Where will Santana go? (IF ANYWHERE)

There were several reports today regarding the current status of the New York Yankees involvement in the trade negotiations involving two-time Cy Young Award Winner Johan Santana. The Yankees are trying to work out a deal with the Minnesota Twins that would send 21-year old pitcher Philip Hughes and 23-year old centerfielder Melky Cabrera to the Twins, along with another mid-level prospect that the Twins would select from the Yankees farm system. In return, the Yankees would get Santana.

However, there have been complications in the deal. Because the Yankees are not willing to trade another one of their top-tier pitching prospects, Ian Kennedy or fireballer Joba Chamberlain, the Twins and Yankees appear to be at a stalemate. The Twins like the offer of Hughes and Cabrera, but believe they are entitled to another of the Yankees top-pitching prospects, Kennedy or Chamberlain, rather than a second-tier prospect.

Hank Steinbrenner, Yankees owner, stated Sunday that the Twins have until Monday evening to accept or reject its offer from the Yankees. If they do reject the offer, Steinbrenner noted that the Yankees will not pursue Santana any further, possibly allowing their long time rival Boston Red Sox to acquire him in the deal they have set up with the Twins, consisting of centerfielder Jacoby Elsbury, and its top Minor League level pitching prospect Justin Masterson and Minor-league shortstop Jed Lowrie. However, there is a problem in that deal also, as the Twins want to acquire another one of the Red Sox top-tier pitching prospects either Jon Lester, lefthanded starter and winner of Game 4 of the 2007 World Series, or Clay Bucholz, the rookie phenom who managed to toss a no-hitter in only his second Major League start.

The Yankees are in desperate need of a number one starting pitcher, and Santana would provide just that. Last year the Yankees "ace" was Chien Ming-Wang who pitched wonderfully throughout the season while chalking up 19 wins in only his second year in the big leagues. However, his inexperience in the postseason was exposed. He was responsible for two of the Yankees losses in the ALDS against the Cleveland Indians.

Currently, the Yankees starting rotation consists of Wang, Andy Pettite (who revealed today he will pitch for the Yankees in 2008), Mike Mussina, Ian Kennedy and Philip Hughes. Mussina could be the odd man out of the starting otation if the Yankees decide to re-instate Chamberlain as a starting pitcher.

If the Yankees complete a trade with Santana, the Yankees would immediately have a solid 1-2-3 combination for a postseason run. They would also prevent the Boston Red Sox from establishing possibly the greatest starting rotation of all-time.

If the Red Sox acquire Santana their rotation would consist of: Santana, 2007 Cy Young Award Runner-Up Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka (Dice-K), Curt Schilling, and Tim Wakefield. That would probably be the greatest rotation ever assembled in the history of baseball and it's a wonder the Yankees are willing to give up their pursuit of Santana only to prevent him from being Boston bound.

Steinbrenner stated the Yankees want to know about the status of their offer soon because they are also negotiating a deal with the Oakland Athletics that could land their ace, Dan Haren, in the Bronx. The stipulations of the deal have not been revealed however, it is believed that Hughes could be a centerpiece in that deal if the Santana deal doesn't fall through but that is only speculation.

Santana informed the Twins on Monday that if the Twins are going to trade him, they will only have their best opportunity during the offseason because he is not willing to waive his no-trade clause during the middle of the 2008 season. It appears the Twins have their best offers on the table from the Yankees and Red Sox however there is a possibility he could end up pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Los Angeles Angels. It appears trade negotiations with those teams have been restricted due to the staggering offers the Yankees and Red Sox have proposed.

Considering Santana is not willing to waive his no-trade clause in the middle of the season I believe if a deal is not made with the Yankees or Red Sox, the Twins will fail in their efforts to trade Santana before he declares free agency after the 2008 season. I truly believe Santana wants to play for one of these big market teams. I believe deals with either Los Angeles team is a longshot but their always remains possibility.

If a deal is not made for Santana in the offseason, I am sure there will be one of the biggest bidding wars ever in the 2008 offseason. And no those discussions won't involve Alex Rodriguez. Furthermore if a deal for Santana is indeed completed this offseason, the team that acquires him will only have a 72-hour negotiating period to re-sign him. He is likely to receive a contract in upwards of $150 million over seven-years.