According to a source, the Minnesota Twins are mulling over the Red Sox “final offer” which doesn’t include Jacoby Ellsbury (several million New Englanders sigh in relief) or Clay Buchholz for their prized ace Johan Santana.
If they do accept the deal, which would include Jon Lester, Coco Crisp, Justin Masterson and Jed Lowrie, and possibly one other prospect from A-ball, the Sox would then have three days to come to a financial agreement with Santana.
Basically, the deal is in place awaiting only the Twins OK and Santana’s signature.
The source also said signing Santana would not be an automatic signing, especially if the numbers we are hearing, $25 million per year, are truly legitimate.
The Sox would probably be willing to go around $22 million, with incentives (like he needs them at the price), that could take Santana to the $25 million he is looking for.
That means six years at about $132 million.
They realize that Josh Beckett would be banging the door down, maybe this offseason for a renegotiation and/or extension in the $20 million per range.
Stay tuned. I will be following this throughout the day and evening.
