NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -The New York Yankees want an answer from Minnesota.
Now.
Refusing to bid against rival Boston any longer, the Yankees insist they’ll probably pull out of trade talks for ace Johan Santana if the Twins don’t make a decision on New York’s offer by late Monday.
“We’ll see how it goes, but this is not an act. It’s not a bluff. It’s just reality,” Yankees senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner said Sunday.
“Because as much as I want Santana, and you can make that clear – for his sake, to know that I do want him – but the fact is that I’m not going to play the game. We’ve made them the best offer. And at this point, it’s not going to get any better. So they can decide. At this point, it’s up to them. I don’t think they want to lose us in this thing, obviously. Nobody wants to lose the Yankees in a negotiation.”
The Yankees have proposed swapping pitcher Phil Hughes, center fielder Melky Cabrera and a midlevel prospect for the two-time Cy Young Award winner, who can become a free agent after next season.
The Red Sox also are competing to land Santana. Boston is thought to have offered a package that would include pitcher Jon Lester or center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, but not both. Center fielder Coco Crisp also could be part of a trade.
Steinbrenner wouldn’t set a specific time Monday for pulling out.
“I’m not going to be played against the Red Sox. That’s not something I’ll do. That’s not something the Yankees should ever do, and that’s I think what they’re trying to do now,” he said, referring to the Twins. “So if they want the best offer that has been offered to them, then they need to make up their minds.”
A trade likely would have to be made on a conditional basis, giving the Yankees, Red Sox or another team 72 hours to work out a long-term contract for Santana, who is owed $13.25 million next season. Steinbrenner said the Yankees didn’t want to wait too long, miss out on Santana and then find it was too late to get involved in talks for other pitchers, such as Oakland’s Dan Haren.
“We need to get things straightened out, and not wait around for them to run back to Boston and back to us, and then back to Boston,” he said. “I’m not going to do that.”
Other prominent players also could be traded at the winter meetings, which run from Monday to Thursday. The Los Angeles Angels have pursued Florida third baseman Miguel Cabrera, and the Baltimore Orioles might be shopping shortstop Miguel Tejada.
“I think there’s going to be a lot of trades because the free-agent market is so poor,” Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi said. “We like our club. We’ve just got to stay healthy. For us, it’s going to have to be a blockbuster, because if it’s not, we like our team.”
One player who dominated last year’s meetings isn’t likely to make an impact this year. While Barry Bonds personally met with the Giants last December in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., San Francisco doesn’t want to re-sign the home run king – and it’s unclear whether any team is interested following his indictment last month on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.
His first court appearance in San Francisco is set for Friday.
First up on the agenda is Monday morning’s Hall of Fame announcement by the new Veterans Committee, which met for the first time Sunday. After charges of cronyism, the Veterans Committee was opened to all Hall of Famers, but no one was voted in during balloting in 2003, 2005 and 2007. The format was changed again, and this time present and former management types dominate the panels.
Former players’ union head Marvin Miller and former Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley head the executives/pioneers’ ballot, and Billy Martin, Whitey Herzog and Doug Harvey are on the managers/umpires’ ballot.
On Tuesday, GMs will likely vote on new standards for head protection for base coaches and will again discuss what type of instant replay proposal they would like commissioner Bud Selig to consider.
It’s not likely the GMs will run across each other accidentally at the Opryland, a hotel so big that guests are handed maps to find their rooms. Under the vast glass atriums there are 2,881 rooms, Delta river boats, a 44-foot waterfall and “A Country Christmas” show that attracts tourists but is of little or no interest to baseball bosses.
Agents also will be seeking to persuade teams to sign their clients. On Sunday, Houston finalized a $16.5 million, three-year contract with second baseman Kaz Matsui. San Diego and NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy could have a contract extension within the next several days.
But in this place, it takes a long time to get to meetings.
“Last time, I took a wrong turn, and I was lost for 20 minutes,” agent Scott Boras said.
Next year’s meetings will have an even livelier setting, one that could increase attendance among players: The venue is the Beluga in Las Vegas.
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AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick and AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen contributed to this report.
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