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December 6, 2007
If you liked Johan Week, you'll love Johan Month. Or Johan Winter.
It's looking more and more like the Red Sox' pursuit of Johan Santana -- or at least the Twins' shopping of him -- will continue far beyond the end of the winter meetings today. Cutting through the noise coming out of Nashville (it's close, it's not close, they're in, they're out), it seems clear Minnesota wants more than Boston is offering, but can't get anyone to top the Sox' bid. And the Sox, conversely, refuse to bid against themselves. So unless Hank Steinbrenner finally has to scratch that itch, it looks like the Twins' real decision will be to accept one of the two packages the Red Sox have on the table or hang onto Santana.
Sean McAdam reports from Nashville that the Sox are perfectly content to play the waiting game. Joe McDonald, meanwhile, talked to Jacoby Ellsbury, who's on pins and needles in Oregon, hoping he gets to stay with the Sox. (Both stories projo.com)
In meantime, here's more from around the country . . .
-- Yahoo! Sport's Tim Brown says the Sox ''have warmed to the idea [of a Santana trade] . . . after questioning the merits of the deal.''
-- Jon Heyman of SI.com reports the Mets are trying to get into the hunt. But unless they include Jose Reyes in the deal -- which they apparently are not inclined to do -- they're not going to get him. (Newsday)
-- Josh Beckett says he won't mind if the Sox acquire Santana and pay him, literally, twice what they're paying him. He does insist on being the Opening Day starter, though. (Boston Herald)
HERE AND THERE: The newest Tiger, Dontrelle Willis, has his own blog. Safe to say he doesn't have a ghostwriter . . . His old team, the Marlins, may have a roster of 25 players averaging about $500,000 each in salary, which David Pinto points out would make the team profitable but would completely go against the spirit of the law of revenue-sharing. The rule, he says, was meant to provide teams with the means to compete economically, not ''be a cash cow for cheap owners.'' . . . It's Andruw Jones to the Dodgers, though not for nearly the contract that Scott Boras was yakking about all summer (Foxsports.com).
OLD FRIENDS: Nomar Garciaparra and his wife, Mia Hamm, were in Boston yesterday for the Northeastern University Sport in Society’s “True Heroes of Sport” Awards Gala and both say they're delighted at the Red Sox' recent run of success (Boston Herald) . . . Matt Murton, who went to the Cubs with Nomar at the trading deadline in 2004, is rumored to be part of a deal that would send the Orioles' Brian Roberts to Chicago (Baltimore Sun) . . . Wily Mo Pena is close to signing an extension with the Nationals (mlb.com) . . . Carlos Pena will probably accept a one-year deal from the Rays (Tampa Tribune).
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone 
at 7:51 AM | Permalink
