Hot- Stove

Santana passed his physical Saturday, finalizing the ballyhooed swap that sent him to New York for four prospects: outfielder Carlos Gomez and right-handers Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra.

After an offseason of shopping the two-time AL Cy Young Award winner, Minnesota considered hanging onto him. Without a new deal, Santana, who will turn 29 next month, could have become a free agent following this year’s World Series. The Twins offered him an $80 million, four-year extension, but he turned it down.

The Mets and Twins announced the trade one day after Santana agreed to a $137.5 million, six-year contract with New York – record riches for a pitcher. With an option for a seventh season, the deal could be worth $157 million. The left-hander gets $19 million this year, $20 million in 2009, $21 million in 2010, $22.5 million in 2011, $24 million in 2012 and $25.5 million in 2013, according to terms obtained by The Associated Press. The Mets have a $25 million option for 2014 with a $5.5 million buyout, and the option could become guaranteed based on Santana’s innings and finish in postseason award voting. Of each year’s salary, including the option season, $5 million will be deferred.

Johan Santana and the New York Mets agreed Friday to a $150.75 million, seven-year contract, a record for a pitcher and the last major step needed to finalize the team’s blockbuster trade with Minnesota. After the sides were granted an extra two hours to work on a deal, the Mets announced about 30 minutes before the new 7 p.m. EST deadline that negotiations had concluded. The pitcher was scheduled to take a physical Saturday.

Santana’s contract topped the previous mark for pitchers, set when Barry Zito received a $126 million, seven-year deal from the San Francisco Giants last offseason. Santana was due $13.25 million in the final year of his contract with the Twins, and would have been eligible for free agency after the World Series.

The only players with larger packages are New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez ($275 million), Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter ($189 million) and Boston outfielder Manny Ramirez ($160 million).

Santana’s average annual salary of $21.5 million is second only to A-Rod’s $27.5 million. Among pitchers with multiyear contracts, it topped the $18.3 million of the Chicago Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano.

Omar Minaya kept telling rival executives this winter that he was going to land a star pitcher, a guy who could lead his rotation, and a month ago, none of his peers imagined how that could happen. But on Tuesday afternoon, the New York Mets agreed to a tentative deal with the Minnesota Twins for arguably the best pitcher on the planet, Johan Santana, for a package of four prospects.

Santana has a full no-trade clause and can veto the deal unless he gets a contract extension, and it’s expected that the Mets and Santana will begin negotiating as soon as possible. New York and Santana have until 5 p.m. EST Friday to reach an agreement, a baseball official told The Associated Press, on condition of anonymity. Deadlines have been extended in the past, however.

If Santana agrees to a deal — and it is thought he will seek a six-year, $150 million contract — then he also would have to pass a physical.

In return for Santana, the Twins would receive center fielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Phil Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra — a package which some talent evaluators believe could be the fourth-best offer that Minnesota received during this process.

Santana completely controls his fate because of the full no-trade clause that he possesses, and he asked the Twins to make a decision, which is why Minnesota imposed the Tuesday deadline for offers from interested teams. It is not known if the left-hander explicitly informed the Twins that he would invoke his no-trade clause for the rest of the year and then file for free agency after the 2008 season, but that has always been his right. It appears that the Twins took his request seriously.

The Twins had the option of keeping Santana into spring training, in the hope that a more aggressive market for the left-hander developed.

Humber, a 25-year-old right-hander, has made one start and four relief appearances for the Mets during the past two years, and went 11-9 with a 4.27 ERA last season for Triple-A New Orleans. The 22-year-old Gomez batted .232 in 125 at-bats with New York last year and .275 with 19 steals in the minors.

Guerra, who turns 19 in April, was 2-6 with a 4.01 ERA at Class A St. Lucie, and Mulvey, who will be 23 in May, was 12-10 with a 3.20 ERA in 26 starts at Double-A Binghamton and one at New Orleans.

Santana is under contract for 2008, for $13.25 million, and could get a new deal that surpasses Barry Zito’s record of seven years and $126 million. And if the Mets work that out, Minaya will have his man.