Twins now say....

[brewersfan19]

their plan is to sign Santana, not trade him.


Hope it works out for them.. He is awesome.

[brewersfan19]

BTW, this is according to Yahoo! SPorts-Rumors.

[realmofotalk]

And Santana's plan is to hold the Twins hostage (through his agent) with his impending free agency.

[mntwinsfan]

Well I dont mind this if it happens, I do think though we better not sign him for 7 years though. 5 year max is all I would offer!

[brewersfan19]

I agree.. Especially since he has been around awhile now.

[henks]

Not just Yahoo Sports Rumors....

The Twins have settled into a holiday holding pattern in trade discussions for pitcher Johan Santana. Though a trade still seems probable, the Twins won't say so.
"Right now, Johan Santana is our opening night starter against the Los Angeles Angels and Torii Hunter, and I like our chances (of winning)," Twins President Dave St. Peter said Wednesday. "That's not a bad thing for (manager) Mr. (Ron) Gardenhire to be able to pencil in Johan Santana as the starter on opening night."
The Twins have offered Santana, who already is guaranteed $13 million for 2008, an additional four years for a guaranteed $80 million. That contract would make Santana the highest-paid pitcher in baseball with a multi year deal.
Although the Twins are in stalemated trade talks with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, they say they are serious - and just not posturing - about trying to keep Santana, 28, in Minnesota.
"That remains our goal, our first choice, and I'm not going to veer from that," St. Peter said. "We are comfortable with that scenario if that's the best thing for the Twins' organization." The Twins will receive first-round and sandwich (between the first and second rounds) draft picks next June for losing Hunter via free agency. They would receive the same if Santana leaves after next season as a free agent.

Link: http://www.twincities.com/walters/ci...nclick_check=1

[brewersfan19]

Nice offer. I still wouldnt be surprised if he does test the market next year.

[catman]

Maybe if the team added a year or 2 to the offer, he'd take it. It will be interesting to see how things go with the new line-up next season. Liriano and Santana would be a formidable duo, and the other guys, Baker, Bonser, Blackburn, Slowey should be there in case one of the big 2 has a problem.
Here's the rotation I would use:
Santana, Baker, Bonser, Liriano, Slowey.

[nyjunc]

That would be a perfect scenario, as long as he isn't traded to Boston 'll be happy.

[brewersfan19]

Speaking of Liriano, how is he progressing. He is going to be ready for ST? I hope he can rebound and have a successful year. It seems like history tells us that players stuggle that first year back. It seems almost like he should wait until 2009 to pitch. I could be wrong here, just seems like I remember it being that way.


Let me know how he is doing and what you think about my theory.

[henks]

I've read a few times that the club is saying he will be ready for spring training. They don't know for sure yet if he is going to have a rehab start in AAA before he goes up or not, they want to know how his arm is going to react under all that strain. Understandable. But they have said progress is good, and expect to see Liriano in 2008.

I did a little research on ligament replacement surgery, and more often than not, guys come back a little stronger than before. However, mechanics are a little different, so that doesn't mean they come back a better pitcher. It'll be interesting to see how he comes back with his whip-style arm motion. I'm hoping for no problems.

[brewersfan19]

Good for your Twins and their fans. Maybe that will also be a bonus/plus for Santana sticking around as well.



Thanks for the information to BTW!!!!

[catman]

Bert Blyleven said that, in his experience, the pitcher suffers from more shoulder discomfort until they get their mechanics back into sync. The elbow is stronger than it was prior to the surgery and that puts more stress on the shoulder.
As to Liriano, I have heard that he is doing some "long-toss" (150-180 feet) and should be ready to get back on a mound before spring training starts. I'm concerned about his first couple of sliders, but once he gets them out of the way, he should be OK.

[henks]

The stress on the shoulder makes sense. I'm a little nervous about his first start; his adrenaline is going to be through the roof, so hopefully the coaches will be in his ear telling him not to go out and throw his arm off (play on words?). A rehab start would be good for him, to get all that rust off right away and know that he can/will be competitive again.

[mntwinsfan]

Liriano will get some work in spring training. By the start of the regular season he will be more than ready to pitch. As far as things go so far I know he has been throwing the ball already. Santana and Liriano will be a top pitching duo! I will say 35 wins for the two of the combined. A happy Johan should win 18-20 games, Lirano 13-16 wins = 31 to 36 wins! With an inproved lineup 94 to 100 wins I think the team can get. If we sign Santana we must sign Nathan.