Twins Woes: Bill Smith and the Art of Counterproductive Negotiation

Smith must have been cognizant of the fact that he wasn’t going to get the best prospect plus other mid-range talent from any team’s farm system in return for Santana. He also had to have known the relatively short window of time he had to deal his most prized possession.

And yet, he dealt with these dual realities horribly.

He dilly-dallied. He stalled. He couldn’t get the car started. He didn’t make a move.

Ultimately, we don’t know for sure what Boston or New York definitively put on the table. We heard the speculation, but maybe the package of Ellsbury, Lester, and two minor-leaguers was never a real offer. Maybe Hughes and Cabrera were never a package deal. 

Furthermore, maybe Smith didn’t want to deal Santana within the American League. Maybe seeing Santana go to New York (AL) or Boston was counter-intuitive to the overarching goal of the Minnesota Twins: getting to, and then winning, a World Series. I personally don’t agree with that philosophy (shouldn’t you just worry about getting the best players available in return?), but hey, I’m not a major league GM either.

However, if we assume the offers from Boston and New York were in fact real, tangible proposals, and we continue to understand the fact that Johan Santana should have demanded at least eighty cents on the dollar, then it’s hard not to feel like the Twins ultimately came away from this process- two months after the winter meetings- with far less value in return from the Mets.

So what did they get?

The Mets best prospect is 19 year-old infield prospect Fernando Martinez. Maybe he was off-limits like Buchholz and Chamberlain, but the bottom line is the Twins did not get him.

Deolis Guerra is ranked as the Mets #2 prospect, but at 18 years of age, he is a very raw pitching talent several years away.

The Mets #3 prospect- outfielder Carlos Gomez- is the only guy the Twins got in return who has some big-league play under his belt. Many rave at Gomez’ wheels and some compare him- at best- to a Carl Crawford like talent. He should slot into the Twins leadoff spot and start in center-field next season. He is the one returning asset Twins fans can feel good about.

Hurlers Kevin Mulvey and Phil Humber also come Minnesota’s way.

Humber is a former top-three overall pick but has yet to amount to anything in the majors, and he is almost 25. Humber’s name has been thrown around a lot in recent years, but he couldn’t crack the Mets’ rotation last season despite the unit being banged up and old. Also keep in mind Humber’s move from the NL to the deadly AL central: yea, I am not exactly taken aback with this kid’s promise as a Twin.

Mulvey is a finesse, ground ball pitcher who made some impressive strides in 2007, but someone who still doesn’t rank ahead of Kevin Slowey, Scott Baker, or Boof Bonser- all current Twins pitching prospects with similar styles who stand to see more opportunity and production at the big league level in 2008.

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