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According to La Velle E. Neal III, in a post to his blog for the Star-Tribune, “It looks like the Twins want to get a Johan Santana trade done this week or begin preparing for his arrival at spring training.”
Additionally, it is unlikely that a third team will be needed to make a trade, explains Neal, and the Twins will not part with an extra player to push a deal along.
Ultimately, Neal writes…
“I still rank the Mets as the favorite with the Yankees second but the Twins have every right to demand that Fernando Martinez be included in the deal…The Mets are trying to get one of the best pitchers in baseball for prospects. Excuse me while I put on my Allen Iverson hat. Prospects? Prospects? We’re talking about prospects, man. Not proven major league talent, prospects.”
…by the way, the New York Post is reporting that a deal for santana is ‘imminent,’ but they are just referencing the report from the Pioneer Press on sunday…in fact, they each cite the actual report, which is why i am not posting every single article…i mean, they’re all based on the same report, which i referenced over the weekend…
…you know, i’m gonna miss good ol’ La Velle E. Neal III when this whole santana saga is over…it’s funny how every off-season i end up obsessing over some other team’s player, typically from oakland, and during that time i truly come to enjoy the work of these non-new york writers who i don’t get the opportunity to read as often as i should…
Too bad you only came up with the useful LENIII designation this late in the game. Much time would’ve been saved.
I think he should be herein known as LEN-3
How could you not love a guy named La Velle E. Neal III? Plus, does this guy ever stop working? He’s got more (actually the same) info every 20 minutes……….actually that reminds me of some other site………….
he’s probably one of maybe two reporters that cover the team. he gets incredible access.
Amen Neal.. either we want him or we don’t…
and we want him, we want him ALOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The fans want him, sure. Do the Wilpons, though?
Actually, the question should be rephrased into…
“Do the Wilpons want to pay one player $20M?”
I think without a doubt that Fred Wilpon wants what ever is best for the Mets and is going to help our get to the playoffs this season and that means if having the best pitcher in the league than yea I think Wilpons are willing to pay this amount of money for Johan!
Let’s G-R-DONE !!!!!!!
If this whole thing hinges on F-Mart, then you take out Gomez and Guerra. Let Cuddyer play CF this year.
On another note: I just read what Glavine had to say about his final game as a met, on METS.COM. I am so happy that the bum is gone. I got the feeling that he never really wanted to leave Atlanta or be a Met. Is first game as a Met was the same as his last game as a Met, a BLOWOUT!! He will be remembered in the company of such great ex-Mets as, Benetiz, Alomar and big Mo Vaughn. He really Improves the Atlanta rotation, Smoltz, Glavine 83 years old, Hampton, Hudson and who? Good Luck Tommy. I wont miss you . Now, LETS GET SANTANA.
It’s insane to mention Glavine in the same sentence with Benitez and Fat Mo. Glavine was off-and-on as Met, but the failure of many Met fans to recognize how he helped the team is really unbelievable. I admit he was awful down the stretch, and we should have been able to count on a future hall of famer to win us a game when we needed it in the worst way. I too am glad he’s gone but let us give credit where it is due.
Let’s not.
He’s returned to the enemy camp where he belongs; let’s leave the Tomahawk love to Br*ve fans.
He made an excellent Brave, killing the Mets both on and off the team. Enjoy your legacy, Tom, and good riddance.
Tommy is one of my least favorite Mets of all time. Benitez dominated at some points, Mo hit that mammoth shot off the scoreboard I’ll never forget. Tommy G was as unforgettable as anyone I’ve ever rooted for. He was a brave and always will be. That last game of the year laid the foundation and his bogus attitude after that game cemented it. Have fun finishing 4th in Atlanta. You may be a first ballot hall of famer, but in my book you have no BALLS!
