Beating out the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, the Mets reached a tentative agreement Tuesday to acquire two-time Cy Young Award winner, Johan Santana. Minnesota would receive speedy outfielder Carlos Gomez, and pitchers Philip Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey.

Ruling - At last Minaya swings a deal that makes sense for the Mets. Santana joins a rotation that includes Pedro Martinez, John Maine, Oliver Perez, and Orlando Hernandez...giving the Mets the best rotation in the NL East, and one of the better rotations in the league (depending on Pedro and El Duque's health). Despite depleting their farm system, the move makes sense for the Mets. They needed to counter the Phillies moves this winter, and this deal gives the Mets a decisive edge over the Phillies in terms of pitching staffs. Furthermore, good lefthanders usually dominate when coming over from the AL to the NL...and Santana is better than good. Facing weaker lineups should be a walk in the park for Santana. And Minaya was able to keep Pelfrey and Martinez which in itself is a shocker.

As for the Twins, many will say they got a raw deal, and that the Mets offer was nowhere near as good as those offers from the Yankees and the Red Sox. But the Twins got some decent prospects in return. The fact that they did not want to face Santana on a regular basis probably played a small part in the deal. And the reality is: The Mets were the most aggressive bidder, and were rewarded for their efforts. Humber will be a solid starter, and should improve with time. The Twins really wanted Gomez. He has speed to burn, and could swipe 50 bases, but getting on base may be difficult for him. He'll be interesting to watch as he progresses. Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey are probably the best prospects in the deal. Despite reports to the contrary, Mulvey could become a staff ace with some refinement.

Had the Red Sox offered Ellsbury AND Lester, the Twins probably would have made the deal, but Boston was reluctant to include both. Phillip Hughes and Melky Cabrera would have made sense, but the Twins were slow to respond, and the Yankees had second thoughts...thus Santana is now a New York Met.

The Twins are in a semi-rebuilding mode, but if Liriano can come back, he could pick up where Santana left off. As for the Mets, this puts them back at the head of the class in the NL East. The Phillies have the better offense, and the Mets have the better pitching staff. How it turns out.....well, stay tuned.

Court Adjourned!