Item #1: The Johan Santana Deal

Thank the good Lord...Johan Santana is out of the American League!! Of course, the Rangers still have a weekend series against his new team June 13-15, but the man who needed only 15 IP last year to strikeout 30 Texas Rangers is now in the land of no DH's. Johan Santana, after months of rumors, was dealt to the New York Mets.

The Twins received OF prospect Carlos Gomez along with 3 pitchers in return. There was no Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Jacoby Ellsbury, or Jon Lester involved but the Twins did get Johan out of the AL while adding to a stable of young arms and filling a void in CF. Johan then reached a contract extension with the Mets for a gazillion dollars. If, by chance, you are interested in the actual figures you can find them here. The two best parts about this trade for me are the fact Santana will not be anchoring the Red Sox or Yankees rotations for years to come and the fact that Johan Santana will get to bat in the NL. The deal has been met with some skepticism, but the Twins did what they had to do knowing they could not afford Santana any longer.

Carlos Gomez, a speedy centerfielder, was not the Mets top OF prospect (that title belongs to Fernando Martinez) but he brings tons of speed to the top of the Twins lineup and helps make up for the loss of Torii Hunter via free agency. The three pitchers will most likely never be Santana, but they add to the Twins abundance of young arms. The Twins dealt from that surplus earlier in the off season when they landed themselves a guy they hope will be a cornerstone in their OF for years by trading SP Matt Garza to Tampa Bay for OF Delmon Young. The youngest of the three pitchers the Twins received, Deolis Guerra, has a chance to be a big time major league pitcher but he is years away. There is no doubt the Mets made a great deal and have infused life back into a team that collapsed at the end of the 2007 season. With the Phillies and Braves set to be strong clubs again and the Marlins and Nationals improving, this deal could catapult the Mets to the front of the NL East and perhaps the top of the entire National League.

One thing is for sure thought; Johan Santana won't be striking out 30 Rangers next year...I mean he can't pitch 10 perfect innings in one game...can he?


johan santana twins photo courtesy of AP
johan santana roster photo courtesy of newyorkmets.com
carlos gomez photo courtesy of minnesotatwins.com