Insider: Johan soon gone? Feeling Minnesota's hot-stove temp
Their franchise players have become too expensive, the Minnesota Twins face another pivotal organizational moment, and wouldn't it be the height of baseball's offseason lunacy if Torii Hunter's departure actually played a role in helping the Twins obtain a solid return in a trade for ace Johan Santana?
Stranger things have happened, but what about something like this: The Angels packaging extra center fielder Gary Matthews Jr., one of three starting pitchers (Ervin Santana, Jered Weaver or Joe Saunders) and another player (say, outfielder Reggie Willits) for Santana?
|
|
| Torii Hunter would probably be glad to see Johan Santana follow him to Anaheim. (AP) |
And while Florida continues to engage the Angels in Miguel Cabrera talks -- the Marlins' starting position was that they needed four players in return -- the Angels' offseason moves so far both have given them flexibility and will allow them to deal from a position of strength.
With Hunter on board at five years and $90 million and outfielder Juan Rivera expected to be full strength after missing most of 2007 with a broken leg suffered playing winter ball, the Angels already have improved their lineup.
Now the question becomes, do they continue pushing for another bat -- say, Cabrera or even Baltimore's Miguel Tejada -- or do they decide they have enough offense, especially if they can build a rotation of Johan Santana, John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, Jon Garland (obtained from the White Sox for shortstop Orlando Cabrera), Weaver and Saunders?
The winter meetings open in Nashville, Tenn., next week, and thanks in no small part to the aggressive debut of rookie Angels general manager Tony Reagins, the hot stove already is cooking.
First-year Twins GM Bill Smith, who has neither Reagins' checkbook nor payroll, declined comment Tuesday on the Santana discussions. The Twins' first choice is to re-sign him, but when Santana didn't reach for the pen following the club's four-year, $80 million offer last week, it all but sealed the left-hander as a short-timer in Minnesota.
Smith is left with little alternative but to move him. The Angels, Dodgers, Yankees, Mets and Boston are among those who smell blood and are circling. The Dodgers tried to acquire Santana during the stretch run last summer for a package built around outfielder Matt Kemp, according to sources, but were rebuffed. The Twins almost certainly would be interested in a Boston package that would include Jacoby Ellsbury and no-hit pitcher Clay Buchholz, but the Red Sox are more apt to deal Coco Crisp than Ellsbury.
"This is not a whole new revelation in the game, or even for this organization," Smith said Tuesday, speaking generally of the potential defections of Hunter and Santana this winter. "Even for this organization over the last 20 years.
"Gary Gaetti left, Jeff Reardon left, Greg Gagne left. Jack Morris left after one year. We went through another phase recently when Eddie Guardado, Corey Koskie and Doug Mientkiewicz all left. We've traded Frank Viola. Rick Aguilera left.
"We've been through this as an organization over the last 20 years. No team in the game doesn't go through this. We're not unique to the issue. The Red Sox lost Pedro Martinez and Johnny Damon.
"A lot of teams go through this."
