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In a Sunday notebook for the Star-Tribune, Charley Walters writes…
“The Twins say they’re not panicking while holding out for the best deal for Johan Santana. But word within baseball circles is that offers by the New York Yankees (no more Phil Hughes) and Boston Red Sox are diminishing by the week.
“Best bet now for a trade of the two-time Cy Young Award winner appears to be with the New York Mets in a deal that would not include fast-rising hitter Fernando Martinez.”
…the word within baseball circles…priceless…i love it…
…anyway, i know there are some fans who feel the Mets should just give up martinez, so to be done with this madness and guarantee santana comes to queens…but, if the Yankees and Red Sox are ‘diminishing by the week,’ as walters writes, and as multiple reports have suggested over the last week or so, then why should the Mets part with one penny more than they should…
…as i said several days ago, this is going to come down to santana - and whether he is or will put pressure on the Twins to a) trade him sooner than later, and b), and more specifically, trade him to the Mets…if he does that, then the Mets have a lot of leverage, and should hang tight to fernando…
…however, if santana sits on the sideline, and the Yankees and Red Sox keep a toe in the water, then fernando’s name will and should continue to be mentioned…
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Be patient, its not like there are a ton of options out there that are being taken by other teams. Livan, Colon, Loshe have not signed so there is a way backup plan. I would also guess that other SP are not being traded while waiting on Santana. So that being said I understand that ST is drawing near there is still plenty of time.
“this is going to come down to santana - and whether he is or will put pressure on the Twins ”
I don’t understand this Cerrone. How does Santana have any leverage to pressure the twins? He is just and employee. If he says “Trade me to the mets, today” The twins can simple just say “No”
True if the Twins say no he can’t really tank the season because it is a walk year but he can also Veto any trade so it would be better for them to trade him to the place he wants to or else they get nothing out of him except 2 draft picks.
I believe Santana has a no trade clause which he has to waive. There are conflicting reports saying that he will not waive the no-trade clause while in-season. If he truly says he won’t waive it in season, the Twins have to deal him before the season starts, or they get nothing but 2 draft picks for him.
This is what I believe Cerrone is referring to. If Santana says he won’t waive the no-trade clause during the season, the Twins have to act.
YAWN….i just got up and feel i have read this same bs like a zillion times….i do hope we get him but REALLY…and please this backup plan mentioned previoulsly sounds horrible….if we dont get him let the kids pitch….(or start heilman)…
Yeah, no kidding. I’ll believe this when it happens, otherwise its the same junk over and over and over and over again everyday.
I, for one, appreciate the updates.
It’s only the “same junk” if you are being impatient and unreasonable about reality.
I know a trade like this could take a lot of time, but its the exact same report everyday. “Mets have best offer”, “Mets may have best offer”, etc. etc. etc.
I appreciate the updates as well, after all this is a “mets blog.” Matt is doing a great job……. but it is the same (fill in word) every day…….
agreed, the updates have actually evolved quite significantly and I’m enjoying the saga ..
Here here! Keep it up, Matt. Great work.
But if we didn’t get a million updates, and got none instead, then the idea of getting Santana would be a mere dream, when in reality, it’s very possible.
We know that they will not start Heilman, they could have before and did not. There is no reason to think they will now.
On to the “let the kids pitch”. If it were just the #5 spot I would be inclined to agree, however, with Pedro and Elduque in the rotation I think we need to sign one consistant #5 that we know will give us innings at average numbers. If we can get Colon, Loshe, Livan type on a 1 year deal then I think you have to do it.
Forget about colon his shoulder is fried according to the Mri the Mets had done on him and neither of the other two will sign a 1 year deal. The mets already offered Lohse a multi year deal why would he settle for a 1 year deal now. Dont you people read? I would rather have Mulvey pitch all season then sign Livan Hernandez..
If we offered Loshe a multiyear deal it was for peanuts or he would have signed already. DO you believe everything you read?
