Seems that this deal is official enough to evaluate. We know for a fact that the Twins will receive Carlos Gomez, Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey, and Deolis Guerra. The general consensus seems to be that Twins GM Bill Smith passed on other offers that were better than this.
If Smith had taken the Yankees’ best offer, he’d have an MLB-ready pitcher who was very recently regarded as the game’s best pitching prospect (Phil Hughes). He’d also have a solid regular center fielder in Melky Cabrera. And the Twins would’ve gotten a couple of upside players on top of that.
Boston’s top offer was better as well. The Twins could’ve filled center field, shortstop, and closer needs immediately with Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, and Justin Masterson.
But that’s just my take. The best folks to evaluate the Twins’ return will be Baseball America, Keith Law, and Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein. The Twins could very well come out smelling like a rose; they just chose riskier, less proven players. As for the Mets, Omar Minaya deserves all the accolades for acquiring the best pitcher in baseball without surrendering his top prospect or anyone from the big league club.
