Not only are the Yankees risking giving the Red Sox the best rotation since Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz by deadlining the Twins on Johan Santana, but the Detroit Tigers, a prime league if not wild-card rival, upgraded (at the cost of serious prospects) with Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera.
The Tigers are a force to be reckoned with. Of course, they were this year, too. They are a worry, but only to a degree, and only if you think Willis hasn't already peaked.
The Twins are either undervaluing Phil Hughes, or they know something we don't, WasWatching says, though he (and I) would pick him over Jon Lester. I've talked about my restrained enthusiasm for Hughes, but that's only to counter most others' overreactions.
And yet, there are other teams in the universe that could get Santana (or make any news, contrary to The Onion), and some of those rumors are here, as recommended by stellar Twins and baseball blogger Aaron Gleeman.
These winter meetings are such a crapshoot when no one pays attention. They are absolutely nerve-racking when everyone is going nuts over them.
Look, there's valid arguments for the Yankees not giving up the farm for Santana. In the long run, not getting railroaded is most likely to pay off. But you know, they could be left with little or nothing from these young, somewhat untested arms, and the Red Sox, with Santana, could add two or three World Series titles.
That's the worst-case scenario. But there's no question that the Yankees are faced, with this decision especially, with a larger choice of winning now or hoping to win later. The team banking on 2008 with the traditional mantra of "World Series or failure" picks the latter as the default if Santana goes to the Sox. Not an impossibility, but not the expected outcome.
But, as has been discussed, maybe that mantra is crap. So that brings us back to difficult decisions that, quite frankly, none of us should wish we were making.
As I've said all along I still don't believe Santana is getting delt now. Buster Olney reported this morning that the Twins are strongly considering turning down the Red Sox package as well. He said this on Mike and Mike this morning:
"The Twins have to decide which is better. Lester and two guys their fans have never heard off or trying to win this year and two draft picks."
Obviously "winning this year" just became a lot harder with the Detroit trade, but he makes a point I've been stressing all along. I don't think the Twins in their right mind can trade Santana without getting two of the three Yankee pitchers or two of Buckholz, Ellsbury and Lester. If one of those guys is as far as the Yankees and Red Sox will go I think they've made the right decission as well.
In regards to Austin Jackson potentially being a deal breaker for the Yankees, again I can't blame them. Why should they, with such an old outfield, give up their current and future centerfielder (one that some websites report could be ready late this year) in the same trade? Why would the Twins even ask for that after the Young trade?
Finally, on your fair "restrained enthusiasm for Hughes," he was 3-0 with a 2.73 in five starts in September before his fantastic season extending releif performance in Game 3.