Also, if you brought up Mulvey this soon and he was not ready you could really damage his career. Sign Livan and then you get to wait a year.
If Santana’s stock is diminishing by the minute, why won’t the Twins make a deal now. With the fans having influence in their decision, the fans don’t like any of the offers so whats the holdup. It’s basically a stalemate and they know exactly the packages their receiving from the teams. SO TRADE HIM TO THE METS NOWWWW
I doubt his value is dropping each day (or at all). Really, the pressure is on the Mets, not the Twins. The Mets desperately need a pitcher like Santana … the Twins have several suitors for Johan. As the Spring draws closer and closer, Omar may be forced more and more into a corner. This is the game the Twins are playing … it’s like a game of chicken.
Omar is not going to be forced into a corner because he knows that there are not many teams that can get Santana and his team will be competitive without him. You really think we can’t get a mid rotation starter as a backup plan?
Mets do not need need Johan to compete in the mediocrity that is the NL East. They could be competititve without him. Johan would just make things a little easier.
I fail to see how the Mets are the ones in a corner when the Twins GM risks getting just one draft pick for a guy who most likely will leave the team at the end of the year, instead of a package of multiple players like the Mets, Yankees or Sox are offering. Smith is just going to wind up screwing himself if Santana sticks to his word about not waiving the no trade clause during the season.
We will compete for the NL east w/o Johan u are correct - but w/ him we will win the division - and Im a fan of the Mets and a fan of the 08′ NL East being more of a sure thing for us…I think Omar is playing this 1 well and trying to obtain the stud ace while holding on to as many chips as possible - BUT my life has become clicking the refresh button on all MLB sites waiting for the “THIS JUST IN UPDATE” METS GET SANTANA - sooner than later PLEASE
But it’s not just against the NL East that we want to compete. While it is somewhat true that just about anything can happen once you get to the playoffs, it’s best to leave as little to chance as possible. The Sox are a might tougher than the Phills (and I ain’t worried about Crede).
The pressure is not on the Mets. The mets do not desperately need a pitcher like Santana, where do you come up with a statement like that, Its pure propaganda. The twins are the team thats going to lose santana with the chance of getting very little in return as Santana has a full no trade clause and has stated he will NOT waive his no trade clause during the season. Dont let the facts get in the way of your thinking and posting to this site.
I believe there is presure on the Mets, but it is less than the pressure on the Twins.
It is a game of chicken that, given the stakes, the Mets will ultimately win. The Mets can wait until ST for a trade. It the Twins wait until ST the package, from anyone, will plummet more than today’s Dow.
The only thing that will prevent a Johann trade is greed on the part of the Mets.
It would be great if they didn’t have to trade away Martinez. The only thing that worries me is what options the Mets will have left if they are unable to acquire Santana. If the Twins are running out of options then the Mets should put some pressure on them to make a decision soon.
I agree…When I fantasize that the deal had gone thru, the only player I would ever think twice about was FMart…Thats not to say he is or should be a deal breaker, but I would like the deal so much better if we retained Fernando, and I’m sure most fans would as well
just wait til the deadline, maybe oli or john will step up and be THAT guy this year, or maybe even pedro… should try to hold out hope that we can get him for a draft pick one year away…
Hopefully Pedro does have a healthy, full, PEDROESQUE SEASON, hopefully Maine does have a full season this year like his first half of last year - hopefully Oli can find some consistency to go along w/ his filthy stuff - but let them all do that in a rotation behind JOHAN SANTANA - JOHAN OR BUST….
Hear, hear!
The last mile is always the hardest in every negotiation.
With the realization that came out recently…that Heilman is not a free agent until after the 2011 season….we should consider him in the trade and consider him extremely valuable.
For a team like the twins, Heilman has to be seen in either of 2 ways…
1) a solid and relatively inexpensive backup plan to trading Nathan as well down the line this season for even more prospects
2) a potential #3 in the rotation. I am convinced he would be an excellent starter now that he has matured in his role as 7th and 8th inning reliever and one of the better ones in the game
With that type of player, versatile, inexpensive and controlled for 3 more seasons…., I would think it is very easy to keep Fmart and Guerra out of this deal.
