Twins -Santana mad...

[Outdoors Junkie]

Santana: 'It doesn't make any sense for me to be here'
ESPN.com news services

Updated: August 1, 2007, 9:59 AM ET
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The Minnesota Twins didn't add any players but did subtract their starting second baseman at the trade deadline. And after watching his front office's inactivity, ace Johan Santana reportedly didn't hide his disappointment.

"It's not just about hope," Santana told The Star Tribune. "In a realistic world, you have to really make it happen and go for it.

"You always talk about future, future. ... But if you only worry about the future, then I guess a lot of us won't be part of it," Santana told the newspaper.

Santana can be a free agent after the 2008 season. The only move Minnesota made before the non-waiver trade deadline was to send second baseman Luis Castillo to the New York Mets for two minor league prospects.

"Why waste time when you're talking about something that's always going to be like that? It's never going to be beyond this point," Santana told the newspaper. "It doesn't make any sense for me to be here, you know?"

The native of Venezuela won his second AL Cy Young award in three years in 2006, taking the pitching triple crown in the American League with 19 victories, a 2.77 ERA and 245 strikeouts. In addition, Santana led the league in starts (34) and innings pitched (232).

This season, Santana is 11-8 with a 2.92 ERA for the third-place Twins, who are six games back in the AL Central. He currently is second in the AL with 156 strikeouts.

Santana is making $12.2 million this season, the third of a four-year, $39.7 million deal he signed with the Twins in February 2005.

[rchaze60]

sounds like he is whining alittle i think the twins made a dumb move but thats the way it goes i see it this way if he keeps whining then maybe he will be the next to go  :ROTFLMAO: :ROTFLMAO: :ROTFLMAO:

[Outdoors Junkie]

He likes to compete.  The Twins made no moves last year and were able to get to the post season.  Once they started the playoffs, they lost in the first round.  I am sure Santana can see we have a chance at making up some ground and returning to the postseason.  The other thing he can see is that we didn't make any moves to help improve the club.  Instead, we gave away our leadoff hitter who was a close friend of many of the Twins.  So, he is frustrated.  I think we need to keep Santana happy.  He is playing for a lot less then he would make on a big market team.  I think we all know that there is no way we can afford to keep after next year when his current contract ends.  It would have been nice to add a player or two instead of giving one away.  We are only 6 games behind Detroit.  Last week we were 9 games back.  So there is a chance to get back in the race.  Last year on August 7th the Twins were 10 games back and were able to win the division.  So, there is always hope.  Too bad we didn't try to add a bat and make things a little easier.

[JohnWester]

sanatana will be gone.  he all but said he'll not allow himself to be traded and he will not resign with the twins.  they might be able to keep hunter now... but i'd rather have santana then hunter.

[enghx003]

The Twins will have to do it with the low priced players they have.  They won't spend to get a big name on the roster.  Cheap is the key word and will always be.

[Joe]

I have a feeling that most of the team agrees with him. He just happens to be the only one in a position to say it out loud.

Call it what you want, but he's right.

[Realtree]

I have to admit that I don't follow baseball very closely, but I have been keeping up with the recent Twins news and activity (or better--inactivity) through Dan Barreiro's talk show on the way home from work each night.

It seems like the ownership has given up on the team again by giving away Castillo for two minor league players. Why would you trade someone of Castillo's caliber if you feel like you had a chance at making a run for the playoffs yet. It doesn't make sense.

And not adding some more depth to the lineup after making this move seems even more confusing. Who is going to take over the lead off role now with Castillo gone?

In my opinion we have never really had a legitimate team in any of the major sports divisions in Minnesota. I don't know if it is a lack of the ownership from committing the kind of money and leadership it takes to get a team to the next level or what but it is getting very frustrating to be a fan of any Minnesota team these days...even when we have had decent teams that get to the playoffs, they crumble before the big game. What gives???    ???     ::

[labs4me]

Why would you trade someone of Castillo's caliber if you feel like you had a chance at making a run for the playoffs yet. It doesn't make sense.

Actually it does make sense.  They have a zero percent chance of re-signing Castillo at the end of the season and they got something for him and saved a million or two in the process.  He was a decent player, but was going to be replaced next season with Casilla anyways, he is just getting a couple months additional big league time.

[

And not adding some more depth to the lineup after making this move seems even more confusing. Who is going to take over the lead off role now with Castillo gone?

What player were you willing to give up to make a trade?  Now remember we need at minimum 1 good bat that can play solid infield and another to be DH or play outfield.  That is really a minimum 2 good bats with one a solid infielder.  There were minimal players out there that would fill the roll, that we could get a team to complete a trade with the players we'd be willing to make available.  We are talking starters not prospects... There was not a great chance of completing a trade yesterday.  Close to zero.  Our best bet will be to sign a decent free agent or two in the off season.

