The recent battle between the Yankees and Red Sox over Johan Santana has taken center stage this offseason, but is he worth what both teams would be giving up. The Yankees would be giving up Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera, and at least one more prospect, while the Twins are demanding two of the following: Jon Lester, Jacoby Elsbury, and Clay Buchholz. Essentially, both teams would be giving up the best of their best prospects.
The other team in the sweepstakes, the Mets, seem to have turned their focus towards another pitcher on the market: Dan Haren. Although the Athletics are looking for a similar package for Haren, GM Billy Beane will probably be more reasonable with his asking price. The Mets may be trying to acquire Haren before the Twins trade Santana, hence not competing with the loser of that bidding war, whether it be the Yankees or Sox.
Personally, I feel Haren is the better option for all clubs involved. He has more years left on his contract than Santana,, and is a few years younger, and does not have nearly as much mileage on him.
As for the Mets chances of landing Haren, they lost a valuable chip when they traded, I mean gave away, Milledge to the Nationals. As much as General Manager Omar Minaya wants to defend the transaction, no sane fan can agree with it, especially after holding him out of various trades in the past (ie: Dontrelle Willis), that could have greatly improved their roster today (ie pitching staff).
Basically, although Dan Haren isn't the most attractive pitcher on the market, he's the smartest investment.
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