The New York Mets have extracted stolen acquired Santana from the Minnesota Twins for a glass of water some magic beans four prospects.

I jest, of course, to make a point. The prospects headed to Minnesota — outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra — aren’t bad, but they also aren’t Philip Hughes. The question I have for the Twins is why they would blink now and give away the best pitcher in baseball for less than full value.

The market dictates a lot of things, I get that, but Santana isn’t a replaceable player. Like, if you don’t get Santana, there isn’t a real Plan B. The Twins should have been able to use this to their advantage, but they didn’t.

Don’t like the market now? Hey, here’s a thought: Wait a few months and see how some of those teams feel when they’re in the thick of a pennant race. Or crazier still, hang onto Santana if you find yourself in the hunt come July.

But enough of my sniping. The Twins got hosed and everyone knows it, including the Twins (regardless of what spin they might try to give). Let’s take a look at what they got in return for Santana:

Carlos Gomez

The Baseball America Prospect Handbook 2007 listed Gomez as the Mets’ #3 prospect. He’s a fast outfielder with a strong arm and plate discipline issues. The good news is that Gomez is 22 years old. The bad news is that, although he might become an impact player, he’s not there yet. Gomez has promise, but not nearly enough to make him the centerpiece of a package for the world’s best pitcher.

Philip Humber

BAPH ‘07 had Humber ranked #4 among Mets prospects. Humber is a former first-round pick who has battled injuries. He’s 25 and probably ready for a shot at a big-league rotation, but his ceiling isn’t super high.

Kevin Mulvey

Mulvey is a strike thrower who keeps the ball in the park. BA had him ranked #6 coming into 2007. His low strikeout numbers (6.53 K/9 at Double-A Binghamton last year) suggest a back-end type of guy.

Deolis Guerra

BAPH ‘07 listed Guerra as the Mets’ #5 prospect. The good news is that he held his own in the Florida State League at age 18. The bad news is that so did Jose Pett many moons ago. Am I suggesting that Guerra is the new Pett? No. My point is that a lot can go wrong between there and here.

Jim Callis at BA has more info on the prospects headed to Minnesota, but ultimately reaches the same, inevitable conclusion: assuming the trade goes through, the Twins hurt themselves in the short term without receiving enough long-term value to offset the loss of Santana.

Post from: Knuckle Curve