The Twins continue to stay in contact with the Red Sox, Yankees, Mets and Mariners about a Johan Santana deal. But those talks have moved so slowly it's now possible a Santana trade may not get done "for several weeks," according to one source with knowledge of the discussions. The most surprising aspect of those talks to some baseball people is that the Mets remain in the mix. It may be because the Twins would like to move Santana to the National League if possible. But while the Mets have made a four-for-one offer built around center fielder Carlos Gomez, indications are that the teams remain far apart.

The Twins continue to stay in contact with the Red Sox, Yankees, Mets and Mariners about a Johan Santana deal. But those talks have moved so slowly it's now possible a Santana trade may not get done "for several weeks," according to one source with knowledge of the discussions. The most surprising aspect of those talks to some baseball people is that the Mets remain in the mix. It may be because the Twins would like to move Santana to the National League if possible. But while the Mets have made a four-for-one offer built around center fielder Carlos Gomez, indications are that the teams remain far apart. It's believed the Mets offered Gomez, two of their three best young pitchers (Mike Pelfrey, Phil Humber and Kevin Mulvey) and another prospect for Santana earlier this month. But according to one source who has spoken with the Mets, the Twins want the Mets "to rip up their whole farm system" for Santana. Another source said he believes the Twins countered by asking for all three pitchers, along with Gomez and much-ballyhooed outfield prospect Fernando Martinez. The Twins originally asked for Jose Reyes. But one baseball man with knowledge of those talks says that possibility was dismissed "a long time ago."

Orioles' officials are shooting down rumors of a Brian Roberts' trade in the near-term. Andy MacPhail says there is zero truth to speculation that the second baseman is about to be dealt. He says the likelihood of a trade before the New Year is remote. MacPhail isn't ruling out the possibility Roberts could be moved in the future, saying it's something that would take time. The 30-year-old admitted to one-time use of steroids a few days after being named in the Mitchell Report.

It wasn?t the holiday message Red Sox fans were looking for. Although David Ortiz? infectious smile and trademark hugs were spread throughout Gillette Stadium during his visit to the Patriots? game against Miami yesterday, the message he delivered regarding the possible arrival of Johan Santana was anything but joyous for many of the Sox faithful. ?No,? Ortiz said when asked if he thought his good friend Santana would be traded to the Red Sox. ?I was (following it) for a minute, but I guess they stopped. They don?t want him to go. (Minnesota) already gave Boston too many good things already. Me, and now Santana? No way.? While Ortiz? belief that the left-hander won?t be coming to the Red Sox might serve as coal in the stockings of many New Englanders, the idea of missing out on the former Cy Young Award winner doesn?t thrill the Sox slugger, either. ?Hell yeah,? Ortiz said when asked if he was excited at the prospect of calling Santana a teammate again. ?What do you think? That?s a whole lot less trouble for me.?

Sources inside the Mariners' organization still indicate they're alive on Johan Santana and Baltimore's Erik Bedard. There's a lot of disappointment in Seattle over losing the Hiroki Kuroda bidding with the Dodgers. He was clearly the best of the available free agent pitchers which forced the Mariners to sign former Twin Carlos Silva to a four-year, $48 million deal that is hard to figure.

The Red Sox would reportedly break from their philosophy of not giving out long-term deals for Johan Santana. They'd prefer fewer than the seven years agent Peter Greenberg is seeking but will go there for one of the top two or three pitchers. Since the winter meetings, nothing has changed with Boston's offer, but after the New Year things are expected to get down to the nitty-gritty, when Minnesota will expect the Yankees and Red Sox to give their final "best offer." The Sox are still offering Coco Crisp, Jon Lester, Justin Masterson, and Jed Lowrie. If the Yankees don't include Ian Kennedy, the Red Sox will land him. As to the growing theory that Josh Beckett would be bent out of shape over Santana earning twice as much, forget it. Beckett signed the contract and knew what he was doing.

After listening to trade proposals concerning his ace for the past couple of months, Andy MacPhail says it is a "strong likelihood" that Erik Bedard will be the Orioles' Opening Day starter rather than being traded. "It's up to [manager] Dave Trembley in the final analysis to set his rotation, but that's what [Bedard] is today, and I think that's a strong likelihood," said MacPhail, the Orioles' President of Baseball Operations. "But that said, you never know." Bedard, a 28-year-old left-hander, is the Orioles' biggest trade chip and moving him for three to four young and major league-ready players would be one of the quickest ways to accelerate the team's rebuilding process.

The Mariners and Dodgers were considered top potential trade partners for Baltimore Orioles left-hander Erik Bedard. The Reds, of course, are known to want Bedard, as well. Reds' General Manager Wayne Krivsky can't talk about Bedard, but it sounds as though the Reds are not on the brink of a trade. "We don't have anything at this point," Krivsky said. "(Tuesday) was a pretty quiet day." The talks between the Reds and Orioles stalled over Baltimore's insistence that Jay Bruce be part of the deal. If the Reds can't land Bedard, they're likely to turn elsewhere - possibly to Oakland right-hander Joe Blanton.

Upon word that the Minnesota Twins were considering dealing Johan Santana, the New York Yankees jumped at the opportunity to land the ace. Then the talks stalled. Now it appears the two teams are back at it. The New York Daily News and The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. reported that the Yankees and Twins have had "a couple of brief calls" recently and Yankees' senior Vice President Hank Steinbrenner said Friday the door is "not closed" for the Yankees to pull off the deal. "It's up to Minnesota what they want to do, and I assume they're still thinking about trading him," Steinbrenner said, according to the Daily News. "As far as what I'm going to do, I don't know. There's been a couple of brief calls. The door's not closed." "I'm still thinking about it." Steinbrenner said General Manager Brian Cashman talked to the Twins about Santana "once in the last couple of days", according to the Star Ledger.

Brian Sabean refused to rule out trading Jonathan Sanchez or other young pitchers. But he did say the words that many Giants' fans have been longing to hear. "We're not listening to any offers any longer on (Matt) Cain and (Tim) Lincecum," Sabean said.