I’m obviously in the minority here. I remember Glavine as the one who blew past the Cards last year. He became a very effective pitcher once he decided to follow Peterson’s advice and start pitching inside. Marty Noble has a good piece on him just posted on mets.com, where Glavine clarifies how that last game still keeps him up at night (as it does me). And Glavine was the only Met pitcher (been going to the park since 1984) that would sign auto’s on the day he pitched. Always friendly with the fans, which is saying a lot in today’s game. The last game devastated me (a word he refuses to use, citing his son’s best friend who lost his leg to cancer as truly devastating), but I remember a different Glavine too.
do you really think taking out 2 prospects for FMart makes the deal better???? you replace FMart for gomez or guerra, not both. The twins want 5 prospects so putting FMart in and taking out 2 means only 3 prospects. The only way to push 3 people in the deal is to include heilman/church plus FMart and Guerra, and the Twins will probably still want humber/mulvey
The day I read “METS ACQUIRE SANTANA” Im going to punch myself in the face and read it again…
I’m already working on my Santana chant. Here’s what I got:
Thank You Jo-Han!
Jo-Han, You Da Man!
Santana’s Gonna Sit You Down!
Got some more:
He’s got the World Series in his hands.
To the theme of Guantanamera, JO-HAN SAN-TA-NA.
Or JO-HAN, every time he thows a strike! (Like Ole in soccer when a team is winning and passing the bell well to eachother).
I mean passing the “ball”. I should learn how to spell.
Report: Mets, Twins agree on Santana deal; more info later
More info later, as in, 9 days.
are you trying to get me to scream and make a commotion in the library?!! omg, i’m so excitedddddddd. lol/
La Velle E. Neal III= greatest name ever.
with all this build-up, i’d suggest that the mets pr people who scan this website and others for fans reaction skip the internet for a few days if santana goes elsewhere or nowhere b/c of the lack of a mets quality offer
and trust me the mets public relations people are all over the ‘net reading fan reaction
totally agree. id love to keep fmart and hope he develops into another gem like reyes and wright have, but honestly if a corner OFer at least 2 years away from being major league ready is the reason we didnt get arguably the best pitcher in the league, it would be a total disaster. especially if he doesnt work out which is statistically more likely to happen.
please just get this over with. bill smith is officially ranking in as my 2nd most hated baseball exec ever behind our buddy jim duquette.
so where does steve phillips rate in ur most heted execs? b/c it cant be to far down the your list
actually hes pretty far down, the guy drafted david wright, aaron heilman, and signed jose reyes. not to mention traded for and convinced wilpon to pay mike piazza (my favorite player of all time) he also sold high on prospects roger cedeno and octavio dotel to bring us back a needed front end starter which got us to the WS, also a “throw in” in derek bell who was at times one of our best hitters behind piazza. so it would be rather ignorant of me to hate steve phillips after all we all know the reason we did not get arod after 2000 was not bc of phillips, it was bc wilpon didnt want to pay him. SP took too much of the blame bc hes the GM.
oh yea he also drafted scott kazrmir
Just to concur, even the deals that Phillips get truly vilified for are not all his fault. He got Alomar after what appeared to be a career year and really gave up no prospects that came back to bite us in that deal. As bad as the Vaughn trade was, he gave up a lousy contract in Appier, who ever after helping the Angels in ‘02, was a bust for the duration of his baseball years.
Signing a bloated Cedeno was bad news, as was giving away Jason Bay for a middle reliever, though I still liken that deal to some of Minaya’s villified moves last year (low ceiling prospect who outperforms his expectations considerably).
Anyway, Phillips brought us to back-to-back playoffs our only WS appearance since ‘86. If this team goes further down the toilet this year, Minaya’s run of excellence will be comparitively shorter than SPs, though SP gets a majority of the beef around here.
I told you guys, Mets got him, stop worrying all ready just start celebrating, lets maybe talk about something else, and get our Santana jerseys and get pumped for 2008
I think Matt should invite La Velle E. Neal for a Metsblog podcast. I also am going to miss this guy after all this trade stuff is done.
How many times have you seen this happen….PRess says its one team that has the upper hand….Blah Blah….Here are the players involved…for three months…sme thing same players…..Then….out of nowhere comes a trade to a totally different team…..Happens too often….
Do not be dissappointed when the trade is made to someone other than the three teams mentioned for the last three months……….ughhhhhhhh
remember that Santana can veto any trade he wants….
This could happen Yahoo sports is reporting that the TWINS are trying to get the Angels to make them an offer.
JetsMets, you are a realist, and there is no room for reality in our little fictional metsblog world!
I’m not sure how any “prospect” is worth holding up the acquisition of a “young” Cy Young award winner.
not just a Cy Yound award winner, but a two time Cy Young award winner
I am really getting sick of all this. All of this lollygagging is driving me crazy!
