...it’s hard to argue with that sentiment because they now have no players at the major league level on the field for them at this point but the fact of the matter is that with Gomez playing center field for them in 2009, the Twins rallied to win the American League Central and made the playoffs, whereas the Mets are still awaiting their playoff berth with Santana on their team…not that Santana hasn’t done his part, but so far, the Mets have not been able to maximize the benefits from making the trade, whereas the Twins might have with Gomez in that they did make the playoffs with him…

…i still think that this was an excellent maneuver by Omar Minaya, in that he was able to convince the Twins to take this package of players while still retaining their top prospects at the time, and i never thought Gomez in particular would have been as good at what he does as Santana is at what he does, so i felt that made him expendable…also, the Twins had to have known they were settling for a second tier package for Santana because they poorly maneuvered their side of the trade with the Yankees and Red Sox, driving the price down when those two clubs decided not to trade their package of prospects…

Monteiro says that by trading Gomez to the Brewers for J.J. Hardy, it’s “addition by subtraction”, and she also says that Gomez acted like he knew more about the game than Twins first base coach Jerry White.

…i really don’t know what Gomez will ever amount too, and if this is accurate, his attitude needs major adjustment if he wants to succeed at the Major League Level, but his speed is so hard to ignore…i always prefer overall athleticism over a player who is just good at a couple of things because i feel that if a player is athletic, he has a better chance of maximizing those talents,  and while Gomez has lacked plate discipline and has made mistakes on the bases and didn’t have a good season in 2009, he is still just 23…

For more on Gomez and his tenure with the Twins, check out Leslie’s post here.

He is the first member of the Twins to hit for the cycle in 22 years.

To watch a clip of Gomez’s cycle, go to ESPN.com.

…i love that he sprints around the bases on the home run…it cracks me up when players do this…good for him…

In 117 at-bats this season, Gomez is hitting .282 with two HR, seven doubles, three triples, 11 RBI and 13 stolen bases while striking out roughly once every four plate appearances.

Theiser quotes Gomez as saying…

“The only thing I heard about was Santana, Santana, Santana. Nothing in the news was said about Gomez, or nothing about the other players traded to the Twins. But I think all us prospects have the tools to play in the big leagues.”

…after signing with the Mets at the age of 16, gomez probably feels a bit scorned…but,  it seems like he’ll embrace the possibility of playing centerfield every day for the Twins...i wish him well and fully expect him to develop into a solid ball player…

…added to by Jordan Zakarin…

…i spoke to Baseball Prospectus prospect guru Kevin Goldstein, who was just a week away from releasing his Mets Top 11 Prospects List, to learn more about the players who will be leaving the Mets for Minnesota…

Kevin Goldstein: They’re giving up, like you say, four guys who were all among their top prospects. Then again, this is the Mets system we’re talking about, so their top prospects aren’t equal to other teams top prospects. There’s nobody on that list of four who is some kind of guaranteed stud — it’s a crazy great deal for New York.

Jordan Zakarin: Who will they miss the most of that lot?

Kevin Goldstein: I don’t think any of them had any sort of immediate impact potential with the Mets, as Gomez was blocked. After that, guys like Humber and Mulvey had fill-in chances, but they just added a starter to their mix — a pretty good one at that.

Jordan Zakarin: Given that you have to do a new top 11, and will be looking at some of the lower level guys, what are the chances the mets can replenish this prospect depth in-house, from recent draftees or international signings?

Kevin Goldstein: It was a bad system before, and it’s obviously a much worse, borderline horrible system now. But that’s okay.

A minor league system serves two purposes: One, create talent for the big league team. Two, create talent to get other players for the big league team.

The system just filled purpose No. 2 quite well.

Jordan Zakarin: I think the darkhorse here was Deolis Guerra, in terms of potential, and fans not knowing so much about him. He probably has the highest ceiling of the pitchers traded. But, the Mets have recently been bragging about a strong low minor league, recently drafted corps of pitchers. Do you see any potential top prospects there, that could replenish the farm and make up for these losses?

Kevin Goldstein: Not really. Every system has high upside guys at the lower levels who COULD become top prospects, but few do, and I was argue that the Mets actually have far fewer of that type of player than most teams. I like Guerra plenty, but he was no sure thing, either.

Jordan Zakarin: How lucky are the Mets to have kept Fernando Martinez? It’s seemingly a dumb question, but basically I’m asking how good of a prospect is he, and are you surprised they got Santana without him?

Kevin Goldstein: I don’t like ‘lucky’, it’s just a good trade. I’m not surprise Martinez isn’t in the deal — I’m downright shocked. To me here’s clearly the Mets’ best prospect, and I have no idea how the Twins can make that trade without getting him.

Jordan Zakarin: I’ll let your scouting report coming out soon speak for itself, but do you think there’s a clear gulf between Martinez and Gomez, and do you think Minnesota may have chosen Gomez because he can play center field?

Kevin Goldstein: I think Gomez’s CF ability definitely plays into that. The have a wide open hole there right now that needs to be filled, so Gomez will compete with Jason Pridie and Denard Span.

Jordan Zakarin: Does Mike Pelfrey not being in the deal reflect more on the Mets still liking him, or baseball people elsewhere being down on him?

Kevin Goldstein: We don’t know that, unfortunately. We don’t know if he was offered, and we don’t know how the Twins feel about him. In general, from talking to other people in the industry, Pelfrey’s stock was pretty down after 2007.

Jordan Zakarin: Do people see him more as a reliever now, and do you think he can still crack the Mets rotation?

