How Much Is Too Much For Johan Santana?

Buyer beware, Johan Santana is looking to break the bank. And why shouldn't he? The man has easily been the best pitcher in baseball over the past 4 years. But as teams line up to trade away top prospects to acquire him and then shell out a ridiculous amount of money to keep him, you have to wonder how much is too much.

Consider the fact that the Twins are going to be asking for a young blue chip prospect that they can plug into CF and at least 1 or 2 strong pitching prospects they can add to their roster immediately or in the near future. You have to think that as the number of potential suitors grows, the potential price will get higher as well.

The first question we have to wait to be answered is: When are the Twins going to make this deal? Apparently they are open to talks now but that doesn't mean they are going to make the deal now. It would probably be in the Twins' best interest to trade Santana before the season starts because his value may go down since there is less time the team who acquires Santana is guaranteed with him on their roster.

And once Santana is acquired, there is nothing preventing him from testing the free agent waters. As the best pitcher to hit the market in the last few years, he would be foolish if he signed an extension before he had a chance to gauge his value on the open market, unless 2008 is another sub par year.

Since Santana is a big name, you would automatically know the Yankees have interest. What makes this situation different is that this time they have bargaining chips to satisfy the seller. In years past, the Yankees showed interest in big stars but usually had to wait for them to become free agents because they didn't have the prospects the other teams coveted. But with Chamberlain, Cano, Cabrera, Kennedy and a host of others, the Yankees finally have what it takes to get their man. We will have to wiat and see if Cashman sticks to his guns and holds on to those prospects or if temptation will be too great and he cashed them in for Santana.

And with the Yankees making their "pitch", you have to know the Mets aren't going to just step aside. They too have players they feel to land Santana, but let's face it, the Twins GM is going to be judge of that. They have to make just about everyone available on this one with the exception of Reyes and Wright. Pelfrey, Heilman, Humber, Gomez, Milledge. The list can go on and on. Omar should just send a list of every player in their organization with Reyes and Wright's names blacked out and tell them to take any 3.

And once the acquisition is final, you have to wonder what the extension is going to cost. If a team gives up their best prospects to get Santana and he decides to test free agency, that team is forced to spend more thant what they would normally want only because they already have so much invested. You've given up so much talent to get Santana, you can't let him go over a few million so just give it to him.

Since we've already seen Santana turn down $80M over 4 years, you know he won't come cheap. That's a pretty bold move on Santana's part since last seaon was his worst in he last 4 or 5 seasons. He went 15-13 with a 3.33 ERA. Was this an off year or a sign of things to come? We'll only know in time, but if you're buying, you better beware.