Thank god, I have the G-men as a distraction. What will I do come next week and a deal still isn’t made?
Haven’t you heard? The NY Titans Lacrosse team is ready to roll
Johan or BUST!!!
http://www.JmMetsBlog.com
anyone else get the feeling that a team other than the Mets, Yanks, or Sox is going to swoop in and get him? Kind of like last yr with Zito, the Giants for intents and purposes came out of nowhere.
All these rumors are crazy, so i might as well start one, Santana is going to be traded to the Dodgers or Angels by Friday
Santana decided to return to his home planet, Changeupathron, as he’s decided this species is too primitive.
i dont care where he goes,as long as he gets off the news ill be happy….
…but having him in our rotation would give us a boast like when we had pedro the first season
We would be getting him around the same stage in his career as when the BoSox got Pedro. That move turned Boston around. We need this move more than we all really know. Omar work your magic and we will build you a shrine right next to Johans.
This guy is very funny. Why should the Twins trade Santana for prospects, when they can sign him themselves for 150m? Oh, that’s right, the Twins are too smart spend 150m on a single player.
Twins can’t afford him, that’s why they want high talent, inexpensive prospects in return.
they could afford him if they chose to, but-so far-they choose not to.
I can afford a million dollar house, like my brother’s, if I chose to.
really? can I borrow some money?
how highly toted was FMart when he first came into the farm and played A ball at 16? b/c the mets got a lot of fresh new 16 year olds in A ball so why not trade him instead of gomez and hope one these new prospects pans out into someone highly toted like FMart is now, all assuming FMart wasnt a big time prospect when he was 16 playin A ball.
Not only that, but we have Beltran to patrol CF for the next 5 years. If we can’t get a CF or any OF that can put up similar numbers, either thru FA or our own farm system over the next 5 years, we need to re-evaluate ourselves as a MLB ball club,
Is Fmart not a prospect?
he is a prospect who is a long way from the majors, so i say trade him, keep gomez b/c hes ready now or he will be by summer.
They want both though. Not just one.
What is a long way? One season behind Gomez?
i thought the argument was the mets are bidding against themselves? i thought i was reading the endless santana articles long enough to realize that if the skanks aren’t including hughes than the twins are going to have to take our best offer which should not necessarily cost both F-Mart and Gomez. and if they don’t like it they can just hold on to him and get 2 draft picks. poop or get of the pot Bill Smith you indecisive, procrastinating jerk!
What a game of chicken this is! I mean, we could include Martinez and then, if the deal doesn’t get done, we at least know (although generally, unless Omar divulges his private negotiations and we believe him) that we gave it our best shot. If we don’t, maybe we get Santana anyway and then Omar isn’t necessarily a genius, but was a great poker player who was willing to gamble losing out on Santana to not lose F-Mart. The factors are who will be worth more longterm in the future F-Mart or Santana and do the Mets need to even include F-Mart to get it done. Because if Omar doesn’t include F-Mart and then very suddenly one of the other teams swoops in and gets him, the Twins will rightfully just be able to say “You had your chance”. And we’ll have to wait two or three years to find out if Omar was right to keep F-Mart and if our whole prospects for a strong rotation and contention/championships shortterm were indeed shattered by not obtaining Santana.
The Twins may have every right to demand FMart, but the Mets have the right not to offer him in the package.
The problem here is, unless the Twins suddenly ante up for Santana, their backs are to the wall. They’re the ones who need to get what they can for him now because they’re not getting anything better in July.
When you are going to have to pay $150 million for one player, he can take you out of bidding for others in the future. You need to keep some cheap, non-arbitration eligible players in the fold for a while.
You can’t look at it that way completely. Remember Wright and Reyes are cheaper than other team’s super stars. Pedro comes off the books this year at his current rate. Glavine and Green are gone………
Santana cost 20-25 million a year. If we replace him with league average that cost us 12-15 million a year. So we are actually only out 10 million a year. That 10 million is easily made up for by Church/Gomez/Chavez in RF and should not cost us going for any other potential FA. Such as a certain 1B in Atlanta or that other really good pitcher in Cleveland.
