Johan Santana Deal?

[ALinChainz]

A few scenarios being bandied about.

There will be a high price paid, prospects to make the trade happen, and then a free agent deal for Santana with the numbers being somewhere in the 6-yr, $150 million neighborhood.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

You mean the Pirates are out of the running ??

Just another reason MLB sucks cock now...

Here's a little snippet to consider....

You never hear about the Steelers, Packers, Bucs, Chiefs, or Bengals referred to as "small-market", do you ???

But because MLB is satisfied that the rich continue to rob from the poor (watch the collective bag of balls that comes back to the Twins), the teams that can't have a $100 million dollar payroll have to be called "Small Market".....

Yes, I've seen the light, I know Pirates ownership, management, scouting, and all of the above are the worst in sports, but that doesn't eliminate the fact that 20 MLB teams on day #1 of spring training have NO CHANCE to win the World Series....

What a joke....

[NATEDOG001976]

He's worth it. I'm a big Twins fan, and it pisses me off that our cheap ass own Carl Pohlad (Who has more money than 99% of the owners in baseball, YES IT'S TRUE) He's in the top 100 richest american's!!! Give Santana the money!!! Were getting a new stadium in 2009 which will help us with more money, BUT THE POINT IS THE TWINS HAVE THE FUCKIN' MONEY!!

Pohlad sucks donkey balls!!

[ALinChainz]

I know what you mean.

It bothers me that the Sox make the Yanks out to be the "empire" when they throw the old money around as well.

And baseball showed a profit of over $6 billion after the season.

[NATEDOG001976]

Not to be a homer, but the AL central seems a lot more pure than the AL East.

Fuck um, give us young tallent for Santana. I think Pohlad is still pissed that it took so long to get a staduim built and he's un-loading.

[Little Texan]

I'm fine with whoever gets him, just as long as it's NOT the Yankees!

[ALinChainz]

Yankees making roster plans after adding Hughes to potential trade for Santana

By Buster Olney
ESPN The Magazine

Updated: December 1, 2007, 12:31 PM ET

With the Yankees' upgraded offer for Twins left-hander Johan Santana now on the table Saturday morning, Yankees' officials are confident that they will sign Santana if a deal is worked out. And the club's internal plan, if center fielder Melky Cabrera is included in the trade, is to switch veteran Johnny Damon from left field back to center field.

The Twins continue to discuss possible deals from other teams, including the Dodgers and Mariners, and they are scheduled to speak with the Red Sox on Saturday afternoon. Boston's offer on the table is for pitcher Jon Lester, center fielder Coco Crisp and minor league infielder Jed Lowrie, and a fourth player -- a minor league pitcher -- is to be determined. The Twins want the Red Sox to add either center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury or pitcher Clay Buchholz to the deal, and there are indications that if they do, that offer is what Minnesota will prefer.

For now, however, the Yankees are right in the thick of the bidding, having decided in internal discussions on Friday to offer pitcher Phil Hughes, rather than Ian Kennedy, into their offer, along with Melky Cabrera and a third player -- in all likelihood, a minor leaguer. The Yankees have told the Twins that the third player cannot be any of their very best young players Kennedy or Joba Chamberlain or second baseman Robinson Cano, for example, but a second-tier prospect.

Santana, 29, has a full no-trade clause, and could block any deal the Twins try to make. In return for waiving the no-trade clause, it's expected that Santana will want the Yankees or any other team attempting to trade for him to sign the left-hander to a record-setting contract. No pitcher has ever signed a multi-year deal for more $18.6 million per season, but Santana may ask for something in the range of six years and $150 million in an extension.

The Yankees are operating under revamped leadership, with Steinbrenner sons Hank and Hal assuming a greater role, and to date, the sons have demonstrated a willingness to bid aggressively and splurge when they feel it's necessary to get a deal done.

For example: While the Yankees forced Alex Rodriguez to come to them without Scott Boras, they still gave him a record-setting raise. Many industry executives think the Yankees were in position to forced Rodriguez to settle for a deal in the range of $200 million-$225 million, but the Yankees signed Rodriguez to a deal that could be worth anywhere from $275 million to $314 million. And the Yankees gave veteran catcher Jorge Posada a fourth year in their offer, rather than limit their proposal to three years.

Damon, 34, battled injuries in the early part of last season and in his absence, Cabrera played center and so greatly improved the team's defense that when Damon was ready to return to the outfield again, Cabrera remained as the center fielder, with Damon moving to left.

As the Yankees have considered the alternatives in a Santana trade, they've determined to shift Damon back to center field, rather than to pursue one of the many free agent center fielders available -- someone like Aaron Rowand, Mike Cameron or Andruw Jones.

There is more pressure on the Yankees to acquire Santana or another veteran pitcher, because the projected Yankees' rotation, as of today, lacks experience, and because friends of left-hander Andy Pettitte believe there is a real chance that he is going to retire. The Yankees may not learn until late December or January about what Pettitte's plans are for 2008.

Those considerations may nudge the Yankees into adding Hughes to their offer for Santana.

The Yankees and Red Sox are also engaged in ongoing talks with the Oakland Athletics about Dan Haren, an accomplished pitcher who is a much cheaper option than Santana. Haren would cost, in prospects, a package comparable to what Santana is commanding, but he is already under contract for the next three years at $16.25 million (presuming his team exercises an option for 2010).

Buster Olney is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine.

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