Give it time

In the aftermath of the Johan Santana trade, it seems as though the comment boards on articles and blogs have become a "bash Bill Smith" wall. Who are we to be so critical right off the bat? I know Johan is worth a lot, maybe and probably more than we got for him, but the Minnesota fans that are trying to analyze this trade and find the negatives need to lay off. As a Twins fan for life, I've seen them through the good and the (very) bad. But as a real Twins fan, I have as much faith in our scouting system as I do in anything. If you go back and look at previous trades, it just shows that Minnesota generally knows what they're doing. If you look at this trade realistically, Bill Smith would not just give away Johan for nothing. I've heard people say he was backed into a corner, or he waited too long or whatever, but I strongly believe Smith did the right thing. I follow Minor League Baseball, but I'm not going to pretend to know about these guys we got from the Mets. All I know about them is what I've read from reputable sources. Nobody really know whether these guys will pan out or not. What gives us the right to jump on Smiths back just because we don't know what will happen? If you are a true Twins fan, give it some time. Nobody thought the AJ Pierzynski for Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser trade would work out, and now look at us. Have faith in our scouts and our General Manager. This upcoming season very well might not turn out the way we were hoping as Twins fans, but if we finish third or fourth in the division, that's not disappointing, it's just frustrating. Every team eventually has to start fresh at new positions with young players. I've heard the term "rebuilding" thrown around when referring to the Twins, but I don't see how anybody could tag the Twins as rebuilding next year when we just signed Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer and recently acquired Delmon Young to complement Joe Mauer in the lineup. The season might not be the best; We may finish below .500, we may miss the playoffs, we may make the playoffs and win the World Series, but until that time comes when these prospects that we got from the Mets either flop or help us win, everybody should back off of Bill Smith and just give him a chance for him to show us what he's made of.

Prospects acquired for Johan Santana:

1. Carlos Gomez (Outfield): Height-6'4"

Weight-195

Throws/Bats-R/R

Upside-Great defensively, very fast with decent power.

2. Deolis Guerra (Pitcher): Height-6'5"

Weight-200

Throws-R

Upside-Young (18 years old), above-average changeup.

3. Philip Humber (Pitcher): Height-6'4"

Weight-210

Throws-R

Upside-Good control

4. Kevin Mulvey (Pitcher): Height-6'1"

Weight-170

Throws-R

Upside-Good command, mixes pitches well