2008 Woodie Awards
Santana slips away to Shea
by Josh Berhow
Issue date: 1/31/08
Section: Sports Commentary
Randy Moss, Torii Hunter, KG - and now, Johan Santana, another year and another Minnesota superstar makes their way out of town.
Bill Smith has had a busy offseason in his first year as the Twins general manager. He already acquired Brendan Harris and Delmon Young from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and locked up Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau to long term deals - something Terry Ryan was never able to accomplish with Morneau - but with Hunter gone, and now Santana, the new GM is starting to see the rougher side of the job.
The Twins waited patiently this offseason to deal their ace, and when he was sent to the Mets - still pending player physicals and an extension for Santana with the Mets - it seemed Smith waited too long.
Not all of this can be put on Smith though, with an organization like the Twins, you don't have the luxury of keeping all your stars forever. He made a choice, and at the time this was the best deal available.
Santana was sent to the Mets Tuesday, again, pending, for four prospects: outfielder Carlos Gomez and right-handed pitchers Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey.
The Twins would have loved to lour top Mets' prospect Fernando Martinez over in the deal, but the Mets refused.
In a league that treasures left-handed pitching, giving away the best left-hander in the game and receiving three unproven right-handers seems foolish.
The Yankees offer seemed to be the best for the Twins, but when their talks died down, Santana was shipped to the Mets. Now that we know what we got in exchange for the ace, any Twins fan would have been happy with Jon Lester or Jacoby Ellsbury from the Boston Red Sox. Heck, Twins fans would have been happy bringing back Buck Buchanan over this deal.
The fact is, when you trade a player of Santana's caliber, you need to get at least one proven player in return, and the Twins didn't do that.
The prized player in the package the Twins will receive, Carlos Gomez, could mount to something, though. At only 22, he has the potential to be one of the rare five-tool players in baseball. Unfortunately, he only has the speed and defensive part down. Gomez is one of the fastest players in the Major Leagues, but his career .288 on-base percentage is horrid for someone with that kind of speed.
Of the pitchers the Twins will receive, the only one with MLB experience, Humber, has played just one full season after Tommy John surgery. And Mulvey had a decent year in Double-A ball last season, with a 3.32 ERA. However, the 6'5" Guerra, is advertised to have a big-league fastball, and is only 18. Some good coaching could possibly help him add him some pitches to compliment his heater, but you still won't see him until after the new ballpark is up and running for a few years.
The Santana deal needed to be done. He wasn't going to sign an extension, and who can blame him, he's human. He's about to be the highest paid pitcher in Major League Baseball history. There aren't many Kirby Pucketts around anymore who turn down a higher paying job to stay with their original team.
I'm not saying this deal is terrible, but I'm not saying it's what Twins' fan wanted either. We won't even find out for at least four or five more years until these prospects pan out to see if the deal was a good move for Minnesota.
Who knows, Santana could struggle in New York - like so many do - and Gomez could live up to his five-tool potential, and the three hurlers could turn into solid contributors for the Twins in their new ballpark.
No one can tell right now if this deal will benefit the Twins in the long run. But the Twins made a similar trade in 2003 when they sent A.J. Pierzynski to the Giants. In return, the Twins received Boof Bonser, Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano.
Ever heard of 'em?
Josh Berhow is the Reporter assistant sports editor
Bill Smith has had a busy offseason in his first year as the Twins general manager. He already acquired Brendan Harris and Delmon Young from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and locked up Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau to long term deals - something Terry Ryan was never able to accomplish with Morneau - but with Hunter gone, and now Santana, the new GM is starting to see the rougher side of the job.
The Twins waited patiently this offseason to deal their ace, and when he was sent to the Mets - still pending player physicals and an extension for Santana with the Mets - it seemed Smith waited too long.
Not all of this can be put on Smith though, with an organization like the Twins, you don't have the luxury of keeping all your stars forever. He made a choice, and at the time this was the best deal available.
Santana was sent to the Mets Tuesday, again, pending, for four prospects: outfielder Carlos Gomez and right-handed pitchers Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey.
The Twins would have loved to lour top Mets' prospect Fernando Martinez over in the deal, but the Mets refused.
In a league that treasures left-handed pitching, giving away the best left-hander in the game and receiving three unproven right-handers seems foolish.
The Yankees offer seemed to be the best for the Twins, but when their talks died down, Santana was shipped to the Mets. Now that we know what we got in exchange for the ace, any Twins fan would have been happy with Jon Lester or Jacoby Ellsbury from the Boston Red Sox. Heck, Twins fans would have been happy bringing back Buck Buchanan over this deal.
The fact is, when you trade a player of Santana's caliber, you need to get at least one proven player in return, and the Twins didn't do that.
The prized player in the package the Twins will receive, Carlos Gomez, could mount to something, though. At only 22, he has the potential to be one of the rare five-tool players in baseball. Unfortunately, he only has the speed and defensive part down. Gomez is one of the fastest players in the Major Leagues, but his career .288 on-base percentage is horrid for someone with that kind of speed.
Of the pitchers the Twins will receive, the only one with MLB experience, Humber, has played just one full season after Tommy John surgery. And Mulvey had a decent year in Double-A ball last season, with a 3.32 ERA. However, the 6'5" Guerra, is advertised to have a big-league fastball, and is only 18. Some good coaching could possibly help him add him some pitches to compliment his heater, but you still won't see him until after the new ballpark is up and running for a few years.
The Santana deal needed to be done. He wasn't going to sign an extension, and who can blame him, he's human. He's about to be the highest paid pitcher in Major League Baseball history. There aren't many Kirby Pucketts around anymore who turn down a higher paying job to stay with their original team.
I'm not saying this deal is terrible, but I'm not saying it's what Twins' fan wanted either. We won't even find out for at least four or five more years until these prospects pan out to see if the deal was a good move for Minnesota.
Who knows, Santana could struggle in New York - like so many do - and Gomez could live up to his five-tool potential, and the three hurlers could turn into solid contributors for the Twins in their new ballpark.
No one can tell right now if this deal will benefit the Twins in the long run. But the Twins made a similar trade in 2003 when they sent A.J. Pierzynski to the Giants. In return, the Twins received Boof Bonser, Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano.
Ever heard of 'em?
Josh Berhow is the Reporter assistant sports editor
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