So says Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press. According to Walters, tired of the excruciatingly slow process, Johan Santana gave the Twins somewhat of an ultimatum, informing the team that if he were not traded by Tuesday, he would refuse to waive his no-trade clause and would play out the upcoming season with the Twins before filing for free agency at year's end. Under that scenario, Minnesota would have received nothing more than two compensatory draft picks - disaster for a small market team looking to stockpile assets. So instead, Santana was shipped to the Mets, whom Walters calls "the team of [Santana's] choice."
This isn't the first time we've heard rumblings that Santana may have preferred to land with the Mets all along, where not only will he benefit from pitching in a pitcher's park to less intimidating NL lineups, but he will also be reunited with pal Luis Castillo, and, evidently a pitcher who loves to hit, will get the opportunity to flex his lifetime .258 average at the dish.
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