All you have to do is ask yourself if you would rather pay Colon/Lohse/Livan $8 – $10 million per year or Santana $20 million per year.
I don’t see how the Twins will spend on Santana. Just recently, Morneau and his 80 million dollar contract became the highest in Twins franchise history. How on Earth are they going to double that???
I don’t see it happening. He is being moved, they won’t keep him and risk not getting anything at all. If I were the Twins, obviously I would want the most, but it is and would be completely irresponsible to get not get anything for him.
They didn’t move Hunter. Could do the same thing here.
But they could get SO much for Santana. I’m not saying Hunter isn’t a good ball player, but their values are not comparable.
So if this doesn’t get done will the general reaction be “at least we still have F-mart?”
SIgh. Can’t we just send one pitcher and one catcher down there a little early?
I feel like I cannot talk intelligently about this now….this is getting to be unreal.
it hasn’t stopped anyone else.
Do you think the Indians would take the Mets package for Sabathia if we could sign him long term? Enough with the freakin Twins already.
I doubt it, the whole point is that the Twins have to get rid of Santana or else they will lost him to free agency. The Indians don’t have that problem as they can resign him or give him an extension.
Nope, the Indians will not deal CC unless they are out of it in July. Might still be a good fit, however condsidering the potential of the Tigers. Our best hope there would be that Johan stays a Twin and the rest of the Central beats itself up as the Tigers run away and the Yankee’s are running away with the Wild Card.
Good point….Actually if min keeps santana,,,,hope that they are in it to the end….thye wont trade him, and then you get him in FA…..Costs nothing for players……
EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT…METS NOT GETTING SANTANA
I know I keep repeating myself, but every time Matt has an article saying the Mets are leading in getting Santana I have to respond.
Wiplons don’t need him as they will have 100% sell outs for the next 3-5 years at Citifield. My inside Met sources tell me The Wilpon’s won’t spend the money on Santana. Go ahead and say you have insiders yes I do!!!
If they get Santana I will no longer post on this Blog. That’s the bottom line. So all pray for Santana and you won’t see METSCAM anymore suckers!!!!!
you sir…are an a-hole…
You have inside met sources eh? thats the biggest load of crap ever…
your friends work for 718 507 TIXX? wow congrats
Man, I think I want Santana to come here just to not see you anymore, now if only all the other trolls and morons on this site made the same deal, I might give some of my own money to sign santana
ugh
lol — inside sources. You and Francesa. Except he can’t come back on the air under a different name later like you will.
you are an a hole and you want Santana just so I’m not here anymore that makes you the REAL A_HOLE
you people need people like metscam, so you could point your ucking fingers, and say thats the bad guy!
You want the truth?
Hey MetsCam I hate to be mean but no body will freaking care if you don’t post on the Mets Blog so get a freaking life! at least 90% of this blog is going to disagree with you I think Fred Wilpon will spend the money for Santana he wants a winnig team and we know that Santana can help us get the job done! So sit down and shut up so we can all porve you wrong when Omar gets the deal with the Twins for Johan!
Het Metsgirl you are not a business person I see
Winning team does not mean Extra money when you have a new stadium that is solds out for 3-5 years. The Mets might still win without Santana
Go back to school and learn business
Do you know the amount of revenue a team brings in when they go to the World Series? Let alone if they win it. Loads of money to be had there. Santana is just the investment to get it. If the Wilpons are as money hungry as people think they are then thats the incentive to do this.
MUD man.
Yes World Series means more money but Santana does not mean World Series.
True. I’ve said that myself, thats why I said its an investment.
So how many K’s do you guys think Santana will have opening night in March vs. the Marlins?
I’m going with at least 4 since Dan Uggla can’t hit lefties..actually 8 since Mike Jacobs can’t hit them either. Over/Under 20, i’ll take the over.
Alot….
Miguel isnt there. They got no body.
He sets the record March 31st.
He’ll get shelled in his first outing, prompting a 687 post thread from the self-same posters that nearly stormed the front office demanding he be obtained, bashing said front office for giving up the “Best Mets’ hitting prospect EVER,” Fernando Martinez to get a “has been” whose best years are behind him.
He’ll then throw two consecutive shutouts, and people will turn their attentions to Beltran, who won’t be smiling enough.
Maybe I am just trained to read between the lines, but does this mean that you won’t post under another name also?