The offer should be revised.
Gomez, Heilman, Mulvey and Humber (nothing more)
To me…that provides the team with a CF’r of the future who has a bit of ML experience and has had a very good Minor league career to date, it provides them in Mulvey a guy who already has been said to have great control and poise on the mound. Knows how to pitch and is being mentioned as a number 3 starter in the future. It gives them a pretty solid back of the rotation prospect in Humber who lead the hitters league, PCL, at AAA in both wins and in WHIP which is no small feat. He is a bound to improve a tick on his fastball now that he is entering the 2nd full season after tommy John surgery and he is already to known to have one of the best curveballs in the minors. Lastly…it provides them a very flexible, inexpensive and proven 8th inning reliever in Heilman who desires to start and with his experience…should be very capable of doing it for them to at least a number 3 level. If also gives them the option of trading Nathan later in the season for more prospects and moving Heilman to the closer role which he could be very good at.
If it all broke right for them… they get 2 rotation ready guys in Mulvey and Humber to add to Liriano and Boof and whoever else they have. It gives them a CF for the next 6 years at essentially league minimum level cost wise who could develop the power to go with his speed. It also gives them a possible closer, 8th inning guy or potential 3rd starter.
Nice Haul in my eyes for Twins dumping one of the best pitchers in the game who is in his walk year and will be resigned by the trading partner for the most $$ in the game ever given to a pitcher.
I like this trade but would want the Twins to throw in Ricon. I know his stats were horrible last year but look at the years prior. Don’t mention that its all because of steriods or something, I think he just had a bad year. I would also like to see if there was some way tgat the deal could be expanded to get either Morales or Cuddyer too but that’s wishful thinking.
You don’t want Rincon, he’s about done and has the makings of another Mota in NY.
59.66 ip, 65 h, 28 bb, 5.13 era
We’re better off with the options we have.
Did you look at his stats prior to last year?
Yes of course, he’s a steroids guy that was supposed to be part of the Delmon deal. The Rays wanted no part of him after taking a look at his medical charts.
If we were to include F-Mart in the deal, I would hope Omar could work his magic and get a good bullpen guy back like Guerrier or Neshek.
So you want to give up Mulvey, Humber, Heilman and Gomez for Santana. You are substituting Heilman for Guerra in the offer that has already been given to the Twins. If I was the Twins theres no way I take Heilman (who wont ever be a #3 pitcher) for Guerra who is a much better potential starter. If I am Omar no way do I make a HUGE hole in the bullpen by trading Heilman just to fill a hole in the rotation. If you do that you could have Jesus pitch for you as a starter and have him lose games because the Pen Sucks like it did last year. Where were you the last month of the 07 season? on vacation?
What the hell is your problem. Heilman may have more value to us than he ever has because of the lack of pitching on the market and if YOU could read you would notice that Heilman was put into the trade to not have to trade Guerra and or Martinez. I would trade Heilman for those two, would you? As for Heilman not having value to the Twins, they need some MLB ready talent in this deal. Heilman could slot in their rotation or even become the setup man if they move Nathan and use their current setup man to close.
Get of your holy throne and flush while you are at it.
Exactly Real…the idea of putting in Heilman was to REMOVE the 2 POTENTIAL GEMS IN OUR PROSPECTS FMART AND GUERRA FROM IT.
Heilmans inclusion in the deal will not be without some pain to start. But assuming the reports are right….Dirty Sanchez is looking good and will be ready for the season. The combination of Wagner, Sanchez, Feliciano and Wise should be able to handle the 7th 8th and 9th pretty well. Also, we still have Shoeneweis and Sosa and Joe Smith to contribute amongst other candidates and in 2009, Burgos will be back and ready to contribute and we will have more reinforcements coming with the development from the pen guys we picked in Kunz, Rustich, and Collazo
Jesus couldn’t pitch too well, he tips his pitches off too much. Now St. Peter is who I would rather have, he had a helluva curveball and a change-up that would break many a knee.