Kevin Goldstein: People are mixed on that question. He’ll be given a shot in spring training, but he’ll have to earn it.

Jordan Zakarin: Finally, how do you think this offer compares to the Red Sox offer, and do you have any idea how the Mets were able to pull this off?

Kevin Goldstein: I think what we’ve learned here is that we probably never really knew what the Red Sox offer was. Because what was rumored is a far greater package than this. Same goes for the Yankees.

…big thanks to kevin, who did this interview at the spur of the moment…i forward to your new Mets Top 11 Prospects List at Baseball Prospectus, which should be interesting…though this trade probably make your life a lot harder…

…i e-mailed the Mets, but have not been sent back an official response…the best i can gather, from people connected to the team, is that the Mets were never going to allow gomez to play more than X number of games this winter, regardless of whether he is or isn’t being discussed in a deal for santana…of course, what else would you expect them to say…

…typically, when this sort of thing happens, my first reaction is to assume the player has been traded…but, there always seems to end up being some other explanation…unless you’re M’s OF Adam Jones, of course…

…by the way, i posted this story last night, but pulled it because i wanted to do a bit of research first…sorry if its removal caused any sort of frenzy…but, you know, better safe than sorry…

Regarding the Mets rumored five-player offer, which could include 19–year-old OF Fernando Martinez, Manuel said…

“(Martinez’s) offensive potential is significant. (He’s) a special offensive player…he can do anything he wants offensively.”

However, yesterday, in a chat for ESPN.com, Callis was questioned by a reader as though he made the statement, not Manuel. Callis responded by saying…

“Wait a minute…I never said Martinez can do anything he wants offensively. In that article in the Boston Herald, I said the Mets’ offer potential could be the best — if it includes Martinez, Guerra and Gomez AND they all reach their potential. That’s a big IF, because there’s a significant gap between their present abilities and their ceilings. If someone wanted to gamble, that could be a big payoff. But you also could be left holding the bag if only one of those guys pans out as hoped. The problem with the Mets’ packages is that Humber and Pelfrey have diminished value, Mulvey is interesting but not a frontline pitcher and their best players lack a lot of polish because they’re so young.”

…for the exact reasons that callis believes the Twins should be hesitant, are the exact reasons why i would pull the trigger…

“Monday in this space I discussed the strength of a Phil Hughes-led offer from the Yankees, but a Mets package that includes Martinez, Guerra, Gomez, and Mulvey would blow that out of the water.”

Gleeman also writes for The Hardball Times and Rotoworld.com, among other noteworthy websites

…thanks to Peter Wade for the link…

Martinez, Guerra, Gomez, Mulvey and Humber are among the top seven prospects in the Mets farm-system, according to Baseball America, who writes…

“Minaya says Martinez is on the same track as players such as Juan Gonzalez, Ivan Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa, all of whom reached the majors by age 20…His bat ultimately will be his calling card, and the Mets see him as a future 30-homer threat…

“Guerra’s fastball had below-average velocity for most of his first season, but now it ranges from 89-94 mph and touches 96…The Mets have monitored Guerra’s workload carefully, and he has plenty of projection in his big-shouldered frame.  His next goal will be to stay healthy and pass the 100-inning level…

“Mulvey throws four pitches for strikes and keeps everything down…His competitiveness makes his whole greater than the sum of his parts…He projects as a No. 3 or 4 starter…

“Humber still has the best curveball in the organization…He’s still refining his command…He now projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter.”

…thanks to Tommy Mac for the link…

Dugout Central, created by former Yankee Mike Pagliarulo, is a place “where fans and scouts come together to discuss our national pastime.”

According to the report…

“With improved technique at the plate he could be a 30–plus home run guy.”

According to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark, during an on-air spot during the Winter Meetings, Gomez may be more attractive to the Twins than Ellsbury.

…as i said in late november, i am very impressed with the perceived value of gomez…teams seem to really like him – much more than they liked Lastings Milledge…one independent scout told me after the season that people view gomez as capable of becoming Jimmy Rollins in the outfield one day…

“The package making the rounds is Carlos Gomez, Kelvin Mulvey and Aaron Heilman, but that seems a little heavy from the Mets’ end for me…If I were Billy Beane, I’d take that in a minute…The Mets aren’t going to spend big money on Kyle Lohse, but I think they have enough young talent to deal for Blanton.”

…thanks to jason b for the link, who wonders if swapping Ruben Gotay for gomez would make more sense for the A’s…

…i doubt it…beane most likely wants gomez, more than any other player the Mets will offer…if there is a player who is tipping the scale, it’s heilman…

In the chat, Crasnick also discusses the Braves lack of activity, the Dontrelle Willis deal, and the future of Erik Bedard, which may end up being in Cincinnati or Seattle.

According to Chris Kline, in a report for Baseball America, Gomez was simply ‘grazed’ by a breaking ball, though he missed roughly 10 days after being a bit shaken up.

…thanks to joe b for the link…

During his time away from the team, Gomez got married and went on a honeymoon, reports Kline, who points out that Gomez was the National League’s youngest player when he debuted last May.

Kline also speaks with Mets Ass’t GM Tony Bernazard, who describes Gomez as, “a true five-tool player with outstanding speed and defense.”

…as i said in late november, i am very impressed with the perceived value of gomez…teams seem to really like him – much more than they liked Lastings Milledge…one independent scout told me after the season that people view gomez as capable of becoming Jimmy Rollins in the outfield one day…

According to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark, during an on-air spot during the Winter Meetings, Gomez may be more attractive to the Twins than Red Sox OF Jacoby Ellsbury.