Comments on Epic Carnival: Johan the Barbarian Leaving Minnesota?

I'll tell you right now the Twins won't trade Joha...

2007-08-14T12:23:00.000-05:00

I'll tell you right now the Twins won't trade Johan this season or when he's on the verge of free agency.

This is why they've locked up players like Mauer, Morneau and Cuddyer for the next few years already. The club is way past saying goodbye to Torri, which frees up a lot of money as well, not to mention the endless prospects they have down on the farm.

Big name trades involving lots of cash movement isn't generally how the Twins roll - they like to build from the ground up, which is why they've been seasoning players like Denard Span to eventually replace Hunter while Baker, Garza and Bonser have been up in the big leagues long enough to get the hang of their pitches.

Also, don't forget Liriano will be back next season.

Crap, I'm such a homer. I didn't admit KG was gone until it actually happened...

While the Twins may not be able to get equal value...

2007-08-14T09:36:00.000-05:00

While the Twins may not be able to get equal value for Johan simply in terms of quality of players, I think it would make sense for them to trade him either this offseason, or next July if they're not in the playoff race.

Santana is going to get over $20MM/yr, probably closer to $25MM. The Twins, with their current $64MM payroll, can't do that. What they can do is trade Johan for prospects that are close to the majors, but haven't accumulated any service time, so the have them under control for awhile. I would think that a couple top of the line prospects fitting into this category would be more valuable to Minnesota than a $25MM/yr ace.

Also, you have to take into consideration that in the first year of his new contract Johan will be 30, so you will be paying him over $20MM annually when he's 34-35, which is where that deal would really kill the Twins.

If Garnett AND Santana left the bridges would star...

2007-08-14T09:20:00.000-05:00

If Garnett AND Santana left the bridges would start collapsing and the city would be set on fire....

Can Minnesotans handle losing Garnett and Santana ...

2007-08-14T08:50:00.000-05:00

Can Minnesotans handle losing Garnett and Santana in the same year?

The Twins are in a really tough spot. I won't argu...

2007-08-14T08:47:00.000-05:00

The Twins are in a really tough spot. I won't argue that they can get equal value for Santana but teams like the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets all could offer deep enough packages that the Twins would have to think about it. That's could and not would, because they might just wait to sign him on the open market.
Unless the Twins are going to radically change their payroll you'll be looking at Santana eating as much as a third of their payroll. Keeping him at the expense of Mauer, Nathan and/or Morneau doesn't make them a better bet for a title either.