Revisiting the Johan Santana trade of 2008

More than four years ago, the Mets pulled off a big trade to acquire a big name starting pitcher, and that pitcher was Johan Santana. The move surprised many of us, because we didn't realize that Santana was even on the market. Many of us believed that he had a future in Minnesota, and should have stayed there. The Johan Santana trade has actually affected both sides drastically, and the prospects that the Twins received at the time looked very good. Now, fast foward to 2012, Here's a breakdown of the trade: (2012 stats)

Mets get:

Johan Santana- (recently shut-down for remainder of the season)- 4.85 ERA, 21 starts, 117.0 innings, 8.5 K/9.

Twins get:

Carlos Gomez- (playing for the Brewers)-  .257 batting average, 16 homers, 44 RBI, 30 stolen bases, 110 games, .303 on-base percentage.

Phil Humber- (playing for the White Sox)- 5.81 ERA, 24 appearances, 16 starts, 100.2 innings, 4 strikeouts, threw a perfect game earlier in the season.

Deolis Guerra- (Triple-A stats)- 4.87 ERA, 29 appearances, 8.8 K/9 , 57.1 innings.

Kevin Mulvey- (Double-A stats w/ Mets, retired earlier in the season at age 27)- 5.59 ERA, 13 appearances, 19.1 innings.

As you can see, the trade hasn't really benefited both sides, especially the Twins. I'm not just saying that because I may have a little east coast (Mets) bias in me. Santana has been very injury prone since joining the Mets, but, with the exception to this year, he has been effective when healthy. Keep in mind that the Mets signed Santana to a mega-contract after the 2008 season, so that is ultimately why he is still in Flushing through 2013. As for the Twins, the trade has been a mess. The Gomez and Humber experiments didn't work out, and the two of them, especially Gomez, are seeing regular playing time now with opposing teams. Gomez is a good ballplayer, but occasionally strikes out too often, therefore putting up a poor on-base percentage. Humber is nothing more than a #4 pitcher, even though many thought that he was finally coming into his own as he tossed that perfect game earlier in the season. Guerra, a former top prospect with the Mets, hasn't been able to figure it out in the Twins' organization. He is still 23 years old, so he has some time to develop, but it seems like he has been in the minors for a long long time and may want to consider a different job soon. Mulvey bounced around with a few teams before he returned to the Mets this Spring. He pitched poorly in Double-A, and retired. 

Honestly, it's actually tough to truly say who won this trade. Santana was great with the Mets in 2008, but his contract is a head-scratcher right now and will limit New York's payroll flexibility for next season. The prospects, as you can clearly see, haven't worked out for the Twins but the Twins did in fact get SOMETHING for him. I'm going to say that the Mets won the trade, but that is debatable.