Most sources have Boston staying firm in their Lester, Coco, and Lowrie offer while the Yankees have added Hughes to their package. The Twins still want more from each club. The Yankees may have put a deadline on the Twins to accept their offer while Red Sox do not need to rush into a deal. It looks like the Twins have their best offer from both teams and have to make a choice which could include waiting until July to trade him. Since the A's are willing to trade Haren both teams may turn their attention away from Santana leaving teams like the Mets and Mariners in the mix. The Yankees have money and young talent to trade for Santana but they know that going after All-Star veterans does not guarantee anything. Randy Johnson, Jeff Weaver, and Javier Vasquez did not live up to the hype in New York. Maybe Hank or as Bill Simmons calls him "the Spalding Smails of his generation," knows more than George but it is doubtful after watching the A-Rod events. The winter meetings will tell if Twins rookie GM Bill Smith has overplayed his hand and at the same time brought about the wrath of Twins fans.
UPDATE: According to Buster Olney the Sox have changed their offer by substituting Ellsbury for Lester and adding pitcher Justin Masterson.
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The buzz continues around a deal for Johan Santana but at a much lower level. The Sox are reportedly talking more with the Twins than the Mets or Yankees lately but there are no indications that Boston has changed their offer significantly. The Twins want to get a deal done soon to restructure their team and Boston needs to figure out what is going to happen with Coco. Crisp's agent told the Herald this week that he will not accept a backup role in '08. I don't think he would have much of a choice if he is not traded; Ellsbury has won the job.
