Johan Santana Traded to the Mets

The Minnesota Twins and the New York Mets agreed to a deal that would trade left-handed ace Johan Santana to the Mets for outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Phillip Humber, Kevin Mulvey, and Deolis Guerra.

Santana, 28, has been on the trade market for months. Although the Twins are moving to a new stadium shortly, they still decided that they could not afford Santana, who will be a free agent at the end of the 2008 season. The Mets will likely negotiate with him now though.

The Mets gain probably the top starting pitcher in Major League Baseballm turning their rotation from a weakness to an advantage. Santana has recorded a career 3.22 ERA in seven seasons.

The Twins get some young pieces in what looks to now be a long term rebuilding project. Carlos Gomez has lightning speed, faster than Mets shortstop Jose Reyes. His bat is a bit of a concern, as he strikes out often and rarely draws a walk. Humber, 25, was the 3rd pick in the 2004 Draft, although he seemed to be falling a bit out of a favor. He’ll likely get a chance in the Twins rotation, which will also include the returning Francisco Liriano, Kevin Slowey, Boof Bonser, and Scott Baker.

Kevin Mulvey, 22 participated in the 2007 Futures Game due to his success in AA. Deolis Guerra isn’t even 19 yet and has a cannon for an arm. He doesn’t have much more than a fiery fastball in his arsenal yet.

The Twins were entertaining offers from the rivaling New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, but kept pushing back until both teams withdrew their interest. They could have got Phil Hughes and Melky Cabrera from the Yankees or a package revolving around Jacoby Ellsbury from the Red Sox, but they passed. Management might have thought that the demand would go up, but instead it went down as teams saw their bluff.