He will post under a different name and none of us will know! This sucks!
MATT has my IP address.
Santana is a MET
I won’t post PERIOD>
Nah, he’ll come up with something witty like Metscam2.
I was thinking MetscamCalalakey
Not a game…Not a game!!!
At this point I’m sure Omar wouldn’t fail to make the deal because he wouldn’t include F-Mart. My reservation is including both F-Mart and Guerra, or both F-Mart and Gomez, in the deal. I’d be fine if the Mets took Gomez and Guerra out of the deal and put in F-Mart and Church or Heilman.
Here’s the problem, the Twins won’t do it. Why would they, when they can just wait it out (like they have been). They have another 6 months before the trade deadline.
You’re right, the Twins could wait it out but who’s to say that Santana would then take the trade? Remember, he has a no trade clause in his contract. So, if you’re Santana and you’re three or four months away from Free Agency, why except a trade? You could Veto the trade and allow yourself to hit the market, where you would automatically drive up your price tag. Would you be sacrificing a possible WS title? Sure. But the teams that want you are playoff teams anyway (Mets, Boston, Yankees, Angels) so chances are you’ll be in the playoffs again.
I think the Twins know this and if the above scenario were to happen, they’d see nothing. For that reason, they trade him before the season starts.
There’s also the good possibility that Johan pushes them to make a deal now. He doesnt want the chance of injuring himself for a team he’s going to leave and risk losing some money.
Thats the bottom line right there!!!!!!!!!!!!! Johan WILL demand a trade!!!!! He has to….If he goes into this season still with minny, and what if he has a horrible season or gets hurt…..That big payday is over…Therefore, soon you will see johan demanding a trade…Because when he gets traded, he will have his big payday….. WHY would anyone jepordize that by going into the season this way…..Answer is you wouldnt…Very soon the agents will whisper into his ear……If this is not done in the next 5 days….I GUARANTEE that johan will demand a trade….That is when everything will go haywire………….
I don’t understand the notion that the deal will be done as soon as the Mets offer Fmart?
Surly its up to the Twins to say that explicitly to the Mets. I don’t think they have said that at all. Its all conjecture. They are waiting for improved offers from Yankees and Bosox.
If Omar was to start an auction it would reduce the value of his initial offer and encourage the Sox or Yankees to think again. I am sure Omar would consider offering FMart if the Twins actually said to the Mets that Fmart would mean a deal. I don’t believe they have because it would mean the door is closed to the Yankees and Bosox. The Twins keep on suggesting that the door is closing to those clubs without actually meaning it. This suggests that its all bait and Bosox and Yankees are calling the Twins bluff.
I also think the Mets are the last resort for the Twins. Clearly the Yankees and Hughes are the first choice..as much as that sucks.
I heard on the local sports station here in town (MN – KFAN), that a report out of New York stated that the Mets have made an offer for Santana and were waiting to hear back from Twins GM Smith.
Anyone else heard this?
Screw Santana.
If he wants a penny more than 6 years $120 million tell him to take a hike.
I’ve had conflicting thoughts on this whole thing since day one.
One thing I’ve always said is that everybody is overestimating the Twins desperation. I’ve always maintained that they aren’t a desperate team and that nothing they have said or done has given me any indication that they are desperate. I also have maintained that my reasoning has been that they were still a player in the sweepstakes and could still lock up Santana if they really wanted to. My take on the whole trade thing was that they were weighing ALL their options and would ultimately take the one that made the Twins a better team. My conclusion always was that in order for a team to land Santana, they would have to find a way to trade from their strengths to make the Twins a better team in 2008 and beyond without Santana, then the Twins are right now with him.
While I still see that as a basic truth, in light of everything that has happened since Friday morning, I no longer believe that is a complete truth. I think I’ve been putting the carriage before the horse.
Now, I believe it’s been the goal of Smith and Co. to lock up Santana all along and that a trade would only seriously be considered if keeping Santana beyond 2008 was no longer possible. I think it logically explains why everything has happened the way it has and why it has taken so long for the situation to get resolved. It also fits with a number of bits of info I’ve read from many of the key people involved.