I AGREE - the loss of heilman would be too big of a hit to us this season - especially if we are trading away a bunch of prospects we are obviously going for it this year - and the bridge to wagnre would be way too shakey w/o heliman - espcially since we do not know what to expect from the return of Duaner…I’m happier w/ the offer as is.
Again, this is news?
Yeah, the Yankees and Sox are going to roll over and let Santana go to another team. Right…
P.S. Are these comments going to be locked and hidden within a day?
Hey, what’s that smell? Who cut the cheese?
well sir, if you pay attention you’d notice the Sox really don’t have the need for Santana or his payroll except to keep him away from the spanks or to drive up the price. The Yanks have Hanky and who knows his position, he may make a last ditch effort, and maybe the mets then throw in martinez and maybe that is still enough, but..id say the Sox will let him go to another team….they still are almost as good as gold to get to the WS…maybe some issues w/ Detroit…
Neither the yanks or redsox need Santana, they just need to avoid the other from getting him. I predict the Mets get him with the package of Humber, Mulvey, Gomez and Guerra they have already offered. If not save out young talent and move on. The Mets are still the best team in the NL east, if you dotn belive me check out the other teams blogs and see thier fans are just as pessimistic as some of you guys. The Mets lost the NL east last year by 1 game, they wont let that happen again. They have pride.
Agreed!!!
Not Santana or Bust
Santana or let the kids play!!!
Letting the kids play is a BUST - unless they pan out then we might see some results in 2010. I dont got that kind of time buddy.
This Santana guy, he’s running for president right?
One question I have is why have we heard nothing of alternative options from Omar.
If we do not get Santana…and to be honest, it has to still be considered less than a 50/50 proposition….why do we not hear of conversations between the Mets and Rays or Giants or Pirates for their pitchers we may want? Lincecum, Cain, Lowry, Kazmir, Snell. No updates…No whispers…..No innuendo about what may be happening if Santana deal falls through.
To be honest…it worries me a lot since I feel the Santana deal is not likely to happen. We heard a little of Blanton but that was months ago frankly and dissolved shortly after Haren was dealt.
If we sign Colon or Lohse or Livan or god forbid David Wells or Kris Benson…I think I will have a cow.
I am like others…I think we need on pitcher to be there in the event Duque and or Pedro need time off.
Pelfrey is our 5th starter I think but with one injury and no Santana, we are left with Sosa, Humber or Mulvey to pitch in. that is very dangerous for a team with aspirations of competing all year for the division title
I don’t think Sosa is allowed near the rotation anymore.
You dotn hear about Omars trades because that the way he likes it. each of the last two years the rumors were wrong and Omar did what wasnt reported, the more people who know about what your thinking the less likely to get a trade done. Omar is smart.
To be honest…while I typically agree that the less you hear the better off you are…in this case, leaking about our attention going somewhere else would be good if the target really is Santana.
In my scenario…we get some new pressure on the GM in Twinsland if we leak that we are in discussions with the Giants about Cain, or lincecum for example. They may then decide before our deal leaves the table…they should re-engage Omar and try to work it out.
Just a thought. Plus it does lay a back up plan
Yeah but, just because we, the viewing public, don’t hear about other deals doesn’t mean that the other GMs arent. I’m sure there’s a “code” amongst GMs to keep certain discussions out of the press if requested.
So Omar could be having backburner discussions with the Pirates, As, etc while directly dealing with the Twins as well (and all the GMs involved are aware about what’s going on to varying degrees).
Agree again.
