For the past month or so I have been waiting to hear the news. Yesterday afternoon, I got it. Torii Hunter, the undeniable face of my team, the Minnesota Twins, had signed with the California/LA Angels of Anaheim. I can't say I was shocked by the news, but I was shocked by a couple of things.

1. The Team

Everything I had heard, especially over the last couple of weeks, was about Torii playing on the south side next season. This bothered me immensely. In addition to playing for the one of the Twins' chief rivals, the Chicago White Sox, Hunter would be showcased in 18 divisional games between the two clubs. I don't think many Twins fans who would like departure of our great player be rubbed in our faces. A day ago, if I created a list of teams I thought Hunter was going to, I probably would have ranked the Twins ahead of the Angels.

2. The Cash

90 million dollars. I can't blame him. There are a lot of things I would do for and with 90,000,000 dollars. Apparently the Angels were desperate for a center fielder. That is definitely not the case. Last year, the halos signed Gary Matthews Jr. for ten million dollars over five years. Puzzling. This grand offer blew away other offers by the likes of Chicago, KC, and the Rangers. Obviously, Torii picked the right ball club money wise. Personally, I think the Angels overpaid for Hunter in a big way. Not only did they spend way too much, but they will also lose the 27th overall pick in next year's draft. If Hunter gets injured, his new team might have to eat crow for a while.


One thing is for sure: the Twins made the right decision not to try and out bid other teams willing to sign Hunter. This does not make up for the bigger mistake the Twins made last year in not signing or trading Hunter. No one will know who or what the Twins could have gotten for Hunter if they had had the guts to trade him rather than let him slip through their fingers.