined the Santana fray along with the Red Sox and many people still believe the New York Yankees are in on the talk although they claim they are done discussing Santana. Reports also claim the Seattle Mariners have explored deals for the Twins' pitcher while both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels seems to be on the outside looking in. Fox Sport's Dayn Perry breaks down all the possible Santana deals.

Meanwhile... PIC OF THE DAY!


What do you think of Torii's new digs?

Twins patient with Santana

It's day 3 of the Winter Meetings and as you all know the Twins haven't been in the headlines for anything but rumors. Santana is still wearing number 57 for the Twins and personally, I'm ok with that. The only headlines so far at the meeting go to AL Central rivals, the Detroit Tigers, for their blockbuster trade acquiring Florida Marlin All-Stars Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis for the prices of six prospects. One of baseball's toughest divisions continues to get tougher. Not good news for the Twins.

The Yankees claim they are "99.9% out of it (the Santana sweepstakes," but after they were "done negotiating" with Alex Rodriguez earlier this offseason we never quite trust the Yankee's word. It does seem that the Bronx Bombers have moved on to other needs, but we can never count them out. The Red Sox are patiently waiting with two different proposals offered to the Twins.

The proposals: 1) headlined by P Jon Lester, along with OF Coco Crisp, SS Jed Lowrie, and minor league P Justin Masterson. 2) centered on OF Jacoby Ellsbury, along with SS Lowrie, and probably P Masterson.

I credit new Twins GM Bill Smith for his patience and determination throughout this entire Santana madness. Johan is the biggest asset to the Twins franchise and although Smith is in between a rock and a hard place to trade Santana, the GM knows what he wants in return and will wait until he gets it. AND IF HE DOESN'T... then maybe we will see Santana on the mound after all come opening day. To get Santana, Smith wants two players that will step into the opening day lineup and be major league contributors. They asked the Yankees to throw in young pitcher Ian Kennedy along with Phil Hughes and Melky Cabrera, and win the Yanks said no the Twins said ok then. I'm not sure if the Twins are holding out until the Red Sox put both Lester and Ellsbury in a deal or not. I think they should wait until they are able to get both players, but given that the Sox don't actually NEED Santana, they too may be content with keeping their young stars.

Hall of Fame Baseball Analyst and the man who is always on the inside of baseball news, Peter Gammons, said this today about the Twins at the winter meetings.

"Don't expect to see a Twins-Red Sox or Twins-Yankees whopper. The sense is that Minnesota will hold onto Johan Santana."

ESPN columnist Buster Olney gives a good review of the position that GM Bill Smith is in and breaks down the Twins current situation.

In other Twins news...

Santana isn't the only topic concerning the Twins at the meetings. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports the Twins are looking for middle-infield help and are potentially targeting free agent SS David Eckstein. Manager Ron Gardenhire said about Eckstein, "I've always had a lot of respect for him. He catches the ball. He knows how to play. He's a proven winner."

Eckstein does play the game hard and with a lot of character, but to me he seems like another player on our roster who plays great defense and can't hit... his name is Nick Punto. This report is simply in the rumor stage right now, but it makes me ask the readers...

Who would you rather have starting the 2008 season at shortstop? Nick Punto or David Eckstein?

The Domino Effect

Twins fans... be prepared.

Torii Hunter was a tough loss to swallow. The trade of Johan Santana can no longer be discussed as if, but when. But as I said, be prepared.

It appears that Hunter's signing for mega dollars with the Angels coupled with Santana declining the Twins 4-year $80 million dollar extension was the opening of the floodgates for what will most definitely be a crazy offseason for GM Bill Smith and the Twins.

SANTANA UPDATE

The list of suitors as of today appears to be the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Angels, and Dodgers. The Yankees have made the most headlines admitting they have had "preliminary discussions" with the Twins regarding Santana. Mets GM Omar Minaya has also stated they have talked to the Twins and is reported as saying he will "get creative" to try and acquire the All-Star lefty.

Names thrown around in talks with the Yankees include the big three of Yankee pitching prospects Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, and Ian Kennedy as well as Yankee CF Melky Cabrera and 2B Robinson Cano. Any deal would certainly have to include one of the three pitching studs, one of the two Yankee starters, and one or two more minor league prospects. It has been reported that Chamberlain and Cano are nearly untouchable in any deal.