Omar always Plan B up his sleeve
that is a very true point - Omar knows what he’s doing - BUT MAYBE - JUST MAYBE - a little chatter about our alternatives makes its way to minnesota (wheter they are true or not) WINK WINK - force their hand a bit…might as well turn over evey stone looking 4 that stud
The reason we aren’t hearing about more options is if the Mets start making offers to other teams and they are well-known, the Twins can use those offers to up their offer for Santana.
As of right now, since the Mets supposedly offered Heilmann, Gomez and Humber for Bedard. The Twins are going to ask for more than that for Santana. The Twins won’t sell Santana for a shorter deal than they can get right now.
This is a game of chicken right now, and the Twins GM just doesn’t seem to have the chops that Minaya has. Omar knows that if Santana doesn’t traded right now, they can offer as much as the Yanks and Sox to get him after next season and keep all of their young players. I can’t see any way that Santana will accept a trade in the middle of the season unless the Twins have a losing record. And the only choice the Twins have is to trade him now or lose him.
Exactly. This is high-stakes Poker. Omar doesn’t want other the other players (GM, media, fans) seeing what cards he’s holding…
“but, if the Yankees and Red Sox are ‘diminishing by the week,’ as walters writes, and as multiple reports have suggested over the last week or so, then why should the Mets part with one penny more than they should…”
Finally … some sanity.
The Ideal rotation would be
1-Johan Santana
2-Pedro Martinez
3-John Maine
4-Oliver Perez
5-Orlando Hernandez or Mike Pelfry
Worst Case Scenerio
1-Pedro Martinez
2-Freddy Garcia
3-John Maine
4-Oliver Perez
5-Orlando Hernandez or Mike Pelfry
God I hope not scenerio
1-Pedro Martinez
2-John Maine
3-Oliver Perez
4-Livian Hernandez
5-Bartolo Colon
isn’t garcia out half the year?
Yes, at least June.
Not that Matt needs anyone to stick up for him here, but you guys that are on his back for reporting what is being written in the newspapers and on other websites or being reported on TV need to remember one thing……….THIS IS A BLOG !!!! Matt does a great job here of trying to keep everyone that comes to this site apprised of what is being said and by whom. He’s not coming out and reporting that he feels that we’ll get Johan any day….he is simply stating what he is finding out there…..yes, he does offer his own commentary and opinion afterwards, but it’s done to either support or rebut the reports that he is coming across.
I am an Oakland Raider fan living on the east coast, so for me the football season is LONG over…..I’m not into hoops and aside from my NJ Devils there is nothing else going on in sports at this time of the year to hold my interest…….I for one would rather read someones opinions (and even some of the comments that people post afterwards !) than to read nothing at all while I wait for ST to start.
Thank you Matt………keep up the great work !!
Amen!
agree 100%, also like to add that its nice to see another mets/raiders/devils fan. not exactly a very common combination.
i to am a mets/raiders fan (isles tho not dev’s) tell u who else is a met raider fan - OMAR MINAYA
LOL, don’t you get tired of writing the same stuff day after day?
It’s not like this is happening in a vacuum. Billy Smith will go to each team when he’s ready to pull the trigger and say something to the effect of:
hey, I’m about to trade JS to the Mets for the four prospects (sans Fmart). Want to sweeten your deal to get him? Last chance?
You know at that time it will be decided whether the Mets need to put Fmart in the pot. To me, it’s not JS who’s in the drivers seat. It’s Billy Smith. When he’s ready to make the deal, it will get done - and not a second sooner.
I understand the Twins would like to get the most value for Santana, but it seems like getting him out of the American League especially from the Red Sox and/or Yankees would be a strong second priority.
If I were the Twins I would hate to have a great team in the future and then every year that has to face Santana 2 - 3 times in a playoff series. The Red Sox and Yankees are built to be in the playoffs every year so this is a very good reality, and something the Twins have to consider.
If it is up to me, I get him out of the AL where the Twins don’t have to see him during the regular and/or the post season.
I hope this plays into the thinking of the Twins GM and he presents the Mets a final offer so we can just move on with our lives already.
