Report: Twins Pushing to Sign RHP Ervin Santana

Wow! We actually gave up a draft pick to sign someone.  We are really moving up on this free agency thing.

Well, this interesting anyway.  Not sure I would have done this but it will be exciting for the fan base.  I've been advocating for the younger Brett Anderson, which would have allowed us to still go after a good defensive centerfielder.

My guess is this transaction ends the Twins off season.

If they actually sign Santana now is when you go forward and sign at least 1 more top tier player. Why not give up the 3rd round pick and add another player.

Joel Sherman redacts statement. Says Twins pushing. 

If they actually sign Santana now is when you go forward and sign at least 1 more top tier player. Why not give up the 3rd round pick and add another player.

Because the Twins have two 2nd round pics this year. it's almost like a gimme. 

Weird that a New York guy broke it.....we may not be any closer than top four like La Velle reported.  Twitter initially had 4-60, then "number not confirmed", then it switched from signed to "pushing to sign"

Well if this goes through then we would match up well against 2 of the move the Whitesox made so far.

Torii vs LaRoche (this is a fairly close matchup with the bat)

Santana vs Samardzija  (Samardzija gets the edge but Santana can hold his own)

Too bad we didn't get Neshek to counter Robertson. 

I don't consider Duke too significant as he is pretty similar to Deunsing in results.

Jim Bowden

Alan Nero -one of Ervin Santana's agents along with Jay Alou denies they are close to deal w/Santana but Nero acknowledges offer from Twins

Making an offer and making one that is competitive are often not close to the same thing in Terry's world.

Some comments:

1. Please let it be true. This would be a key signing, in my view.

2. Seth's point is likely spot on about the Rule 5.

3. The Twins don't actually make many offers, Winston. When they do, they seem to go big enough (except in the past with their own guys!)

4. No actual "ace" is signing for 4 years. This is the second tier and I would be really happy.

5. I think that Ryan and Molitor might like the idea of Meyer in the pen and May starting in AAA, or both in the pen.

6. Kyle Gibson suddenly becomes potential trade bait in the season, esp. if Nolasco doesn't suck.

If they actually sign Santana now is when you go forward and sign at least 1 more top tier player. Why not give up the 3rd round pick and add another player.

Actually, after Santana, there are only three players left on the free agent market that require giving up a draft pick: Scherzer, Shields and Melky Cabrera. Doubt the Twins are "in" on any of them.

I'm glad someone else sees Gibson as potential tradebait, especially if Nolasco comes thru. I'm not sure how Gibson will do as he continues with the Twins. Anyone else have thoughts on him?

Any player should be tradebait if the price is right.

To me this feels like Nolasco 2.0. Just can't get excited about the possibility of signing a 32 year old for 4-5 years unless he is an ace.

And I bet he'll be just as tradable next year as Nolasco is now.  This doesn't make any sense, but it's sounds like a Ryan plan.

Just wait a minute.

What if Nolasco figures things out and Santana is in business next year?

We would have a pretty damn good staff. Hopefully we could trade off one of them if needed to make room for a young guy in the rotation. I don't love Santana or Nolasco, but i'm happy we are trying...

Any contract signed in this type of free agent situation is likely going to mean that you will be unable to trade the player.  There are no "bargains" when you have to outbid a whole bunch of other teams.  If the player's performance declines at all from the level that earned him the contract, he is basically can't be traded.

I look out 3-4 years and don't really see a payroll issue, where the Twins have to let anyone leave. Ervin would push the Twins to a payroll of $105M or so.

Next offseason we lose Hunter and Pelfrey.  We probably trade Plouffe as well.  That a total of $20M.  That is more than enough to extend Dozier and Hughes on top of their current salaries and the Twins could probably go up to $115-$120M on payroll anyway.

Ervin would be our second best pitcher on a team that desperately needs better pitching. I am all for it

This is an upgrade.  Period.  Why do some people have a problem with that?  Question Mark?

I don't know how you sell your outfield defense to a Free Agent Pitcher with options from other teams. Besides over paying by quite a bit. Having Arcia, Santana and Hunter out there would not inspire me to sign on the dotted line with out some Yankee/Dodger type cash and years. But maybe TR is ready to spend some Pohlad cash on a pittcher on the North side of 30.. (Reevaluting that last sentence as it felt very strange typing those words in one connected string.)

Just wait a minute.

 

What if Nolasco figures things out and Santana is in business next year?

 

We would have a pretty damn good staff. Hopefully we could trade off one of them if needed to make room for a young guy in the rotation. I don't love Santana or Nolasco, but i'm happy we are trying...

We only process worst case scenarios  here. 

Could you imagine if his arm fell off as he signed the last A in Santana on the contract?

I think you answered your own question... by paying them quite a bit!

 

It appears that the Twins are going against teams including the Yankees and Giants for Santana. They're going to have to pay.

Our offer was 4-50 I heard.  I think he gets more and certainly can use the McCarthy contract as a data point (4-48).  He came into the league 10 years ago and has less than 1,000 IP.  4.50 and 4.05 the last two years.

Santana would be a great signing and just what we need IMHO. As I have said all along, a solid 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation can take the pressure off of a lot of other areas of the squad. In addition to that, it slides other starters down a slot in the rotation to where they are a better fit. Examples......Gibson is a 3rd and Nolasco is a 4th. Meyer or May starts off as a 5th and the other joins the pen for the time being(like when Johan Santana started out in the pen).

This is an upgrade.  Period.  Why do some people have a problem with that?  Question Mark?

It's an upgrade on what they had last year, but is it an upgrade for the future.  The Twins are not going to win any division next year and if you committ 4 years to Santana and go forward with Nolasco and Santana as in your staff for the next 3-4 years is that an upgrade or is it an investment in pitchers with declining value? 

Last year Gibson outperformed 2 out of the 3 free agents signed.  I think Mays and Meyer's will outperform many of these free agent over the next few years.  Why not invest a season in the young players in a year you are not going to contend?  You should supplement the roster in a year when you have a chance to contend.  If you do it now, we'll hear about salaries restraint in the future due to bad contract.

I'm ok with trading veteran pitchers we sign today for prospects down the line when our young pitchers are ready to establish themselves if that's how we can handle the log jam of pitchers.  I also think having Santana on our staff now makes us a .500 team as is.  if Nolasco rebounds and a solid 5th starter emerges then we could compete for a Wild Card / Division Title.

This story broke last night, and the waiting now is agonizing. The longer it goes, the more I worry about the yankees swooping in or the Giants deciding they need to do something.......