With just a week until the GM Winter Meetings, there was little in ways of Johan Santana news. Both New York tabloids did have stories about him while neither of the Boston dailies did. Nor did the Providence Journal. Maybe all of the Northeast is too shocked at the near-Patriots loss to update their websites?
Mark Feinsand of the NY Daily News reports Steinbrenner will be in new York this week for the annual budget meetings and wonders if that budget has enough room for a $25MM pitcher. Given $16MM Bobby Abreu, $20MM Jason Giambi, $10MM Carl Pavano and $11.5MM Mike Mussina come off the books following the 2008 season, I think the Yankees do.
The offer to land Santana is slightly different than the one reported by Peter Gammons yesterday - Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera and Austin Jackson. Feinsand goes with an offer that could also include third-year 2B Robinson Cano. While the players are different, it is the same iteration.
George King of the New York Post offers something more. He wonders if "a package of Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Melky Cabrera...be enough to top other clubs?"
I'm not so sure the Yankees would deal two of the three pitchers as King queries, but I am sure the framework of the deal is almost set in media stone.