As each day goes by, the more I feel Smith will just hold on to Johan and he will start the season with the Twins. If that happens, then he might or might not be traded at the trade deadline. Either way, the Mets will have a very good chance to get him next winter when he’s a free agent — and they will have kept their prospects.
I just feel Smith is paralyzed by the fear of being bashed by their fans and media for not getting equal value back for Johan. So he will just sit tight.
As for who is in the drivers seat, ultimately it is Johan. But he is not forcing the issue so far, and he is allowing Smith to steer the car. I think Johan does not want to be viewed as someone who forced the Twins into a deal that was not considered the “best” for them. He doesn’t want to be viewed as the bad guy. Johan seems to be a player concerned about perceptions of him and his reputation, so he will try to preserve his standing with the Twins fans. I do see him being very choosy about a mid-season trade, however, if it should come to that.
I agree here .. Johan has been making the politically correct statements to the media to cover for the rumor that he was strong arming the twins — he’s got a negotiation to deal with after the trade and his agents don’t want him to have a reputation of a self-centered non team oriented type guy..
I agree with “the old backstop” that “the Twins are paying a game of chicken”.
But I also believe that they will want to make a trade just before spring training……IF one of the Mets, Yanks or Sox sweeten their offers. I also think that one of the three will blink and increase the offer probably the Yanks. So the Mets will get one more chance to sweeten the pot with FMart. If not the Yanks will get Santana. All the other millions of deals that have been suggested on this site are not going to get it done since the Twins can ultimately say …”No team wanted to give us the value that the best pitcher in baseball deserves so we will keep him and pick up two draft picks in the top 35 next year. Smith tried his best and the fans will recognize it and not blame him. SOOOOOO the only way to do this is for Omar to throw FMart into the mix, forcing a show down NOW so the Mets can get on with going with what we have and not making the playoffs next year. But we’ll still have all those prospects to discuss during the year and they will help us win the Series in 2009. I’ve finally falling into deep depression.
Well, if you can guarantee that if the Mets hang onto the prospects they will be in the WS in 2009, I will sign up for that, no problem!
They just might make it in 2008 anyway, even if the team they have now is basically what they will start the season with.
I would rather give up Fernando Martinez than Gomez. Martinez is much farther away from being able to contribute, and everything we’ve read about him seems to suggest that unless he hits very well, he doesn’t have much else to offer (defense, speed). Even if Gomez doesn’t develop much power, he could still be a useful reserve outfielder.
But, generally a masher bat is a lot harder to find than a fast guy with good D, but little power and slap hitting.
We already have Endy, and probably Pagan, to do that.
It depends on what you project them each to be.
If martinez’s potential is Manny production with better D and Gomez is Endy with a bit more pop (maybe he becomes Kotsay), which one do you want?
Thoughts after reading a lot of Twins blogs… Twins are building around Morneau, Mauer, Delmon Young and maybe Cuddyer and/or Kubel. They have plenty of young starters, headlined by Liriano (if he’s healthy) and Baker (if he gets more consistent). Boof seems to be headed to the pen, since he has trouble lasting 6 innings. He could be the next closer.
They’d love to keep Johan and have offered him $80 mil for a 4 year extension, but that wasn’t enough. They don’t want to commit more payroll to one player, as they want to keep salaries at 50-55% of revenue. Revenue will go up in 2010 with the new park, and they’re in good shape this year after losing Torii Hunter.
Only Mauer has a long term contract. They will go after Morneau and Cuddyer once they know what’s going to happen with Santana. If they were ready to throw in the towel on Johan, they’d get Morneau extended before his price goes up. He said recently that his interest in a long term deal depends on how he views their competitiveness long term. So if they trade Johan and don’t get much back, they essentially forfeit Morneau in a few years!
If you were Billy Smith, what would you do? You really can’t take a lowball offer. You can try harder to re-sign Johan and hope you can afford him. If he gets too expensive in a few years, you trade him then, while he’s under contract. He’ll be expensive and you still have limited taker options. You’d rather he go to the NL, and he loves to hit (career .257 BA, pretty strong for a guy who only bats a few times each year).