This is a decent little ball club we have... just not great.  They are generally competitive, but we are a few guns short to make a solid run at the playoffs.  If you look at it realistically, just about any AL team that makes the playoffs will spit out the twins in the 1st round.  We do not have the depth to compete and signing one more guy yesterday would not do that either.   Let's hope Liriano's surgery is a success and he comes back to old form, trade Silva in the off season, maybe Slowey, get rid of dead weight like Run D.L. White, Ford, Punto and Teynor, sign a key player or 3 and make a real run next year!  That doesn't mean pack it in this year, play to get in the playoffs, just don't be disappointed when we get immediatley knocked out in the 1st round.

Good Luck!

Ken

[Outdoors Junkie]

If we kept Castillo, we would have gotten a draft pick from whatever team signed him in the offseason.  Now we got two minor league prospects that some experts are predicting will never make the big leagues.  This trade does free up a little money since Castillo was making 5.75 million.

The Twins needed to go out and get a established (not super star) third baseman or Left fielder.  If we could have gotten both, more power too them.  We also need one more established starter in the rotation.  Although I have to admit the last time through the rotation has been awesome.  We just need more consistency from our younger starters and Silva.  Most of our position players are solid.  Our bullpen is one of the tops in the league.

Punto is a great fielder, but he is struggling with the bat this year.  So, third base needs to be more productive.  We have had no one step up to be a reliable left fielder.

The Twins are just a couple of pieces short of getting deep into the playoffs.


A couple years back the Twins were stacked with outfield prospects.  Do you remember when we had Jaque Jones and Tori hunter set but Lew Ford, Bobby Keilty, Dustin Mohr were fighting for rightfield playing time?  We also had Michael Restovich, Cuddyer, Kubel in the minors knocking on the door.  We should have traded more of them away.  We waited and then their value dropped.  We hang onto some prospects way too long and then they lose value.  What about pitcher JD Durbin?  He was suppose to be the next best thing and we ended up letting him walk away because he was out of options.  Our front office need to take a few more risks.  They have done a great job building up our farm system.  It would be nice to take bigger risks then Sidney Ponson, Ramon Ortiz and Devon White.  Give up a prospect when we have a few piling up at one position.  Trade them while their value is high.

[Realtree]

I appreciate the explanations from OJ and labs4me, as I said previously, I follow baseball very little but have been listening to the scuttle-butt going around on KFAN and some of the other radio shows lately just to try and understand what is going on. Thank you both for taking the time to further explain this situation. Let's hope that the club can pick up a few solid players in the key positions you have both mentioned in the off season and make some deep runs into the playoffs in the years to come.   

[Ryan]

OJ makes a lot of good points.  The Twins do have a habit of sitting on some prospects until they have no value left.  I think they have to make some moves in the off season to get some more offense.  Liriano will be back even though it will probably be another year until he is 100%, but that will really help the rotation.  Baker and Garza have really been pitching well so that should be a good starting staff next year.  It's time to trade some prospects for a couple of established players and then they could contend for a world series title.  We have a new stadium coming in a couple of years so they should not be afraid to spend a little money to make the team better.

[Mayfly]

Look at it this way....The Twins will not win a world series in the next 20 years so who cares anyway. Let them do whatever they want. The same goes for the Vikings and the Wolves.....The only team that will go somewhere..soon hopefully..is the Wild

[Ryan]

The Twins are much closer than any of our teams to winning a world title.

[labs4me]

Look at it this way....The Twins will not win a world series in the next 20 years so who cares anyway. Let them do whatever they want. The same goes for the Vikings and the Wolves.....The only team that will go somewhere..soon hopefully..is the Wild

That was said in '87 and '91 too.  We wnet worst to first in '91!  They aren't far away from having a competing team... 2 players will put them in the mix.  Pitching is real close... if they can plug in 2 real players next year we should be in good shape. 

Good Luck!

Ken

[JohnWester]

The only team that will go somewhere..soon hopefully..is the Wild

I HEARD THAT!!!!!  GO WILD!!! ::rockon::

[Ryan]

I would like to say something, but I am not going to.

[Mayfly]

I would like to say something, but I am not going to.

Are you afraid?

[Ryan]

Not really.  You Wild fans are just so sensitive and I don't feel like getting into that right now.  I also can't really comment because my favorite team just traded away the best player they will ever have.

[Outdoors Junkie]

I am sad to see "the Big Ticket" heading to Bean town too.