Are Johan's Salary Demands Keeping Him In Minnesota?

The consensus seems to be that the reason the Twins haven't traded Johan Santana yet is because they haven't gotten an offer from anybody they think is fair. Or maybe it's just that they're holding out and letting potential trade partners try to outbid each other for their services.

But what if it's neither of those things that are keeping Johan in Minnesota right now. What if the reason the Twins need to move Johan is the reason they can't? Nobody is willing to pay Johan what he wants.

The Mets think they have the players – Carlos Gomez, Fernando Martinez, Mike Pelfrey and Kevin Mulvey – to top the Red Sox' latest offer. The question is whether the Wilpon family is willing to write a fat enough check to satisfy Santana. Indeed, the greatest obstacle to bringing Santana to Shea may not be the Twins; it could be the left-hander's desire to make $25 million a year.

"No way," said one person familiar with the Mets' financial picture. Not when the game's richest pitcher, Barry Zito, is making a mere $18 million per. Paying Santana 40 percent more than Zito is crazy to anyone except the impossibly rich Yankees. Not even the Red Sox seem eager to go that high, which may explain why the Twins have yet to complete the deal with GM Theo Epstein.

It's hard to argue that anybody is worth $25 million a year, but if Alex Rodriguez is worth at least that much as the game's best hitter, isn't it only logical the game's best pitcher should be worth just as much? After all, doesn't the old adage say that pitching wins championships?

If a team really wants Johan's services, they're going to have to accept the fact he's going to cost that much. Whether you trade for him now, or wait until he hits free agency, he's going to cost you $25 million a year. If the Red Sox or Mets are serious about keeping him away from the Yankees, they'll have to pull the trigger eventually. If they don't, the Yankees will have no problem paying him that kind of money after the season, and they won't have to give up Philip Hughes or Melky Cabrera to do it.