You could also wait for a major injury to a contender’s ace, which might happen. Or see who really needs him by the trading deadline this summer. In any case, he never walks as a free agent (my opinion).
You might also bundle him. Joe Nathan is probably available for the right price - anyone want one of the best closers to go with their new ace? Rincon can be had, he’s getting too expensive. But forget about Neshek or the other good, low price pitchers - that’s what they want to keep.
The Twins started out trying to fill holes at CF and DH, and improve offense. Then they created a hole at SS when they got
Young. They filled that with the best defensive SS but a weak hitter. 3B and 2B are adequate but could be upgraded. Plenty of corner OF. Still need a CF and maybe DH, and they’d like a proven starter to match with the kids (especially since they lost Silva, if Santana goes).
If they can’t get the CF and SP, they have to get a great group of prospects - or lose Morneau. Then there’s not a lot left to rebuild on, expect a few young pitchers.
I won’t talk about the Mets needs and wants - you all know those. The real question is whether this is the year we have the best shot at winning it all. If yes, get Santana. Otherwise, keep the kids and try again in 5 years!
This makes no sense. You really think that Omar made a concious decision to do nothing (for some odd coupon reason), but go through some kind of charade to hide the fact that he was standing pat?
I would have expected Omar to do some other moves with the pitching if he wasn’t going after Santana. Maybe what you would consider 2nd tier moves, but still moves.
More likely, he has discussed a bunch of lower level stuff, but not pulled any triggers as long as Santana is hanging in the breeze. At some point, the right plan B will present itself, and Omar likely grabs it, even if it takes him out of the Jahan derby.
I wish they would just trade Johan or officially take him off the market so that the logjam of other moves (not just the Mets, but all teams) can burst. Should be a fun couple of weeks!
Oh yeah! Headlines like: “Mets sign Livian Hernandez”" or Mets sign Louse” or Mets sign “Colon”. Mmmmmmm that will get us to the World Series.
Mets starting rotation beginning of the year:
Pedro:Maine: Perez: El Duque: and Pelfry.
Mets starting rotation at the end of the year:
Maine; Perez; Humber; Sosa and Pelfry.
I can wait.
Well, the starting line up could be right! And actually, it would still be one of the better rotations in the league.
Now, you obviously think that Pedro and Duque won’t be there at year end. Certainly possible, at least for El Duque.
Probably more likely is one or both needs a mid year vacation, but are hopefully back for the finish and playoffs.
Also, if they lose someone for an extended period of time (the rest of the year), most likely Omar will make a move to pick up someone different. In recent years, Duque and Perez came in on deadline deals.
So, I doubt Sosa is in the rotation (for more than a few spot starts). I am OK if you swap Sosa for Pedro, and if the worst happens, Sosa for a mid season pick up.
This assumes, of course, that Humber goes to AAA and really gets his stuff working, and is ready to be called up!
Lets see, if Maine and Perez make 33 starts each, and Duque and Pedro 25, and Pelfrey 25, that is 141. Therefore, spot starters and injury replacements have to come up with 21 starts.
That is building in 4-6 weeks off for 3/5 of the rotation, and if they don’t do it at the same time, 1 guy like Humber really could pitch almost a full season as a “6th man”
Also why I think they need to add one more solid starter to the rotation (even if not an Ace).
I think I am saying that I just don’t find the pitching to be as dire of a problem as some others here. Of course guys need to stay reasonably healthy, but every team has that problem!
Well, my point is, you seem to be implying they are purposely doing nothing but run a smokescreen. Even if they were (hghly unlikely) doing that, they would still be working other deals.
So, I would say that they are seriously hoping to land Santana, but it will have to be within the bounds of what they are willing to pay for him.
Well, you must be Omar, Theo, Hankee and Smith all rolled into one to be so sure of this much detail.