Minaya of the Mets loves to make a splash during the offseason and this season may actually need to after the Mets catastrophic collapse at the end of the season. One intriguing name quietly mentioned in talks about Santana is the Mets' electric shortstop Jose Reyes. To me, that may be the one player the Twins could acquire that would at least make up for Santana's presence and appease the fans. Reyes teamed with Mauer and Morneau could form an exciting young trio for years to come.

The Red Sox are reported as "actively pursuing" but seem to be very unwilling to part with young stars Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Bucholtz. A deal for Santana would seemingly have to include one of the two, but Boston must be mentioned because where the Yankees are the Sox are always close behind.

The Dodgers definitely have the young players to make a deal but may be unwilling to sign Santana to a large extension and the Angels just joined the fray with the intriguing possibility of Santana teaming up with new Angel and former Twin Hunter.

TRADE RUMORS

To keep a long blog short, the rumor mill is swirling and almost every bit of news seems to include the Twins. Names include the obvious Santana, young Twins pitcher Matt Garza, and All-Star stud closer Joe Nathan with names returning to the Twins such as the Red Sox Coco Crisp, the Rays rookie of year runner-up Delmon Young, the Diamondbacks young outfielder Carlos Quentin, and more. It appears that if Santana is (sorry when) he is traded, Nathan will follow him right out the door. Check out the Fox Sports trade rumors to read the MLB hot stove rumors concerning the Twins.

For more news on Santana along with the new Nathan rumors, Star Tribune writer, La Velle E. Neal III writes in his Twins blog.

Also, what's your opinion? Star Tribune poll asks which team will give the return in a trade for Santana?

Life after Torii Hunter

So Thanksgiving is over, the leftovers are in the fridge, and Torii's days in Minnesota are officially over. As Twins fans begin to prepare for life after Torii, I've read many different reactions and responses to this move and what the Twins should do next.

Many fans claimed they where upset with Torii's "false promises." Throughout the entire offseason Hunter has said the Twins are still in the running and that they too have a chance to resign their star outfielder. Yet, when the Angels offer was on the table Hunter jumped ship without ever looking back. Fans were hurt by this and believed that the Twins never had a chance. Joe Christenson of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes that Torii did want to stay.

Fans who weren't upset with Torii seemed to be upset with the Twins. In many comments people wondered why the Twins would just let Torii go? What happened to the extra revenue created by the new stadium? When are the Twins going to open up the wallet? But as I said in the last post a big 5-year deal is simply not the right move for the Twins. I do wish when the Twins open up their season at the Metrodome on March 31 against the Angels the man in centerfield is wearing a TC on his hat and not a red A. Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune explains the Twins decision best.

Now what happens next?

It has been reported that the Twins made on contract offer to Johan Santana last week of 5-years, $93 million. This tops the Chicago Cubs recent extension of their star pitcher Carlos Zambrano of 5-years, $91 million. However, Santana rejected this offer and countered with a proposal that would match San Francisco Giants ace, Barry Zito, and his mega-deal signed last offseason. Buster Olney, a favorite sportswrite of mine, writes a daily blog on ESPN.com that compiles the his insight with the lastest baseball news from major newspapers around the country. He offers his view on the Twins and Santana.

It is clear the Twins and Santana currently have a major gap of roughly $33 million. Given the ridiculous markets in professional baseball, it is also clear that signing Santana for 7-years for $126 million is a bargain (if the words bargain and $126 million can be used in the same sentence). However, it has also been reported that the Twins have quietly spoke to a few clubs and asked what they would be willing to trade for Santana. So it seems the Twins are trying to gauge the market for their star pitcher.

Who knows what will happen next? Do the Twins finally break the bank and sign arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball to a long-term deal? Or do they couple the loss of Hunter with a trade of Santana and start to rebuild for the new ballpark in 2010?

Only time will tell, but I want to hear 1) what you think the Twins should do? and 2) what you think the Twins will do? Leave me a comment and let me know.

The M.V.B. going down 1,2,3 in the 9th.