Buzz: Twins Need to Get Off the Pot
Today, in the Star-Tribune, La Velle E. Neal III reports that the Twins may soon contact the Red Sox, Yankees and Mets to say it’s time for them to each ‘step up’ with their best offers.
On Saturday, the Pioneer-Press wrote that the Twins are expected 
to trade Santana within 10 days.
The Twins still want Phil Hughes from the Yankees, who continue to make him unavailable, writes Neal, adding…
“The Twins would like for the Mets to add outfield prospect Fernando Martinez to a package that includes outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Delios Guerra, Kevin Mulvey and Philip Humber. The Mets, who need Santana the most, have been reluctant to add Martinez to the deal, and other possible add-ons – such as pitcher Aaron Heilman and outfielder Ryan Church – have been mentioned.”
…assuming neal’s report is current and correct, then we’ve been over this before: why part with martinez, if the Twins are dissatisfied with boston’s offer and hughes is still off the table…i mean, if the Mets are viewed as the front-runner, without martinez in the deal, why include martinez…
…the thing is, my sense is that even if the Mets include martinez, right now, the deal still will not get done – because minnesota’s mark continues to be hughes, and it appears they’ll wait forever to try and smoke him out…
According to Joel Sherman in Sunday’s New York Post, “The Mets fear their front-runner status is being floated by the Twins as a way to provoke the Yanks back into more serious discussions, which in turn would re-energize the Red Sox.”
…i.e., again, like last week and the week before, the Mets are wisely standing firm – so long as the Yankees and Red Sox remain passive…if the Yankees and Red Sox turn up the heat, the Mets will hopefully up the ante…otherwise, why should they – especially if santana eventually decides to put a bit of pressure on the Twins to make a deal…
