Buzz: The Mets and Twins and Santana
According to multiple reports, while the Mets are involved in talks with the Twins for Johan Santana, they telling reporters that their position is no different then it was in previous weeks.
The Mets made an offer to the Twins last night, writes Newsday, who, citing ‘a person familiar with the talks,’ the Mets sweetened their offer to the Twins by adding players to the package.
However, the Twins insist a deal is ‘virtually impossible,’ as long as Jose Reyes is not part of the deal, adds 
Newsday.
Of course, according to Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports.com, citing ‘sources,’ “The Mets did not speak with the Twins about Santana on Wednesday. However, the teams met earlier this week, and the Twins gave the Mets a list of players they had interest in. The Mets did not say no to any of them.”
In the Star-Ledger, citing ‘two people familiar with the talks,’ Dan Graziano writes that the Mets essentially told the Twins last night that, a) Reyes, David Wright and Beltran are not available, and b) everybody else in the organization is, though the Mets are not inclined to include more than two or three of Carlos Gomez, Fernando Martinez, Pelfrey and Kevin Mulvey.
“The Twins’ response was that they would have to think about it and get back to the Mets,” writes Graziano.
…i.e., don’t call us, we’ll call you…ugh…
According to the New York Post, the Twins like Gomez.
In fact, at his blog for WFAN, Sweeny Murti says that scouts he had talked with are ‘split,’ when asked who is better, Gomez or Red Sox OF Jacoby Ellsbury.
“The verdict,” explains Murti, “Ellsbury is more polished, but Gomez has more potential.”
The thing is, as Adam Rubin writes in the Daily News, ‘the Mets don’t seem able to sweeten their offers much more than what has already been dangled.’
In Newsday, Ken Davidoff makes a similar comment to Joel Sherman in the New York Post, writing, “The rest of the baseball world doesn’t love Omar Minaya’s prospects as much as he does.”
“We are not trying to get average players,” a Mets official told Sherman. “We are trying to get a young ace. They should be discerning in what they get back.”
Sherman wonders if the best situation for the Mets is to hope the Twins keep Santana, try to win with him, and then look to move him at the trade deadline, concluding…
“Maybe by July such 2007 disappointments as Pelfrey, Humber and Mike Carp will have regained better value. Perhaps prospects the Mets feel are on the rise such as Nick Evans, Scott Moviel, Jon Niese, Bobby Parnell and Nathan Vineyard will have built alluring reputations…The Mets need that because, right now, they are not only short an ace, but also very likely short the ammunition necessary to acquire one.”
…the thing is, as i have written before, the sense i get, is that not only are the Mets willing to overpay in talent, short of wright and reyes, but they may also be willing to overpay in dollars to keep santana in queens…
However, according to Bob Klapisch, in the Bergen Record, citing ‘one person familiar with the team’s financial picture,’ there is ‘no way’ the Mets will ever agree to pay $25 million per year.
“Not even the Red Sox seem eager to go that high,” writes Klapisch.
