The trade the Mets should make.

If you hear about this over the coming months, just remember where it originated...

Here’s my letter to a writer over at the Pioneer Press:

As a baseball fan I cannot help but be fascinated by the saga of Johan Santana - a two time Cy Young Award winner reaching the market?! It makes me salivate.

Then again, isn’t this the kind of thing that baseball dreams are made of? Isn’t Santana the kind of player that can bring back significant value in a trade if moved well ahead of free agency or moved with a sign and trade kind of deal?

Besides, do Twins fans really want to see Johan Santana in a Yankees uniform? Does any baseball fan outside of the Yankee fan really want to see that? I know I don't!

That's because I’m a Mets fan and if I had my way, I'd be banging on Omar Minaya’s door right now to do everything in his power to put together a deal that makes sense for both teams.

Since salary is an issue for the Twins and they need to get value back, what would it sound like on your end for a trade of Johan Santana for Lastings Milledge, Mike Pelfrey and Aaron Heilman? That's a 22 year old outfielder who looks to only get better (and is a base stealing threat), a 23 rookie righthanded pitcher with a big upside and a 29 year old righty reliever who has worked as a swing man but could slot into a starting rotation or potentially close.

I think it’s one of those trades that make sense for both teams.

Then again, maybe I should be wary - the last time the Mets made a deal like that with the Twins, the Twins walked away with an All-Star closer (Rick Aguilera).

Still, I wonder if you put it out there for Twins fans, what they would think of the trade. These things have to start somewhere.