All Things Bubba

Well, despite all the reports that a deal would be signed with the Sox last night, 24 hours later, Johan Santana is still a Twin. I'm starting to think the Twins aren't serious about trading him. They're like those people who put their houses on the market to see what people will pay, but have no intention of actually selling.

At least, not yet. Santana will likely be traded before spring training, but I suspect the Twinkies are in no rush. They'll try to get as many teams into the bidding as possible, for as long as possible, trying to wangle the best deal.

As for the Yankees...I think they're still interested, but perhaps not as interested as they were before Andy Pettitte agreed to return. Pettitte gives them the lefty ace they needed. And his $16 million salary makes it harder for the Yanks to afford the $20 million a year or so Santana is likely to get. Even the Yankees have limits. Their payroll is now about $200 million, and likely to rise as they sign more players and work out deals with the arbitration eligible guys.

Which doesn't mean they wouldn't shell out for Santana if the Twins ever get serious about trading him. Yes, the Yankees have a lot of talented young starting pitchers, but none are left-handed. And given how loaded Boston is with pitching these days, well, the Yankees will spend what it takes to compete.

The Reds made some moves today. They traded Buck Coats, DFA'd last week, to Toronto for a PTBNL or cash. And they released Jorge Cantu. That last surprised a lot of Reds fans. Apparently, Cantu was arbitration-eligible. The Reds made him an offer, and he turned it down. They liked him, but not enough to pay as much as he was likely to get in arbitration. So he'll become a free agent.

If Andy Phillips clears waivers, he'll become a free agent on Friday.