Yankees improving offer for Santana

[Outdoors Junkie]

Yankees making roster plans after adding Hughes to potential trade for Santana

By Buster Olney
ESPN The Magazine
(Archive)
Updated: December 1, 2007, 12:31 PM ET
 

 With the Yankees' upgraded offer for Twins left-hander Johan Santana now on the table Saturday morning, Yankees' officials are confident that they will sign Santana if a deal is worked out. And the club's internal plan, if center fielder Melky Cabrera is included in the trade, is to switch veteran Johnny Damon from left field back to center field.

The Twins continue to discuss possible deals from other teams, including the Dodgers and Mariners, and they are scheduled to speak with the Red Sox on Saturday afternoon. Boston's offer on the table is for pitcher Jon Lester, center fielder Coco Crisp and minor league infielder Jed Lowrie, and a fourth player -- a minor league pitcher -- is to be determined. The Twins want the Red Sox to add either center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury or pitcher Clay Buchholz to the deal, and there are indications that if they do, that offer is what Minnesota will prefer.

For now, however, the Yankees are right in the thick of the bidding, having decided in internal discussions on Friday to offer pitcher Phil Hughes, rather than Ian Kennedy, into their offer, along with Melky Cabrera and a third player -- in all likelihood, a minor leaguer. The Yankees have told the Twins that the third player cannot be any of their very best young players  Kennedy or Joba Chamberlain or second baseman Robinson Cano, for example, but a second-tier prospect.

Santana, 29, has a full no-trade clause, and could block any deal the Twins try to make. In return for waiving the no-trade clause, it's expected that Santana will want the Yankees or any other team attempting to trade for him to sign the left-hander to a record-setting contract. No pitcher has ever signed a multi-year deal for more $18.6 million per season, but Santana may ask for something in the range of six years and $150 million in an extension.

The Yankees are operating under revamped leadership, with Steinbrenner sons Hank and Hal assuming a greater role, and to date, the sons have demonstrated a willingness to bid aggressively and splurge when they feel it's necessary to get a deal done.

For example: While the Yankees forced Alex Rodriguez to come to them without Scott Boras, they still gave him a record-setting raise. Many industry executives think the Yankees were in position to forced Rodriguez to settle for a deal in the range of $200 million-$225 million, but the Yankees signed Rodriguez to a deal that could be worth anywhere from $275 million to $314 million. And the Yankees gave veteran catcher Jorge Posada a fourth year in their offer, rather than limit their proposal to three years.

Damon, 34, battled injuries in the early part of last season and in his absence, Cabrera played center and so greatly improved the team's defense that when Damon was ready to return to the outfield again, Cabrera remained as the center fielder, with Damon moving to left.

As the Yankees have considered the alternatives in a Santana trade, they've determined to shift Damon back to center field, rather than to pursue one of the many free agent center fielders available -- someone like Aaron Rowand, Mike Cameron or Andruw Jones.

There is more pressure on the Yankees to acquire Santana or another veteran pitcher, because the projected Yankees' rotation, as of today, lacks experience, and because friends of left-hander Andy Pettitte believe there is a real chance that he is going to retire. The Yankees may not learn until late December or January about what Pettitte's plans are for 2008.

Those considerations may nudge the Yankees into adding Hughes to their offer for Santana.

The Yankees and Red Sox are also engaged in ongoing talks with the Oakland Athletics about Dan Haren, an accomplished pitcher who is a much cheaper option than Santana. Haren would cost, in prospects, a package comparable to what Santana is commanding, but he is already under contract for the next three years at $16.25 million (presuming his team exercises an option for 2010).

[Outdoors Junkie]

If the Twins can not sign Santana to a long term contract, I like some of the possible deals that are being reported.  If we look at this offer by the Yankees, it is not too bad.  We get a good young outfielder (who can play centerfield).  A young starting pitcher, who can go right into the rotation.  Plus, another prospect?  Plus, it free's up money to invest into long term deals with Morneau and Cuddyer.

Delmon Young, Michael Cuddyer, and Melky Cabrera in the outfield.  That is a pretty solid outfield with a lot of offensive potential!

With Francisco Liriano coming back from Tommy John surgery, we have another potential Santana like left hander.  I think Boof Bonsor will be in better condition next year and be a solid # 3 starter.  Phil Hughes has a ton of up side to him and is only 21 years old (he can be a 4th or 5th starter for the Twins next year).  The Twins also have Scott Baker (who had a very good 2nd half for the Twins this past season).  Plus, the Twins have Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins who showed some good stuff last season.

If the Twins make this trade, I think they need to sign (or trade for) one good veteran pitcher for the starting rotation next year.  That would help to add some leadership to a young rotation.  We have two great catchers who can help mentor this young staff with lots of talent.

We still need to add a good 3rd baseman with some power in his bat.  I think Punto and Casilla can handle 2nd base.

Brendan Harris, the short stop we got in exchange for Bartlett, has a solid bat.  He is not as good of a defender as Bartlett.  He will be a solid short stop for the Twins next season.

