Ex-Mets prospects in spotlight this spring for Twins after Johan Santana trade

Guerra finished last season at the highest level of Class A, and Mulvey pitched primarily in Double-A. Humber is further along, with September stints in the majors each of the last two years.

He was a College World Series star at Rice and the third overall pick in the 2004 draft by the Mets, but elbow trouble developed and he needed the infamous Tommy John ligament replacement surgery in 2005. Last season, Humber went 11-9 with a 4.27 ERA in 25 starts for Triple-A New Orleans.

He's in the mix for several open spots in the rotation.

"I'm not going to try to be Johan," he said. "I'm going to go out and try to be myself, and I think that's going to be good enough. I really do."

It was quite the whirlwind offseason for these guys, as rumors about the trade swirled for months until it was finally consummated on Jan. 29. Even then, they had to wait all week while the Mets negotiated the megacontract with Santana before the deal could become official.

Humber, a native of Texas, was married in November just before the trade talk heated up. Mulvey, who grew up in New Jersey near the hometown of former Twins manager Tom Kelly, heard about it all winter from his family and friends.

"I kind of prepared for it to happen, and then it finally did happen, and I'm pretty excited that it happened," Mulvey said.

Guerra had the most interesting perspective, living in Venezuela where Santana is perhaps the most popular person in the country. They share the same agent, Peter Greenberg, who arranged a phone conversation between the two last year.

The deal made national news in both countries. Guerra's family and friends were excited about his new claim to fame, but he also realized it came with a price.

"Yeah, it is hard, because you got traded for somebody like Santana," Guerra said. "It's a lot of responsibility."