Published: January 29, 2008 05:30 pm            

Mets, Twins reach tentative deal for Santana

NEW YORK (AP) — The Minnesota Twins reached a tentative agreement Tuesday to trade Johan Santana to the New York Mets.

After months of deliberation, the Twins agreed to send the two-time Cy Young Award winner to the Mets for outfielder Carlos Gomez, and pitchers Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey, a person familiar with the deal said.

The next step is for the Mets to negotiate a contract extension with Santana, who is eligible for free agency after this season. Santana is owed $13.25 million this year and likely will seek an extension of at least five years worth $20 million annually.

Teams are given 72-hour windows to reach agreements on contracts in tentative trades. If the Mets and Santana reach an agreement, players would have to pass physicals.

The tentative agreement was first reported by USA Today on its Web site.

        

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