So what type of trade value does the best pitcher in baseball command? The Minnesota Twins are looking for a center-fielder, a major-league ready young pitcher and prospects. Whoever trades for him is certainly going to want to negotiate a multi-year extension with Santana, something that may cost a franchise $25 million per season.
Naturally, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are locked in an apparent bidding war. Both sides recently upgraded their packages, with New York agreeing to send over stud-pitcher Phil Hughes, along with center fielder Melky Cabrera and a third, lesser prospect. The Red Sox, on the other hand, have agreed on a package centered around outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury and prospects, or a deal featuring left-handed pitcher Jon Lester (Boston, at this time, will not send a trade package featuring both Ellsbury and Lester).
If the two teams hold to their current offers, it will probably come down to who the Twins value more, the stud pitcher in Hughes or the top-flight outfielder in Ellsbury. To complicate matters, Yankees senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner has given the Twins a public ultimatum, advising them to accept their current package by Monday, or expect the offer to be taken off the table. The Red Sox, as well, seem to be losing interest as reports have them targeting Oakland Athletics ace Dan Haren with a lesser-package than what is being offered for Santana (with a trade likely including outfielder Coco Crisp).
Just because the Yankees and Red Sox are dominating the Santana trade stories doesn't mean that they are the only players. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners have shown interest, with both teams featuring a bevy of young, top-shelf prospects (although MLB.com reported Monday that the Mariners have removed themselves from trade talks with the Twins).
The Los Angeles Angels and New York Mets both have the money to pay Santana, but the Angels appear happy with their pitching while the Mets do not have the prospects necessary for Santana and do not want to part with shortstop Jose Reyes or third baseman David Wright.
There seem to be a lot more questions than answers right now regarding the Twins and Santana. But this much we do know: the Twins want to trade Santana before the start of the season (he reportedly refused to waive his no-trade clause in-season, meaning the Twins must dump him quick or they risk getting nothing). And until further notice, the Red Sox and Yankees appear to be the front-runners for a Santana acquisition.
A trade for Santana would be a slight boon to his fantasy value, as his wins will surely rise with a better team. The players who are traded for Santana will likely see a spike in value as well; some of the prospects switching teams are likely to have a shot at starting gigs with the rebuilding Twins. All in all, there will be plenty of real-life and fantasy ramifications should a Johan Santana trade finally come to fruition. And judging by the circumstances, a move could be made as soon as today.
Starbonell is UPDATE! Major League Baseball Editor.
