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Hot stove season best time of year

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Also by Tyler Mason:

Miami could ruin Pats' perfect mark (December 13, 2007)
Wisconsin hockey continues road woes in Mankato (December 10, 2007)
Hot stove season best time of year (December 6, 2007)
Engel finds niche at new position (December 6, 2007)

by Tyler Mason

Thursday, December 6, 2007

'Tis the season — Major League Baseball's hot stove season, that is. With temperatures dipping below freezing, and snow and ice covering the ground, baseball may seem like a long ways away for most fans. But that doesn't mean all's quiet on the MLB front.

On Tuesday, the Tigers and Marlins kicked off the trading festivities by swapping a handful of players. Most notably, pitcher Dontrelle Willis and third baseman Miguel Cabrera were sent to Detroit. With these two additions, the Tigers are already looking to be a top contender in the American League this season.

But comparing that story to the Johan Santana saga is like comparing "Jingle All the Way" to "Christmas Vacation."

Simply told, Santana is the biggest name being discussed in the winter talks in Nashville. Rightfully so, as Santana — a two-time Cy Young Award winner — is arguably the game's best pitcher. In his career, he's gone 93-44 and has recorded 1,381 strikeouts. (He also hit a triple in interleague play against the Marlins this year. Not too shabby.)

The only problem is that he's gotten too expensive for the small-market Minnesota Twins to hang onto him, much like centerfielder Torii Hunter, who darted for Anaheim in November. The Twins' pinchpenny owner, Carl Pohlad, is opting to play the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, refusing to dish out the dough to keep his ace in the Twin Cities.

With the near-certainty that Santana will be shipped out at some point, the biggest question during the winter meetings has been where he will land. It should come as a surprise to no one that the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox were the two favorites early on, obvious choices since both teams have more money than Santa Claus himself.

But when you pitch like Santana does, you're going to come at a hefty price. That price was too steep, in fact, for the Bronx Bombers. Shocking, I know. But the Yankees couldn't offer quite what the Twins had on their wish list, and set an ultimatum of Monday night for a trade to happen. That time came and went with no deal struck, meaning New York is likely out of the race.

Which leaves Boston as the favorites.

It appears as if the only way the BoSox would fail to land Santana at this point is if they are on Twins GM Bill Smith's naughty list (pardon the abundance of holiday-related analogies). What that would mean is that if they, like the Yankees, don't offer what the Twins are asking for, they might lose out on landing the southpaw. Two key pieces that seem to be included in the deal for the Twins to listen are outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury and pitcher Jon Lester, but Boston may not want to part with both of their young stars.

If Santana does find himself in a Red Sox uniform before spring training, it shouldn't be a surprise to fans from either region. Much to the joy of Beantowners, Minnesota has gift-wrapped a fair amount of its athletes and shipped them off to Boston. We're not talking small gifts, either — like that pair of socks your grandma knits you every year and you smile and thank her politely for. No, the Land of 10,000 Lakes has given Boston gifts (whether directly or indirectly) of Xbox 360 and iPhone proportions, gifts that make you jump for joy and run around the room screaming. I'm speaking of Kevin Garnett, David Ortiz, Randy Moss and Laurence Maroney, to name a few.

In return, Minnesota has received numerous lumps of coal: Ryan Gomes, Theo Ratliff, Justin Jones — you get the point.

No, I'm not here to pout or lament over the losses, for I realize the sports industry is a business. And the hot stove trades have certainly kept things interesting during the offseason, giving fans something to look forward to. And besides, if the true holiday spirit is really about giving, Minnesotans should be the most cheerful of all, right?

Ah, who am I kidding? Bah humbug!

Tyler Mason is a junior majoring in journalism. If you'd like to sip some eggnog and talk about the recent baseball trades with him, he can be reached at tmason@badgerherald.com.

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Anonymous (December 6, 2007 @ 1:58pm):

My guess is that Santana Claus ends up in Boston.

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