LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Santana: Minnesota Twins
built 292 days ago
The competition for Santana’s services is unlikely to be resolved based on money alone. The team that lands him, whichever it is, will certainly pony up for a contract extension of 6-7 years at $150 million. Instead, the question is: which team can put together the trade package that the Twins will finally bite on?
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Santana is 93-44 with a 3.22 ERA in eight major-league seasons, winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2004 and 2006 with the Twins. He has been less successful in the playoffs, going 1-3 with a 3.97 ERA.
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Smith has said he would be content to have Santana back in the rotation next year. If Santana leaves as a free agent, Minnesota would receive two high amateur draft picks as compensation. That’s what happened when Torii Hunter left last month to sign with the Los Angeles Angels.
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Without a new deal, Santana, who turns 29 in March, could become a free agent after the 2008 World Series, and the Twins don't have the budget to re-sign him. Minnesota offered him an $80 million, four-year extension this offseason, but he turned it down.
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Santana's contract topped the previous mark for pitchers, set when Barry Zito received a $126 million, seven-year deal from the San Francisco Giants last off-season. Santana was due $13.25 million in the final year of his contract with the Twins and would have been eligible for free agency after the World Series.
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After an extended photo shoot and a brief statement, Santana fielded questions at a news conference packed with 139 credentialed media members. The former Minnesota Twins star answered many with cliches, saying he would take things one step at a time and success was a team effort.
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