The relief pitching is a huge strength for the Twins.  We lost Jesse Crain to injury last season.  He will be back better and stronger then before.  Pat Neshek wore down at the end of his first full season in the pen.  He will be stronger and better prepared for next season.  Juan Rincon and Denny Reyes had an up and down year last season.  Both were on the DL a couple of times.  They are both working to be stronger and better next year.  The huge surprise last season was Matt Guerrier.  He was a key part to the Twins success.  Last, but not least, we have the best closer in the game with Joe Nathan.  The relief pitching is such a strength, we could trade one of them and not miss a beat.  In my opinion, we could even trade Nathan (who is at his peak value and a free agent after not season) and Neshek could step into that role and not struggle.

The front office seems to be on the right track to keep the Twins competitive for next year and several years to come!

[Outdoors Junkie]

The Twins may have reached the point where they have the best offers they are going to get from the Yankees and Red Sox for pitcher Johan Santana.

With the Yankees' offer now upgraded to include top young pitcher Phil Hughes, the Twins spoke again with the Red Sox late Saturday afternoon, sources say, and Boston generated a few new ideas for its proposed offer.

The Red Sox had been reluctant to include either outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury or pitcher Clay Buchholz in the deal.

The Twins have also been talking with the Mariners and Dodgers, among other teams, but with Santana in a position to steer the deal making with his no-trade clause, Minnesota may soon have to decide between the offer from the Yankees and Red Sox or consider the possibility of keeping Santana for the outset of the 2008 season -- although executives involved in these talks expect Santana to be traded.

There is only a certain level of patience for prolonged dialogue among the teams involved, and unless some preliminary trade agreement is settled, the Red Sox or Yankees could reduce their offer or pull out altogether within the next 48 hours.

If the Twins make a deal with New York, Yankees officials are confident they will sign Santana. And the club's internal plan, if center fielder Melky Cabrera is included in the trade, is to switch veteran Johnny Damon from left field back to center field.

Boston's offer on the table before Saturday's talks included pitcher Jon Lester, center fielder Coco Crisp and minor league infielder Jed Lowrie. A fourth player -- a minor league pitcher -- is to be determined. The Twins have wanted the Red Sox to add either Ellsbury or Buchholz to the deal, and there are indications that if the Red Sox add Buchholz or Ellsbury, theirs is the offer that Minnesota would prefer.

For now, however, the Yankees are right in the thick of the bidding, having decided in internal discussions on Friday to offer Hughes rather than Ian Kennedy intp their offer, along with Cabrera and a third player -- in all likelihood, a minor leaguer. The Yankees have told the Twins that the third player can't be any of their best young players -- Kennedy or Joba Chamberlain or second baseman Robinson Cano, for example, but a second-tier prospect.

Santana, 29, has a full no-trade clause, and could block any deal the Twins try to make. In return for waiving the no-trade clause, it's expected that Santana will want the Yankees or any other team attempting to trade for him to sign the left-hander to a record-setting contract. No pitcher has ever signed a multiyear deal for more $18.6 million per season, but Santana may ask for something in the range of six years and $150 million, in an extension.

[Outdoors Junkie]

Updated: December 2, 2007, 1:45 PM ET
Comment
 Email
 Print
 With the Minnesota Twins insisting on center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury in any trade for pitcher Johan Santana, the Red Sox have altered their offer and have told the Twins they are willing to include the outfielder.



 
Ellsbury
 
Lester
But sources say the Red Sox have also told the Twins they will not trade left-handed pitcher Jon Lester and Ellsbury together in the package they are offering.


The Yankees, meanwhile, have informed the Twins that they are going to pull their offer off the table soon -- perhaps by Tuesday at the latest -- unless they get an answer. The Yankees changed their offer on Friday, adding pitcher Phil Hughes after much internal debate, to go along with Melky Cabrera and a third prospect.



The Yankees have told the Twins they will not give them one of their top prospects as the third player in their offer -- not pitchers Ian Kennedy or Alan Horne, or outfielder Austin Jackson, for example.



It's possible that the Twins may find that the offers from Boston and the Yankees are not acceptable, and decide, ultimately, to keep Santana. But executives involved in the trade talks fully expect that the Twins will trade Santana, and that they will make a decision within the next 72 hours on what offer they prefer. If either the Yankees or the Red Sox were to pull out of negotiations, the Twins' leverage would be greatly diminished.



 
Santana
What the choice for Minnesota may come down to, in the end, is this: Do they prefer Phil Hughes as the centerpiece player in a deal, or Ellsbury?


If the Twins do agree to a tentative deal, Santana must still agree to waive his no-trade clause, and in order to do that, Santana likely will ask for a six-year extension worth something in the range of a $150 million; he would become the first pitcher ever to sign for a multiyear deal for at least $20 million a year.



The Red Sox included Ellsbury in one of their proposals a week ago, but the Twins asked the Red Sox for two players among the group of three prospects -- Ellsbury, Lester and pitcher Clay Buchholz. Boston then offered Lester, center fielder Coco Crisp, minor league shortstop Jed Lowrie and a minor league pitcher.



The Twins have continued to ask for Ellsbury, so the Red Sox have flipped Ellsbury back into their offer, sources say, while removing Lester, and upgraded slightly the rest of their proposed package slightly -- perhaps to include right-handed pitcher Justin Masterson. Presumably, any offer with Ellsbury would not include Crisp.



Ellsbury, 24, played in 33 games for the Red Sox this year, hitting .353 with three homers and 18 RBI, with a .509 slugging percentage and nine stolen bases.



The Mets, Mariners, Dodgers and Angels are among the other teams with which the Twins have talked about Santana.