The Mike Cameron And Zach Day Implications For A Johan Santana Trade

by faketeams on Jan 12, 2008 7:21 AM EST in Baseball

The Minnesota Twins signed RHP pitcher Zach Day. Coming off shoulder surgery last season, he pitched 36.2 AAA innings for Omaha with a 3.93 ERA but a horrifying 26/11 BB-to-K ratio. This is only noteworthy because Day could provide "veteran" presence if Santana were dealt. My guess, though, is he provides AAA insurance in case one of the five youngsters pitching in the major league rotation struggle mightily regardless of Santana's presence in Minnesota.

Just as rumors of the Yankees' pursuit of CF Mike Cameron began, they ended when he signed a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. Speculation about what a Cameron signing would mean for current CF Melky Cabrera naturally lead to a Santana trade, that idea barely germinated once the Brewers decided to end 3B Ryan Braun's 2008 pursuit of a 40-error season at 3B.

With Cameron in CF, Bill Hall will move to 3B and Braun will go to LF. Multi-position eligibility for Hall and Braun make both players slightly more valuable for fantasy players in 2008. Including RF Corey Hart, Brewers' homers playing fantasy baseball now have an outfield consisting of three players who will exceed 20 Hrs and 20 SBs this season. Go ahead and draft them all!

From Mock Draft Central, here are their current ADPs - Braun 15, Hart 71, and Cameron 254. I expect to see Cameron's rise somewhat but the 25-game suspension to begin the season will prevent him from ever being a reach in any drafts.

While the Yankees could still sign Corey Patterson to play CF if Cabrera is dealt, the chances of replacing Cabrera if he is dealt to Minnesota with a adequate CF from the free agent market has taken a hit. A 2008 OF of Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu now has to be a factor in the Yankees' calculation of the price for Johann Santana.

Update [2008-1-12 9:36:3 by Eric Hz]: From Jeremy Cothran of the New Jersey Star-Ledger:

And that's how the Mets' offer to the Twins will remain -- strictly just prospects. The Mets will not include Jose Reyes in any deal for Santana, despite speculation that he remains a sticking point for Smith. So far, the Mets have reportedly offered OF Carlos Gomez, RHP Kevin Mulvey, RHP Philip Humber and RHP Deolis Guerra, the team's top pitching prospect from Class-A St. Lucie.

The Twins have also reportedly asked for top outfield prospect Fernando Martinez. The Mets are reluctant to include their No. 1 minor-leaguer, but there is feeling among the Mets hierarchy that the necessary steps -- a loaded package of the team's top prospects -- should be taken to acquire a two-time Cy Young winner. The belief is also that money is not a hindrance, despite Santana's wish for a long-term contract extension, that could cost as much as $140 million over seven years.

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