I am going to keep talking about this because it seems to create so much excitement among the Yankee-haters. Every club with money treats other teams like their farm system. It's called free agency, although you'd never know that from listening to some fans.

Johnny Damon is Judas (as in looks like Jesus, throws like Mary, Acts like Judas) for coming to the Yankees, but was a great guy for leaving KC to go to Boston. The 2004 Red Sox team also included a few bit players who came from other teams through trades/free agency, including: Kevin Millar, Bill Mueller, Manny Ranmirez, Ortiz, Schilling, Arroyo, Lowe, Pedro Martinez, Wakefield, etc.

But the Yankees buy their championships, right?

@Whispers: I really think the Yankees would be better off following the 90s model, and not the model of the 80s which they have reverted to in recent years. Okay, I agree, which is why I think they should augment their home grown talent (Jeter, Posada, Rivera, Chambelrain, Hughes, Kennedy, Cabrera, Cano, Phillips, Cairo, Duncan, Wang, etc.) with a few mid-to-late career veterans like Santana or Lowell.

I know facts are anathema to Yankee haters, but the championship years had a free free agents/trades who contributed; off the top of my head: O'Neill, Stanley, Martinez, Girardi, Boggs, Strawberry, Raines, Fielder, Key, Rogers, Gooden, Wettland, Nelslon, Knoblauch, Brosius, Charlie Hayes, Chili Davis, Cone, Wells, Stanton, Clemens all had pretty substantial careers elsewhere before coming and helping to win those 4 championships.

So maybe Cabrera and Kennedy is insufficient for Santana; maybe it will be Cabrera, Hughes, Ramirez and two players to be named later. I don't know; like everyone in hotstove league, until the trade is made, it is all just fantasy. Believe it or not I am not privy to the financial plans of the Twins. Of course I realize that other teams have good combinations to offer as well. I think Ellsbury + Buchholz would be a great opening bid in what would surely be long negotiations for Santana.

Cano straight up for Fielder, obviously not going to happen because Fielder is coming off a crazy year, but Cano packaged with a young pitcher might make sense (remember, I didn't make up this trade.) Cano is young (24) with 3 seasons under his belt with 190 hits/year, .314 BA, OPS in the .850 range, which is great for a second baseman. Baseball reference has him comparable to some pretty big names through age 24: Joe Mauer, Tony Lazzeri, Yogi Berra, Bill Dickey, Nomar Garciaparra, Rod Carew. Not that he will be them, but he might.

Fielder had an amazing year this year and maybe that is a portent of things to come and maybe it's a blip. Fielder might become Lou Gehrig but he might become Kent Hrbek (perfectly respectable, but no Josh Gibson). His 162 game average is 154 hits, .280 with an OPS of .915. He obviously has more power than Cano, but a lower average. He's also a 1B/DH and Cano is a 2B. One expects bigger numbers from a first baseman and these sample sizes (2 years and 3 years) are small to project much. But this would be a "completely ludicrous trade", right? Cause you know, if a Yankees fan thinks someone is good, it must be because of the evil media, right?

okay, so I can't say Gehrig is the greatest player ever because it might be some Negro league player, right? well, it might have been some pre-1900 guy from Venezuela as well for all we know.

Traditionally, when one makes a statement about someone being the greatest ever, it is of course understood that this is not 'proveable' one way or the other. it is usually a good natured way to start a debate about how one values different players and different eras.

But of course you knew that. You just have to be a dick.

"Now, for the Yankees, we're trading Melky Cabrera and Ian Kennedy for Johann Santana."

And the reason why the Twins make this trade is?

Well, there are a number of reasons actually. The first is that Santana accounts for almost 20% of the Twins' salary and they are going to lose him after 2008 anyway. So why not get some young value for him now while the getting is good.

The Twins need a CF to replace Torii-with-two-i's. Cabrera is (statistically) better than Hunter was at the same age and is almost ten years younger. He also makes 4% of Hunter's salary. So clearing Santana's $13 million and Hunter's $12 million while locking up Cabrera, a very young player who may be a future super star.

Kennedy is a very good prospect who makes next to nothing. He's 22 years old, climbed three minor league levels last year. Her may not be Santana now or ever, but he has a 94 mph fastball and three other pitchers and he's young. Maybe he's not what you want, but then Alan Horne maybe.

Either way, the point is that MN doesn't have the money the big clubs do and would be stupid to let Santana walk next year without getting anything back. The Yankee have a very deep farm system again and will be using it (and piles of cash that Cashman trips over in his office) to rebuild.

Santana is the jewel in the crown this year. Hank wants to make a splash. I put the odds at 50-50 that we see the big man in pinstripes next year.