Humber OK With Santana Link

Phil Miller at Twin Cities.com writes about Philip Humber and him being alright with his name being linked to the Johan Santana trade:

What he did was establish himself as a big-league prospect, a power pitcher with the nerves of a winner. It set him off on a course that provided a handful of other baseball thrills, one frightening

Twins pitcher Phil Humber throws a pitch from the mound duirng the first day of spring training workouts for pitchers and catchers Monday, Feb. 18, 2008 in Fort Myers, Fla. (Luis M. Alvarez) (St. Paul Pioneer Press)setback, and a permanent new identity: the guy the Twins got for Johan Santana.

No, Humber isn't the only one, but as the most polished of the four prospects swapped by the New York Mets for Santana, the lanky Texan is a decent bet to arrive first in Minneapolis, giving skeptical Twins fans a close-up look at what a two-time Cy Young Award winner gets you these days. He's not nervous, though. His collegiate breakthrough — that complete-game 14-2 national title clincher against Ryan Garko and Stanford — gives him a good understanding of how to operate under pressure.

"I don't feel any. I mean, how can you get equal value for Santana? I don't know about that, but I feel like the four of us are going to make a differencehere," said Humber, who is even occupying Santana's old locker in the Twins' spring clubhouse. "I really think the Twins got a great group of guys to come over. I know I've worked hard and I'm ready to contribute."

How The Mets Got Santana

Bob Klapisch at North Jersey.com writes about the Johan Santana Deal and how the Mets wound up with him:

Twins' general manager Bill Smith, in a panic to move Johan Santana, called the Yankees and admitted surrender: Phil Hughes was no longer a prerequisite, he said. Instead, the Twins asked for Ian Kennedy, Melky Cabrera and a top prospect. Would the Yankees still be interested, Smith wondered?

The Yankees considered the idea, but only briefly and not seriously. Their passion for Santana started waning as far back as December, when Andy Pettitte announced he was returning to the Bronx. The Yankees' internal straw vote was unanimous: The Twins had waited too long. On Tuesday Yankees' GM Brian Cashman told Smith he was passing on the deal, prompting the Twins to call the Red Sox. Equally devastating news awaited. Both Jacoby Ellsbury and Jon Lester were unavailable.

The Red Sox, in lock step with the Yankees, had essentially backed out, too.

That left the Mets, who after hearing from Smith didn't allow themselves to be bluffed. GM Omar Minaya held firm, insisting the Twins would have to live without Fernando Martinez. As a result -- and thanks to the Twins' grim realization that they were without options -- the Mets made off with a heist of mammoth proportions.

Are The Twins Holding Out For Both Outfield Prospects?

At Rotoworld they write about the Twins and them holding out on the Mets to get both Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez:

ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Twins are telling teams that they're willing to hold on to Johan Santana into spring training as they attempt to get the package of players they want.

No one really has any new info on the Santana talks, but that's not going to stop them from posting stories. Stark mentions the Mariners as still being in contact with the Twins, but he doesn't think they're a serious suitor because of Santana's desire to play on the East Coast. Similar to what others have reported, he believes the Mets offered Carlos Gomez, two of their top young pitchers and a fourth prospect for Santana. However, the Twins are holding out for getting both Gomez and Fernando Martinez in the same package.

Mets Are Still Option For Santana

I didn't want to post any new Johan Santana rumors until after the new year, but The Star Tribune wouldn't make that possible. This is starting to get to the Level of the Barry Zito nuisance that plagued us last off-season. At any rate they point out that the Mets still remain a viable option for the Twins and that they like the Mets prospects more than we had originally thought:

The Twins checked in with the Red Sox, Yankees and Mets just before everyone split for the holidays but nothing major appears to be heating up.Yes, you just read the word Mets. Indications are that the Mets remain a viable destination for ace Johan Santana, and that the Twins like enough of their players that a deal could be worked out without shortstop Jose Reyes being part of the package.

Outfield prospects Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez have been mentioned in other reports as possible targets. Pitchers Mike Pelfrey, Kevin Mulvey and Phil Humber are considered good prospects but it’s unclear how much the Twins like them. And, it’s unknown if there are any established players the Mets are willing to part with (Reyes and David Wright seem untouchable).

This is pure speculation, but you have to wonder if the Twins would prefer to deal Santana to a National League team. Santana, a career .258 hitter, would get the chance to swing the bat. And, except for interleague play, the Twins wouldn’t have to face him during the regular season.

Could Heilman Put The Mets Package Above Anyone Elses?

Eric Hz at Fake Teams speculates that the Twins could want Heilman more than anybody else because of the possibility of trading Joe Nathan:

Because no New York baseball can stand being on the outside of any trade specualtion involving the most valuable players in the game, the New York Post and New York Times report the Mets are still in pursuit of the Minnesota Twins' Johan Santana. In the NYP, Joel Sherman and Mark Hale say "There was a sense among rival executives that the Mets had made themselves viable." An AL executive is quoted as saying, "There is a sense that Omar [Minaya] will do something crazy to solve his biggest problem."

