Conspiracy Theorists Abound

We've all looked at the results of the Mets-Twins trade this past week; we've seen the super-mega-excellent contract extension that Johan managed to land despite not being a free agent; finally, we've seen the miserable pack of prospects that Minnesota was able to drag in out of the cold. What we haven't seen is any sort of proof backing up the whispers of conspiracy being uttered across cyberspace. "The Mets gave up what? Minnesota got what? There must have been a wink-wink nudge-nudge deal between the Yankees and the Red Sox." That's right, folks, we're talking collusion and conspiracy.

I call BS.

Look, Minnesota really got a raw deal here. If I were a fan in the Twin Cities I would be screaming for blood. Unfortunately, there's nobody to blame here but Bill Smith and Carl Pohlad. Smith, in my opinion, misread the desire of the Sox and Yankees to have Santana in their rotation. At the Winter Meetings the iron was hottest with both teams ready to bring him in and move on with the offseason. As the days turned into weeks tuned into months, all of baseball began to look at the potential deals differently.

For the Big Two, the announcement of their luxury tax payments was likely the first push in the direction of not trading with Minnesota. The Twins tried to play chicken with both front offices and basically ask for Boston and New York's top five lists. There again, another push. If Minnesota was so convinced that the loss of Santana would be eventually made up for by these prospects, was it even worth getting rid of them in the first place? C.C. Sabathia, big hulk of a left-hander that he is, should be up on the free agent block next season. Even if he commands a contract in the same ballpark as Santana, it won't be accompanied by the loss of the cream of the farm system's crop.

I know that the union and a number of players and pundits got their backs up when Theo Epstein and Larry Beinfest had a GMs-only closed door meeting to discuss needs and wants in December, but since the initial barking their has been no bite in any form. To go further, both Theo and Brian Cashman are smart enough individuals to arrive at the decision to hold their cards instead of throwing them all away on one man. They don't need to talk to each other to make what were ultimately wise decisions.

Bill Smith screwed the pooch on this one. He waited too long and was unable get what he wanted. Come to think of it, Smith may even have been better waiting until midseason to try and trade Santana. At least then there would be teams in the position to say "OK, Santana will put us over the hump and in the best position to win." Instead he blew it, and can only hope that Delmon Young ends up a lifetime Twin and Hall of Famer.