Who would you ask for in a trade?

Question

Who would you ask for in a trade if you were the Twins and offering Johan Santana?

The front-runners for Santana are the Mets, Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers and Angels.

Of those five-teams who do you think can offer the best package and who would it consist of?

Answer 1

I’ve read some very interesting answers to this and some completely ludicrous answers as well. The reason the five teams listed in the question were listed is because, in theory, those are the only teams that realistically could afford to sign Santana long-term…which is something Santana has made clear would be a necessity for him to agree to be traded.

Thus the thought of Adam Dunn straight up, is not going to happen because there is no way the low-budget Reds could afford to give Santana the money he’s seeking. At the same time Santana won’t be flipped for Lowell or Papi if he goes to the Red Sox, both are untouchable and indispensable keys to the Red Sox success. The Angels idea isn’t going to happen either. The Halos didn’t just sign Hunter to a huge deal (that the Twins couldn’t afford) to send him--and the sparkplug of their offense--back to Minnesota.

Jason Giambi for Santana? Seriously?! Giambi’s contract is ridiculous and he’s only signed for one more year. Giambi straight up for Santana is absolutely asinine…and you can’t trade draft picks in Major League Baseball. Edwin Jackson is not still a member of the Dodgers and as such, probably wouldn’t be included in a trade by Los Angeles. He’s been in Tampa Bay for a few years now.

I don’t know why so many of you are undervaluing Santana on the trade market. Also don’t assume that the Twins will just swap straight up for big money players, they can’t afford the contracts. The Twins are going to be in search of can’t miss prospects and low-priced big league ready studs.

I've put the teams in order of who I think has the best shot to acquire Santana given the talent they can offer in return and I've given each team a summation of who I think they'd offer up in a trade...


RED SOX:

In my mind the Sox probably have the best shot given the depth of their farm system and their desire to keep him from joining the Yankees. Any package with the Red Sox would begin with Clay Bucholz as he is deemed vastly superior to Jon Lester. However, if the Twins prefer Jacoby Ellsbury over Coco Crisp, they’d probably have to settle for Lester. I forsee those four balancing one another out…Ellsbury and Lester or Bucholz and Crisp. That would be the center-piece of the return, but the Twins would probably look to add another bat and/or bullpen help as well. In that regard, I think that a proven spot-start and reliever like Julian Tavarez could be in the mix straight-up middle inning men like Manny Delcarmen or Craig Hansen. As far as bats are concerned I’d expect to see Jed Lowrie or Brandon Moss thrown into the mix.

YANKEES:

The Yankees are probably next in line because they offer a plethora of big-league ready starters to send back in return as well. The Yankees could give up less talent overall by sending Chien-Ming Wang and Melky Cabrera straight up. However, if the team is looking to hang onto Wang, they’ll probably have to send at least one of the young guns with Phillip Hughes being the front-runner with Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy falling in behind. This would still probably cost them Melky Cabrera and/or Robinson Cano and a solid minor league arm such as Humberto Sanchez.

METS:

The Mets are in an unfortunate place as they are in dire need of pitching and, as such, don’t have much they could afford to send back to the Twins. The best bet to snag Santana would probably cost the Mets Mike Pelfrey and Phillip Humber…perhaps even both depending on what set of young outfielders the Mets are willing to give up. Any two of Fernando Martinez, Carlos Gomez or Lastings Milledge would net a solid return. Other names that could be in the mix for the Mets to make this work are Oliver Perez, Aaron Heilman and – if the rumors are true – potentially even Jose Reyes.

DODGERS:

The Dodgers would probably have to offer roughly the same package they’ve got on the table for Miguel Cabrera if they strike out on acquiring his services. That would include the likes of Matt Kemp, Andy LaRoche or James Loney and either Johnathon Broxton or Chad Billingsley. However, one has to question whether or not the Dodgers are close enough to contend with the squad they have to afford giving up such a large portion of their top prospects.

ANGELS:

The Angels—currently the front-runners for Miguel Cabrera—are probably not in the mix as much as any of the aforementioned teams due to their depth of young arms and lack of offensive firepower. If the team does acquire Cabrera, one would assume they’ll no longer have the prospects necessary to net Santana. Although if they strike out (pun intended) in pursuit of Cabrera expect them to jump into the mix offering roughly the same set of players which includes as a base outfielder Reggie Willits and second baseman Howie Kendrick. After that the Twins would probably want to acquire another bat such as OF/DH Juan Rivera and/or 3B/SS Brandon Wood…although Wood may be untouchable given the recent trade of Orlando Cabrera. On the pitching front the Twins could command any of the following: Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders or class AA right-hander Nick Adenhart.

Answer 2

They obviously want a starting pitcher back and now have a gaping hole in CF.

From the Yankees- Phil Hughes/Joba Chamberlain (P) , Ian Kennedy (P) and Melky Cabrera/Jose Tabata (OF)

From the Mets- Lastings Milledege (OF) , Philip Humber (P), Mike Pelfrey (P) and Alay Soler (P)

From the Red Sox- Clay Buchholz (P) , Jacobs Ellisbury (OF) and Manny Delcarmen (P)

From the Dodgers- James Loney (1B) , Chad Billingsley (P) and Edwin Jackson (P)

From the Angels- Jered Weaver (P) , Howie Kendrick (2B), Nick Edenhart (P)

This is what I'd ask for, but there would be a lot of negotiations. Basically, this isn't the trades I'd expect to go through. Personally, I think the Yankees or the Red Sox because they both offer great future CF's and prime future pitchers. The Mets have the greatest CF to offer but lack an elite pitcher. While the other two are enticing they fail to address the Twins biggest need.

Answer 3

The Yankees can offer Ian Kennedy, Melky Cabrera, Brandon Laird, Angel Chavez, and Tyler Clippard.

Answer 4

Clay Buchholz, Justin Masterson, Coco Crisp, Jason Place/Chris Carter. That is the best deal that the Sox could offer, as they would not give up Jon Lester as well as Buchholz. Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia are untouchables.

Answer 5

There is the possibility of trading him to Boston for Jacoby Ellsbury/Coco Crisp along with 3rd Basemen Mike Lowell.

Better yet, trade him to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for Chone Figgins and Torii Hunter( Anything is possible!)

Answer 6

Definitely the Yanks. They haven't won a world series in 7 years. They could offer them Tabata, Melky, and a young pitcher(Henn, Clippard). Bottom line is they will be unloading some money and getting Liriano back, so really they need to fill hunter's spot and hope there young pitchers come through.

Answer 7

Good question, but I am not a major league GM, so I don't know, but I might go with almost anybody that they are offering, because I might ask for a player that a team might not be willing to give up. And if somebody asked me if I were the Chicago Cubs genral manger, if I would be willing to give up Kerry Wood, I would say done. No way that I would want this pitcher on my team, I don't get why anybody likes me, to me is the most overrated pitcher on the Chicago Cubs roster. But it all depend on who a gernal magner might be willing to give me.

Answer 8

One of The AAA center fielders and Ian Kennedy and Melky. Then go after Andruw Jones!

Answer 9

Yankees can offer
Ross Ohlendorf
Ian Kennedy
Tyler Clippard
Melky Cabrera!
Hughes and Chamberlain are not up for grabs they were born in pinstripes!
Hell i'll even throw in Kyle farnsworth!
All for SANTANA!!

Answer 10

Yankees Joba Melky and ian kennedy