Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays Complete Blockbuster Deal

Speculation as to what major moves the Minnesota Twins would make this off-season has been one of the highlights of the MLB off-season. Rumors have circulated regarding the suspected departure of superstar pitcher Johan Santana. After watching prized Torri Hunter being signed away by the Los Angeles Angels it was evident that the Twins needed to fill the void. It was speculated that the Twins would acquire a new centerfielder in a deal involving Santana.

Early Thursday rumors began to surface that the Twins were discussing a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. It was obvious that the Rays would not be able to afford the high priced Santana. Pundits were left to speculate as to what pieces each team would be moving and to what benefit. Late Thursday night the speculation was answered as a trade was announced.

Minnesota will receive Delmon Young, Brendan Harris, and Jason Pridie. Tampa will receive Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, and Eduardo Morlan.

For Minnesota, the center piece of this deal is the acquisition of Delmon Young. Young will be able to step into center field immediately and help fill the void left by Torri Hunter. Young was the first overall pick in the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft by Tampa. This youngster has shown impressive talent and has earned his high draft selection. This year Young batted .288 along with 13 home runs, 93 RBI, 65 runs and 10 stolen bases. Young is the prototypical five tool player and will continue to progress as a player for the next several years. 2007 was Young's first full year in the majors and has plenty of room to grow while manning center field in Minnesota. Due to still being under a rookie contract, Young will be relatively cheap, which is incredibly important for the mid-market Twins. The Twins cannot afford to shell out the major cash for players.

The acquisition of Harris was important because the Twins gave up starting shortstop Jason Bartlett. Look or Harris to fill the starting spot for the Twins while filling in at the bottom of the batting order. Jason Pridie is a talented outfield prospect that was simply caught in the backlog of quality outfields in the Tampa organization. Look for Pridie to be given a chance to exceed in the Twins organization and possibly even make it to the majors at some point in the future. The immediate impact of his acquisition is negligible at best.

The Rays look to be clear winners in this trade by working to minimize their greatest needs. Since their inception, the Rays pitching has been laughable at best. Both the bullpen and starting rotation have struggled mightily. However, there is a fresh sense of hope with the starting rotation. Mainly, this hope is due to the emergence of Jamie Shields, and Scott Kazmir. The addition of Matt Garza will further strengthen the rotation. Garza was selected by the Twins in the first round of the 2005 draft. During his stints at the major league level he has shown flashes of brilliance. Garza can only improve upon his five win and seven loss record. He posted an impressive 3.69 era and showed he has the necessary skill to succeed at the Major league level. Look for him to be a solid number three starter in 2008 and to further improve the Rays' pitching.

Eduardo Morlan further improves the long term pitching prospects of Tampa. Morlan is a highly regarded bullpen prospect that should make the team at the major league level in the coming years. Tampa is continuing to stockpile pitching talent, an effort that started with the most recent draft. Tampa has finally realized that in spite of their offensive talent they need pitching to win. This trade has drastically improved their pitching outlook.

The acquisition of Jason Bartlett will improve the shortstop situation for Tampa. Since the departure of Julio Lugo there has been a void at this position. Look for Bartlett to step up into the starting posting and fill the void adequately.

Both teams have improved themselves in areas of needs as a result of this team. This trade made sense for both teams. Expect little other action from Tampa this off-season. However, for Minnesota the elephant in the room remains. Executive around baseball are eagerly awaiting official word on where the superstar will play in 2008. Many executives are scrambling to create new trade offers to obtain the stud pitcher as most deals contained quality center fielders according to rumors. With Minnesota's center field void filled they can now demand other prospects. For now, all we can do is wait and see what the next blockbuster trade is going to be.

Source:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/11/28/rays.twins.trade.ap/index.html