John D Schultz

This is the first trade rumor I’ve heard about Santana that involves specific players.  This one comes via Peter Gammons by way of a post on Babes Love Baseball (one of my more enjoyable reads about baseball).

Apparently, the Twins want Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera and minor league youngster Austin Jackson as a package deal from the New York Yankees for the two-time Cy Young award winner. This may seem like a ridiculous amount of compensation for one 28-year-old pitcher, but when that hurler is considered the best in the biz, all rules are shot out the window.

Note: Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports also has recently linked Santana, Hughes, and Cabrera together. Below, a closer look at each of the players on the table.

Phil Hughes, SP
Hughes was a first round draft pick (23^rd overall) in 2004 of the Yankees. In 2007, Hughes was the second best prospect in Baseball according to Baseball Digest. In 2007, Hughes made his major league debut as a starter for the Yankees. He appeared in 13 games, pitched 72.2 innings, compiled a respectable 1.29 WHIP, and a mediocre 4.46 ERA. Righties batted .210 against him and he posted a gaudy 1.38 ERA when playing on turf. His pitches have been called “deadly” and “devastating” and according to Yankee catcher Jorge Posada, he had the best arm in the 2007 training camp.

Melky Cabrera, CF
The Yankees signed Cabrera at the age of 17 in 2001. In 2007, his second year in the Majors, Cabrera was 4th in the American League in sacrifice flies (9), 5th in sacrifice hits (10), and 6th in triples (8). He also led AL outfielders with 16 assists. The Rangers in exchange for Eric Gagne reportedly asked for Cabrera. Yankee GM Brian Cashman turned down the trade.

Austin Jackson, OF
Jackson was an eighth round draft pick of the Yankees in 2005. In 2007, Jackson saw most of his time spent in the A and High-A Minors. In 60 games, Jackson posted modest numbers at the A level (.260 AVG, .336 OBP, .374 SLG and an OPS of 710). Upon being promoted to High A Jackson seemed to find his swing and showed signs of some power in his bat (.345 AVG, .398 OBP, .566 SLG, and .964 OPS).

While I would like Santana to remain with the Twins, as I wrote earlier, if they cannot get a reasonable five-year contract worked out with him, I believe it is best to explore the trade options. The trade option outlined by Gammons and Passan seems to be a good fit for both teams. The trade would immediately fill the Twins CF position and add another strong arm to their stable of young guns. The Yankees would get an upgrade at pitcher from prospect future star to a current stud pitcher. Johnny Damon would likely be Cabrera’s replacement in centerfield a spot he lost to Cabrera earlier in 2007.  While the loss of Santana would be significant, Hughes would be able to fill his role with a short term step down in talent that would be made up for with his long term potential.  Jackson seems to be a solid player with a bright future ahead of him if he can continue to post numbers like he did in the second half of 2007.  However, his contribution to the organization in the short term would be to bolster our minor leagues that are getting a bit thin on major league position talent.