The Yankees are out of the Johan Santana derby, Hank Steinbrenner told The New York Times.

“The deadline is the deadline,” Steinbrenner told the newspaper in a story published on the Times’ website moments ago. “I extended it a few hours more, and that was it. So it’s done.”

Meanwhile, the Tigers reportedly pulled the stunner of the offseason, getting Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins for a package that includes former first-round draft picks Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller.

Wow.

I think the Tigers’ deal is more incentive for the Twins to continue their rebuilding project. And just when it happens, the Yankees pull out from the Santana talks.

Now, keep in mind, Steinbrenner has gone back on his word before. He did it just last month with A-Rod. But there does seem to be a sense that by re-signing Andy Pettitte, the baseball people talked Steinbrenner out of a deal they didn’t want to make because it meant parting with super prospect Phil Hughes.

Well, here are a couple ways the Tigers’ trade could affect the Twins:

(*) The Angels and Dodgers were both trying to trade for Cabrera, and missing out on that front could spur both to make a bigger push for Santana. Both teams are loaded with prospects. With the Yankees out and the Red Sox drawing their own line in the sand, perhaps the Angels or Dodgers will swoop in and give the Twins what they want.

(*) This could be more incentive to rebuild. Not a five-year rebuilding plan, but perhaps a strategy to use 2008 to build themselves into a powerhouse team for 2009 and beyond. That means moving Santana and Joe Nathan, both potential free agents after next season, to patch other holes with premium young talent.

Even if Santana and Nathan are retained, the chances of the Twins winning the AL Central just got slimmer. Assuming the Marlins’ deal goes through, the Tigers will have added Cabrera, Willis and Edgar Renteria to a very good team. And Cleveland will return almost the same team that advanced to this year’s ALCS.

Time for a deep breath. It feels like the walls are closing in around Twins GM Bill Smith. Stay tuned.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 4th, 2007 at 7:03 pm and is filed under Around MLB, Twins thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.