We've been waiting for news on Santanamania's 2008 destination since the end of the 2007 season, and it appears that a decision has FINALLY been made! The Yanks were in the mix for quite a while, offering the likes of the Melk-ster and Hughsie, but the Twinsies (wisely) had their sights set on Jobamania and/or I-Ken; the Red Sox were considered the other big player and offered either Ellsbury or Lester, but the Twinsies wanted both, not one or the other. Both of those negotiations ended up sputtering out, and it looks like 'tis the METS that will end up the winners of the Santanamania sweepstakes.

According to MetsBlog the deal won't be dunzo until a (sizable!) contract extension is agreed upon, and they have 72 hours to get that hammered out. The Met Jrs that will be heading to Twinsville won't be officially announced until that time, but it looks as though the Twins will be getting 3 pitchers (Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey) and one outfielder (Carlos Gomez). Obviously I am not all that familiar with the Mets' farm system and prospects, but Mets fans and bloggers seem to agree that those 4 players project to be solid, but they are very happy that their top prospect, Fernando Martinez (a 19-yr-0ld outfielder) was not included in the deal, and neither was 24-yr-old pitcher Mike Pelfrey.

I'm sure all parties involved are pleased with this situation - Santana gets his extension and will be pitching in the NL, the Twins get some prospects, and the Mets get arguably the best pitcher in baseball for what appears to be a relatively low cost prospects-wise - but I've got to say that I still feel like the offers both the Red Sox and Yankees put on the table were better than what the Twins are getting from the Mets. Why would a team turn down Melky and Hughes or Lester/Ellsubry, who are proven to be capable of succeeding in the big time, in favor of 4 guys with a lot of promise but limited experience? Am I missing something?

The best part of this news for the Yanks is, of course, the fact that the guy did not end up going to the Red Sox. They will now only have to face him probably twice a year during interleague play (once per series) - more if the two teams ever end up facing off in a WS again! - rather than 5+ times against a division rival, and they won't have to worry about him boosting the Sox's record for years to come. Their pitching is good enough without that beast.