TWINS/RAYS MAKE HUGE TRADE

by Jack Cobra, Cobra Brigade

Well, it's not the Johan Santana trade that everyone was hoping for (more on that later), but the Minnesota Twins and the Tampa Bay Rays made a trade yesterday that could be beneficial to both teams for many years.

The deal sent pitcher Matt Garza, shortstop Jason Bartlett and Minor League pitcher Eduardo Morlan to Tampa in exchange for outfielder Delmon Young,
infielder Brendan Harris and outfielder Jason Pridie.

The major pieces in this trade are Matt Garza and Delmon Young as they are both up and coming players. Garza was the Twins first round draft choice in the 2005 and sprinted through their farm system with the help of an excellent fastball and some decent offspeed pitches. He struggled (5-7, 3.69 ERA) in his first go around in the majors because of his reliance on the fastball, but all signs point to Garza being a major contributor in the Rays starting rotation.

The Twins were able to acquire one of the 'toolsiest' players in all of baseball in the 22-year old Young. His blend of power and speed is rarely seen in baseball and while he was the runner-up in the balloting for AL Rookie of the Year in 2007, he seems to be on his way to superstardom. Offensively, he'll surpass all the numbers Torii Hunter might have put up had he re-signed with the Twins. Defensively, Young has a rocket for an arm as he had 16 outfield assists last season. He won't have the range in the outfield that Hunter did, but who does?

Also, by moving Jason Bartlett, their starting shortstop in 2007, this brings the NY Mets into the Johan Santana trade situation. It has been rumored that the Twins and Mets have talked about a Jose Reyes/Santana swap and now it seems that they are one step closer to making that happen. If the Twins are able to make that deal they would have one of the youngest and most exciting offenses in the American League with Reyes, Young, Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer and Joe Mauer in the fold. The Baseball Winter Meetings kick off on Monday in Nashville, so there should be more to come then.