Those same executives "portray the Mets as aggressively trying to fill that breach, working diligently to see if they can configure packages to make them overall more attractive than anything else being offered to Minnesota," and one executive believes "Aaron Heilman could be an important piece in a package" because the Twins are expected to deal 2008 free agent closer Joe Nathan if Santana goes and heilman could possibly fill that void.

Twins Reach Out To Mets And Others

At Rotoworld theywrite about the Twins and them reaching out to different teamsfor Johan Santana:

Appearing on ESPN News Wednesday morning, ESPN.com's Keith Law reported that the Twins have again reached out to the Mets, Angels and Dodgers regarding Johan Santana.

The Mets might struggle to beat the Red Sox's reported offerings, but the Dodgers and Angels would have little trouble putting together very attractive packages for Santana if they're serious about acquiring him. With the Yankees' interest potentially gone, the Twins may simply be trying to find another team to play the Red Sox against.

A Closer Look At Matt Garza

At the beginning of the 2007 season, Matt Garza was hailed as the Minnesota Twins best pitching prospect. This was by far an amazing achievement, because in 2006 he was only considered their seventh best in 2006 and that was out of the depth of pitching prospects that the Twins have.

This, however, didn’t help him any when it came time to fill a roster spot in Spring Training, because Matt wasn’t given the fifth starter job. Instead the Twins went through Kevin Slowey and Scott Baker before giving him a shot. This wasn’t a decision of the better pitcher, but rather because of a dispute over his pitch selection.

On June 28th, Matt Garza made his second debut in the Majors and didn’t disappoint the Twins fans at all. He recorded a 5-7 record in 15 games. Some might say that this wasn’t an achievement, but he posted a 3.69 ERA, 67 Strike Outs and 32 Bases on Balls. This was a great leap forward compared to his 2006 numbers of 3-6, 5.76 ERA, 38 Strike Outs and 23 Bases on Balls.

Garza would be a great addition to the Mets future, even if it costs them Carlos Gomez. Like a lot of people like to say, “It’s harder to find a good pitcher, than it is to find a good outfielder”.

From Scouts.com:

Repertoire: Fastball, Slider, Curveball, Changeup

Fastball. Garza showed an electric fastball during the 2006 season, as he continued to hit high digits even after an entire season of college baseball. His heater sits in the low to mid 90s, and it has been clocked as high as 96 miles per hour. As is not the case with his other pitches, Garza relies on his fastball, and has confidence in it when he throws it. It is one of the better fastballs in the organization, and it will once again cause hitters fits in 2007.

Other Pitches.Garza has a nice assortment of breaking stuff, but his main problem is a reluctance to rely on them in crucial situations. Due to this, he relies on his fastball too much, and than will get him into trouble as he goes higher and higher through the system. Still, his slider is a good one, being clocked in the mid 80s, and his changeup is showing the potential to be a solid pitch in his arsenal. Add those pitches to a high 70s curveball, and you have the makings of a pretty lethal repertoire.

Twins To Move Garza?

Joe Christensen at the Star Tribune writes about the Twins efforts to improve their offense and who they are rumored to be willing to part with:

The Twins protected Matt Garza in 2006, for example, when the Washington Nationals wanted him in a package for Alfonso Soriano.

Now, there are strong indications the Twins would be willing to move Garza for a top young hitter. Other teams are asking about Scott Baker and Kevin Slowey as well.

"We have good young pitchers that other teams covet," Smith said. "I think there are a lot of teams that would like to have the stable of young arms that the Twins have."

Mets Should Go After Slowey

So the Minnesota Twins are now apparently ready to open up the gates to their untouchable pitching prospects and the want Carlos Gomez.

Now there are a couple of reasons to make a trade for pitching using Gomez as the chip, but on the other hand the Mets would be losing the only player in baseball who is faster than Jose Reyes. What to do?

Omar should definitely go ahead and give this potential trade the best shot he’s got. There isn’t one specific pitcher in the Twins Farm System who can match Gomez and his raw skills, but that doesn’t mean a deal can’t be done because with pitchers in demand, sometimes a team has to bite the bullet and hope they get back what they gave up.

The one pitcher who I love in the Twins Farm System is Kevin Slowey. He made his Major League Debut on June 1, 2007 against the Oakland Athletics in a no decision while only giving up one run in six innings.
His pitching repertoire includes a low 90 mile per hour fastball, a slider, and a changeup. He is known for his control and deception and is often compared to Brad Radke, due to his excellent control.
For the Mets this should almost be a no brainer for a pitcher who is only 23 and could join the Mets rotaion to be the cornerstone of the staff along with John Maine and Oliver Perez for years to come.