Johan Santana

13M Gil Meche ($11.4M) Jon Garland ($12M)Jason Schmidt ($15.2M) Derek Lowe ($10M)Ben Sheets ($10.1M)Johan Santana ($16.9M)Pedro Martinez ($11.8M)Andy Pettitte ($16M)Mike Mussina ($11M)Carl Pavano ($11M)Matt Morris ($10M)Greg Maddux ($10M) Barry Zito ($14.5M)Chris Carpenter ($10.5M)Vincente Padilla ($11M)Kevin Millwood ($10.3M) AJ Burnett ($13.2M)Roy Halladay ($10M)

Continue reading "Washburn's Farewell"

OK, that title was irresistible, but in fact I'm going to say that Chien-Ming Wang's foot injury should force the Yanks hand in a trade, especially when combined with other injuries this season. Funny how little things can combine to lead to something even larger, accumulating momentum gradually until it becomes irresistible, as it has with the murmurs about a trade for C.C. Sabathia, which is really more the point of this blog.

Continue reading "Off On the Wang Foot"

y after Jon Lester pitched his no hitter, it got me thinking about the Red Sox’ non-trade for Johan Santana. Both Lester and Masterson were prominent names in the trade talks, along with Jacoby Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie (Clay Buchholz was deemed completely off limits). There was much debate over whether or not Boston would be better off going with the proven All-World pitcher in Santana, or sticking with the young prospects on the belief that they would develop into the prominent pieces of a championship franchise that they were projected to be. So often both front offices as well as fans fall in love with prospects who have never even played a Major League game based solely on their advertised potential. Almost as often, this ends up being an irrational love affair that falls short just as it has in the past with the likes of Brian Rose, Dernell Stenson and Steve Lomasney (anyone remember these guys?). In this case, Boston’s decision to hang on to its young talent has so far worked out very well to start the season.

Continue reading "Looking In On The Players Involved ..."

validated, for one night at least, Red Sox management’s decision to back off their pursuit of Johan Santana this past off-season and keep him in the fold for 2008. In reality, it will most likely take a couple of years to say for certain whether or not Boston made the right move to hang on to the young lefty, but after Lester blew his 130th and final pitch, a 96 mph fastball, past Royals batter Alberto Callaspo to complete his no hitter, it has to make Theo Epstein very hopeful for the future.

Continue reading "Lester's No Hitter Validates Decision ..."

the mound, especially after Boston’s reluctance to include him in any significant package for Johan Santana. If Lester falters and fails to develop into the Andy Petitte-type the Boston views him as, they will be sorry they didn’t do more to acquire Santana.

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Season Preview: American Leauge East"

s each this season.

New York Mets

What will the Mets get from Pedro Martinez this year?

While Johan Santana gives them the legitimate number one starter they lacked last year and should easily be the most dominant starter in the Majors this season, he can still only take the ball once every 5 games. Pedro Martinez, however, will be the key to the pitching staff. He has shown in the past that he can still be very effective even though he no longer throws 97 thanks to his command and assortment of pitches. Now, though, he will probably have to live in the low to mid 80's and rely even more on guile than he ever has. Pedro remained effective in his brief stint last season and should put up good numbers if he can stay healthy.

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Season Preview: National League East"

d realize they aren’t that bad.

Minnesota Twins

Can Francisco Liriano step up and replace Johan Santana as the ace of the staff?

I wouldn’t be as quick to write of the Twins this year as others have been, though they face an uphill climb in a division that is top heavy with the Indians and Tigers. There office could be even better this year with the additions of Delmon Young, Carlos Gomez and Brendan Harris. This big issue is replacing the departed Santana.

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Season Preview: AL Central"

t stayed bad, for a very long time.  And, they are not the New York Mets.  After aquiring Johan Santana, they have become World Series contenders and I do not see the Cubs marching pass them in the playoffs.  After their historic collapse from grace, the Mets are out for blood.

Continue reading "Carlos Zambrano Injured!!!"

is the New York Mets are out for blood after their historic fall from grace with their new top gun Johan Santana.  No way is any team going to march pass them.

While Dempster says the Cubs have improved, I do not really see anything different.  They went out and signed ex-Cub Jon Lieber whose arm is about to fall out to solidfy their rotation.  All I see is they get older and worse.  The Cubs do not have a three or fifth starter, mainly because Marquis does not know how to finish out strong.  The Cubs should have commited some money for another starter, like Bedard, instead of wasting it on garbage.  The only strong point I see in their pitching is their relief that has all the ingredients a manager can ask for.  With Eyre and Howry, it is a dynamic dual.  With Carlos Marmol as the setup man, it should be no problem to give the ball to Kerry Wood.  Even though it is his first year as a closer, Wood should be in a comforable position.

Continue reading "Is this the year of Dreams? Think ..."

The announcement was just made, the Twins have traded Johan Santana to the Mets for four prospects including outfielder Carlos Gomez, and right-handed pitchers Phillip Humber, Kevin Mulvey, and Doolis Guerra.

Continue reading "Santana Traded To The Mets"

This time, an article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune raises the possibility that Johan Santana could be traded to the New York Mets. For the Twins, such a trade would have the advantage of sending Santana to the national Laeague, where he's a lot less likely to show up in the metrodome wearing the uniform of a competing team.

Continue reading "Santana To The Mets?"

Well, not a lot of exciting things going on right now in Twins land. The possible trade of Johan Santana is currently on hold, though there are plenty of rumours going around. Let's assume, though, for the fun of it, that Santana is traded, and that the trade brings the Twins at least a starting outfielder and a top pitching prospect. Then, let's also assume the Joe Nathan is traded, these days the worth of a first-rate closer is probably even more than that of a decent starter. The question then arises, where does that leave the Twins? Definitely in a re-building mode, but will the re-building process more closely resemble the mid-eighties, when the Twins put together the  team that eventually won two World Series, or will it be more like the mid-to-late nineties, so eloquently described  by Batgirl as the "years of the great sucking?"

Continue reading "2008: Hope For The Future?"

last minute, take it or leave it insult.

There's also some discussion of a possible trade for Johan Santana. The Red Sox are mentioned as also possibly in the hunt for Santana, but dismissed because they already have a solid pitching rotation and are thus obviously "in the bidding only because the Yankees are in it".

Continue reading "Santana And The Yankees"

threw.

While some might think just the opposite, I'd say this makes it even more likely that Johan Santana eventually gets traded. The Twins rotation now becomes mostly a group of young,

Continue reading "Silva Signs With Seattle"

of steroid abuse, but the main topic of conversation among Twins fans remains the possible trade of Johan Santana. No current Twins' players were mentioned in the report, so here in Minnesota we're free to keep talking about the possibilities of a trade.

Continue reading "Minnesota Twins: Trade Talks, Signings, ..."