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With deal set, Twins move on without their ace

GM Bill Smith says the Johan Santana trade talk had "dragged on long enough."

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

Last update: February 2, 2008 - 11:32 PM

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SANTANA’S NEW CONTRACT

Details of Johan Santana’s new $137.5 million, six-year contract with the Mets, a deal that includes an option for 2014. If his option is picked up, the total value of the contract will be $157 million over seven years:

2008: $19 million

2009: $20 million

2010: $21 million

2011: $22.5 million

2012: $24 million

2013: $25.5 million

2014 (option): $25 million, with a $5.5 million buyout

Notes

• The Mets ripped up Santana’s original contract, in which he was due $13.25 million this season.

• His 2014 option is a vesting option that can be triggered with innings pitched or a high finish in the Cy Young voting.

• Santana also received a full no-trade clause.

• The average annual value of Santana’s salary ofver the next six seasons is $22 million. Only Alex Rodriguez ($27.5 million) will make more.

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For the New York Mets, the euphoria was obvious Saturday, when their trade for Twins pitcher Johan Santana finally became official.

Mets General Manager Omar Minaya said they "exceeded our expectations" in acquiring a No. 1 starter.

Santana's agent, Peter Greenberg, joined a conference call with Mets officials and said: "I keep pinching myself that this isn't a dream. This is really a match made in heaven."

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, the news passed with far less hyperbole.

Twins GM Bill Smith and Mike Radcliff, the team's vice president of player personnel, spoke realistically about the four-prospect package they had received: outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Kevin Mulvey, Phil Humber and Deolis Guerra.

None is a shoe-in to help the 2008 ballclub, they said, but all have nice upsides.

The Twins had on-again, off-again negotiations with the Mets, Yankees and Red Sox for weeks. Asked if, at any point, the Twins had better offers than the one they took, Smith declined to say.

"If we had not gotten an offer that we felt was acceptable, we would have kept Johan for the 2008 season," Smith said. "But we're excited about these four players.

"I think it dragged on long enough, and we all got to the point where you'd like to go into spring training knowing what you have.

"The other teams certainly want to do that. Our manager and coaching staff -- I think everybody just reached the point that this was the best deal we were going to get."

All four incoming players will be in big-league camp later this month for the Twins.

Gomez, 22, will compete with Denard Span and Jason Pridie to become the starting center fielder. Smith said there is no guarantee Gomez will win the job.

"Keep in mind what we're getting ready to embark on here," Radcliff said. "This is going to be the poststeroid era. And [Gomez] is the fastest runner in baseball right now, arguably.

"This guy has stolen bases at every level. ... So I think he can impact the major league team right away."

Mulvey, 22, likely will start the year at either Class AA New Britain or Class AAA Rochester. Guerra, 18, likely will start at either New Britain or Class A Fort Myers.

Of the three pitchers, Humber, 25, has the best chance of making the Opening Day roster, but he also could head to Rochester.

In the Mets' teleconference with reporters, the focus certainly wasn't on the players they had given up. It was on Santana, and specifically his new contract -- a six-year, $137.5 million deal with an option for 2014 -- that makes him the highest-paid pitcher in history.

Greenberg and Minaya said there were moments when both sides thought the deal might collapse.

"Thank God we got it done," Minaya said.

Santana had rejected a four-year, $80 million extension offer from the Twins before they began shopping for trade offers.

Smith said the Twins continued trying to re-sign Santana into this week, complimenting the way Santana and Greenberg handled the process.

"This guy has been a tremendous pitcher for us, and we made him a tremendous offer," Smith said. "And the Mets certainly made one that was unbelievable for us.

"It's not frustrating. We went through it with [Chuck] Knoblauch, and we went through it with [Frank] Viola, and we came out OK. And we'll certainly come out OK with this one."

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