Easier Said Than Done

By Metstradamus
Posted Friday, October 12, 2007

So we're having this little gathering over champagne to say good-bye to a co-worker when I spot a Twins fan over by the cupcakes. So I find my way over to him where the following conversation takes place:

"So what do you want for Santana?"

"Prospects. Young players."

"Carlos Beltran doesn't interest you?"

"No."

"Would you do Milledge, Pelfrey, and Humber?"

"Yes, absolutely...well, maybe one more from your lower levels."

"Okay. Have your people call my people."

If only making trades were that easy. If only Omar Minaya can find Bill Smith over a plate of cupcakes and champagne and make a deal like that. Johan Santana would be a Met (with a suitable and affordable contract extension, of course), the Twins would re-stock their farm system (with a young replacement for the departing Torii Hunter), and Met fans everywhere would do a jig while stomping on those bad feelings from the end of the 2007 season.

Guess what kids, it ain't gonna be that easy.

Priority one for Mets fans seems to be to get Johan Santana at any cost. But let's put aside the fact that teams like the Dodgers, with prospects to spare and a flair for the dramatic are sure to look for a way to get Johan Santana. Let's put aside that teams like the Diamondbacks are loaded with prospects whom they may part with to make a Johan Santana/Brandon Webb pairing the best one-two punch in baseball. Let's put aside the fact that the team that Arizona is playing in the NLCS, the Colorado Rockies, not only have some flame throwing prospects they can part with (Ubaldo Jimenez, anyone), but by winning a 2-1 game at Coors Field in the NLCS may have finally convinced pitchers that the humidor actually works, and that Coors Field may not be the pitchers graveyard that it used to be. Let's put aside that the Yankees ... yes, the Yankees ... may be willing to make a trade to upgrade their rotation, and may dangle Chien-Ming Wang to do it, while pairing Santana with young talent like Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy without having to trade them to get Santana.

And let's also put aside that rumors of ace pitchers being available seem to inevitably followed by that pitcher re-signing with his old team for a big contract at an ever so slight hometown discount.

What evidence have we been given that the Mets would be willing to trade for an ace, and dole out lots of money to keep that ace here?

Think about it: The Rangers traded Eric Gagne, who so far has been a bust in Boston, for three highly touted prospects: pitcher Kason Gabbard, and outfielders David Murphy, and Engel Beltre. Now turn Gagne, his injury issues, and his advancing age into Johan Santana. Now what are the Twins going to ask for in return for not only one of the elite pitchers in the game, but for an exclusive window to lock him up in?

There may not be enough in the Mets' farm system to do that? And even if there is, would the Mets be willing to do that? Would Omar Minaya, who once traded Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee, Lee Stevens, and Brandon Phillips for Bartolo Colon, only to trade him later on for Rocky Biddle, Jeff Liefer, and Orlando Hernandez, be too gun shy to make a deal like that, when his organization has already decreed that they wouldn't sign pitchers to ridiculous contracts?

(I'm talking to you, Barry Zito.)

So while we're all hoping for that quick fix to what turned out to be a mediocre team at an awful end to the 2007 season, there's nothing that makes me even a little bit sure that a Johan Santana trade to Flushing is going to happen. To put all of your wishing coins into that well would more likely than not set you up for another bitter disappointment. Best to pool those coins together and buy some cupcakes.
 

You can follow all of the exploits of Omar Minaya and Johan Santana over at The Musings and Prophecies of Metstradamus, where more likely than not, I'll bemoan the fact that another one got away.