I’ve also posted that I thought the Twins were using the Mets to up the Yankees’ and Sox’s offers. I don’t believe that is true any longer – though if it did happen and the Twins did wind up trading Santana, they would gladly accept more. I think the goal from the beginning has been to keep has many options open as possible and to do it for as long as possible. Keep listening to offers and keep everybody involved until you knew 100% for sure if a deal with Santana could be made or not.
The Twins locking up Santana would take a long time to pull off. First, Smith would have to sell the Pohlads on the idea, then they would have to start negotiating with Santana and his agent. There would have to be a lot of give and take on both sides and that would take time to play out. Team Santana would have to come to the conclusion that they probably won’t be able to get nearly as much as they thought they would – not now and not even after he was a free agent. And that’s if he stays healthy and has a great season. Waiting out the season would certainly have it’s risks as well.
On Friday the Twins announced they had extended Cuddyer and Morneau at the cost of 104 million dollars. Some have said the Twins have spent all their money and there was no more in the till to offer Santana. Others have said that they were just trying to save face for the inevitable departure of Santana. While both scenarios are certainly possible, I don’t think either are true.
If you are not a Twins fan, you can’t possibly understand what a huge precedent has just been set with those deals. These guys were both still tied to the Twins for a few more years. This is not the classic move of the Twins I have followed all these years. The Twins I’ve always rooted for would trade them off for prospects or let them walk, then pull out their empty pockets and shrug it off as the pitfalls of being a small market team.
This, in my mind, marks a clear cut change in the philosophy and approach of management. Pohlard’s son (and the Twins CEO) said as much when they announced the Morneau and Cuddyer deals. He made a comment about the efforts that the team would make to keep the homegrown core of players together in the future. In my mind, if anybody qualifies as part of a homegrown core of players, it would be Santana.
If the philosophy and approach of management has changed, then any established pattern of what the Twins would or wouldn’t do no longer applies. New rules are in effect and right now just about anything really is possible.
Since Friday, Hanky Panky announced that the Yanks were sticking with the kids. He also seemed quite miffed about it and implied in not so many words that Cashman’s job was at stake. Reading through it all, I get the feeling that he thinks he could of had the best player and and the best pitcher on his team and it has all just slipped though his fingers. At any rate, he’s mad and that has got to be a good thing for anybody who has never chanted 26 and counting, right?
Now, Len III announces that a deal will be announced by the end of the week. Kelly Thesier (she’s the MLB reporter who covers the Twins) has said the same thing in her Mailbag article at the Twins site on MLB.com. She also says that Smith won’t say if Santana is staying or going, much less who he would be going to if he is traded.
Thesier thinks that he will be traded and that the Mets will be the ones that nab him. While I agree that it is certainly possible providing there isn’t a mystery 4th team involved, I’m leaning toward the Twins keeping him.
My thinking is that the info is coming from Smith and the Twins. The deal is structured in such a way that the trade has to be agreed upon, then a separate extension has to be made with Santana by the team that gets him. In my mind, the team that gets him should be the ones to say anything to the press whoever that may be. At the very least it should be done jointly. What if the other team can’t make a deal and backs out at the last second?
The other thing that has me leaning toward the Twins locking him up is Livan. While a case can be made that if the Mets got Santana, they would still need Livan, I think a stronger case could be made for a Livan deal if a Santana trade was no longer possible.
While I’m leaning toward the Twins locking him up, I still think it could go either way. If the Twins do keep him, I don’t think it will be for lack of trying on Omar’s part or that he couldn’t put together a good enough package. I would see this completely as a Twins success and not a Mets failure. You have an excellent GM and he deserves every bit of praise and credit you can give. He gave it everything he had.
If it does go the other way, I believe with all my heart that Smith and the Twins management didn’t just let the guy go, they were right there until the bitter end trying to find that middle ground that Minnesota and Santana could both live with. In the end, they just couldn’t make it work and they had to let him go.
Now that we can all finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, I would like to say how much I appreciated Matt’s comments about checking in on the Twins sites (Len III’s in particular). I would also like to say how much I’ve enjoyed reading your thoughts and sharing my own with all of you at Metsblog. There are a lot of very knowledgeable and passionate baseball fans here. I certainly can’t say that about many of the Yankee and Sox sites I’ve been on.
Whatever happens, best of luck to you all and your beloved Mets.
–Sploorp