Hot Stove Update

SANTANA! SANTANA! SANTANA! It seems to be all Santana talk, all the time around the Red Sox hot stove lately. So let’s jump in and take a look at what all is going on with Santana… and also with the guys on the team and other trade possibilities not named Johan Santana

There is no doubt Santana is being shopped, and there is no doubt the Red Sox are interested- but there have been conflicting reports about which Sox players are on potentially on the table– and who, if anyone, is considered an “untouchable”. The big three of concern are Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury. Although SI reported earlier in the week that Jacoby Ellsbury was untouchable, this information has been disputed by the Herald, the Globe… and by Theo himself.

“There are no untouchables,” Epstein said. “If there’s an opportunity to get better, we’ll do it. We believe in those guys. Their value to us is legitimate. We’re not eager to get rid of them.”

However, even if there are no untouchables, the current position of the Sox is that while Lester, Buchholz and Ellsbury are all potentials, they would only trade ONE of that group in any one deal. The potential swap package getting the most ink this week is Jon Lester, Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie and Justin Masterson/Michael Bowden.

A major factor to be taken into account is Santana’s no-trade clause. He has complete control over where he ends up- and reports are that he will not consider waiving that full no-trade clause unless his new team grants him a contract extension. Reportedly, Santana will be looking for something in the range of $20 million-$25 million annually over 5-7 seasons. So, even after working out a deal with the Twins, the Sox would still need to work out a deal with Santana himself before any trade could be completed- so it’s not going to be a quick process.

What do the current Sox think about the possibility of Santana in home whites? Jonathan Papelbon and Curt Schilling both expressed excitement at the prospect- and Papelbon in particular said on WEEI this morning that he was in favor of a Lester-Crisp-Lowrie-Masterson package (but thought the team needed to keep Ellsbury).

I like it (the Lester-Crisp-Lowrie-Masterson package). Here’s how you gotta look at it, it’s simple, you put together a team to try to win a championship every offseason right? OK, if you can do that, and obtain a guy that could help you do that, which you know he can help do that, you do it. Yes, you do have a lot of faith in these young kids, but whoever may be in the equation as a young kid, you don’t know what they’re gonna do at a big-league level. You don’t know if they’re capable of being on a championship club. You know that with Santana.

And Curt Schilling is just as thrilled at the prospect of adding Santana to the Sox rotation:

Cool. The thought of (Sox ace Josh) Beckett and Santana coming out and matching up with somebody is impressive. It’s exciting. I know that if he’s on the market like people say he is, I promise (GM Theo Epstein has) talked to them and he’s going to measure the price tag. We’re not in a win-it-now mode – that’s our mode every year. We’re not operating out of our element. He’s not going to sacrifice the future.

Another Sox player who would be pleased to see the trade go through with Coco Crisp headed to Minnesota is Bobby Kielty, who is very realistic when assessing his place on the team. Kielty is a classic fourth outfielder, and with Crisp and Ellsbury both on the team, he doesn’t really have a place– but if Coco is gone, that vacates a slot that he can fill. “I really need to play in the best situation,” Kielty said. “With Coco not there, it is a very good situation for me in terms of playing time. . . . But with Coco there, it’s not an ideal situation for me.” Bobby has been contacted by three National League teams, but is waiting to see if there’s a place for him in Boston before moving on to other opportunities.

Jon Lester is most assuredly not as excited about the possibility of a Santana trade, as it would most likely signal the end of his days in a Sox uni. Jon was asked about the trade rumors swirling around him:

“Until [general manager Theo Epstein] calls me, I don’t worry about it,” Lester said Wednesday. “If it happens, it’s something I will have to deal with at that point. Most of the time, it’s just speculation. Dan Haren and Johan Santana, that’s not bad. Those are two great pitchers to have your name involved with in a trade, but I want to be here for a long time and win more World Series.”

Theo Epstein indicated that the likelihood of hearing news on a trade before Winter Meetings start on Monday, involving Santana or otherwise, is slim — but that the front office is working on things behind the scenes.

“We have nothing to announce,” Theo said. “Nothing imminent. We’re going to keep on working right up until the meetings, but if I had to guess I would say probably nothing to announce before the meetings. Just because we’re focused on [the bench and the bullpen] doesn’t mean we’re not going to look at other opportunities to get better,” he said. “We’ll see if anything presents itself and we’ll be aggressive as we usually are . . . We’re pleased with the position we are in. We think we have a really nice mix of veterans and young players at the big-league level, and another wave or two of talented young players coming through our farm system who should make an impact.”

And in news not involving Johan Santana…

The deadline to offer arbitration to former players who are free agents is tomorrow, December 1st. That means the Red Sox will have until midnight tomorrow to offer arbitration to free agents Eric Gagne and Mike Timlin (the Type B free agents), as well as Matt Clement, Bobby Kielty, Eric Hinske and Doug Mirabelli. The Boston Herald reported that the Sox will “most likely” offer arbitration to TImlin and Gagne, and though no one seems to have an idea what Timlin’s planning to do, reportedly Eric Gagne would accept the offer if extended. Since both are Type B free agents, if either one chooses to sign with another team rather than accept arbitration, the Sox would receive a compensatory draft pick from the new signing team.

Additionally, the Sox can have four 3+ year veterans eligible for arbitration: Brendan Donnelly, Javier Lopez, Kyle Snyder and Kevin Youkilis — although I have not seen or heard any news about the likelihood of any of them not working out agreement on a contract before the December 12th deadline. I put together an Arbitration Primer a couple of weeks ago, check that out for more details on what arbitration is and how it works.

The Sox signed Lee Gronkiewicz, a 29 year-old free agent minor league relief pitcher, to a contract earlier in the week. Gronk is a California native, who played college ball for South Carolina, and also played on this year’s USA Baseball World Cup Team. Here’s a great (and funny) profile on Gronk by some Jays fans written up earlier in the month.