I love a good trade rumor.

For me, the "hot stove league" in Baseball is one of my truly favorite times of the year. I like to sit back and think "what if so and so gets signed and so and so gets traded?"

Not just baseball, I love the Kobe Trade rumors too....the Cleveland Browns Quarterbacks? It's so good, I'm doing a whole bit on them in a few days.

So needless to say, I'm loving the Johan Santana rumors.  I love it when one of the best pitchers in the game, is very, very likely to be wearing a new uniform soon.

Who's it going to be?Who is going to land this stellar pitcher? The Yankees? Red Sox? Some other team that ISN'T the Mets? Seriously, the Mets rumors are stirring and, wow, it would not be easy to have Johan Santana in the National League East, especially if your favorite team happens to wear red and white pinstripes and plays about 2 hours away from Shea Stadium.

However, something new is happening, perhaps, turning 31, having my team make the playoffs after 14 years, or impending fatherhood has given me a whole new outlook, I'm not sure. But rather than sit around and think about how insane a Josh Beckett/Johan Santana/Curt Schilling 1-2-3 punch would be, I started to think about the good folks of Minnesota.

Right now, they have arguably the best pitcher in baseball, and they're very close to losing him. I started thinking about how they'd feel.

I needed some inside information. I turned to the great David Zingler.

David Zingler is a HUGE Twins fan and a good guy. He writes for Bleacher Bums, Minnesota Score Magazine as well as some freelance work. I wanted to talk with him and get that Minnesota Twins fan point of view. So without further ado, the Philadelphonic Interview, with a Minnesota Twins fan, David Zingler.

Philadelphonic: Dave, you've been a Twins fan forever, did you think, entering this offseason, all of the attention would be on how many of your great players other teams can trade for? Did you see this frenzy coming?

 David Zingler: I knew Torii Hunter would be gone a long time ago. He is a very good player, but I can see not giving a 32-year-old CF a 5-year, $90 million contract. The Johan Santana Sweepstakes is more frustrating for me. I saw it coming, but Santana is a once-in-a-generation pitcher and you don't let guys like that go in the prime of career. It's basically regret just waiting to happen. Twins owner Carl Pohlad got the taxpayers to fund his new stadium and now it's time for him to step up and keep his top-shelf talent.

Philadelphonic: All the great folks in the Twin Cities, what is the vibe like? Is there a part of you that's "Leave our team alone" or "well, we'll get some great building blocks, even if it does cost us Johan Santana?"

David Zingler: That is the stereotype of Minnesota, but it's not entirely true. There are a lot of fans - mostly Gen Xers like me - that can be as cutthroat as the most jaded East Coast fans...at times. We are a little mellower here, but don't think for a minute that Twins fans are happy with the fire sale that appears to be happening right now.

Philadelphonic: Now in the press, all you've seen is Yankee fans and Red Sox fans saying what they want. They want Johan Santana in their respective rotations. No one has asked "what would the twins fans like to see?" If you were to pull the trigger on the trade, who would you like to see the Twins get?

David Zingler: There are two things that are sad about this:

1. That the Twins have to trade Santana
2. How little they will likely be able to get for him.

Imagine if this were a small-market NFL team - say the Indianapolis Colts - and they were shopping their superstar player, Peyton Mannning. Never happen, right? But if it did, you can bet it wouldn't be just the New York and Boston teams in the bidding. With a salary cap and meaningful revenue sharing, just about every NFL team could find a place for Manning on its roster, but yet the Twins have a precious few suitors for Santana. As a result, they will get just pennies-on-the-dollar in return.

Philadelphonic: Joe Nathan....your closer. Word is he's out of town too. With your staff ace possibly leaving, your closer possibly leaving, and your all star centerfielder playing in Anaheim, or Los Angeles, or wherever the Angels play these days, what are you, as a fan who's team is being picked apart, looking forward to on opening day 2008?

David Zingler: Without Hunter and Santana, why keep Nathan? A closer is a luxury item, not a necessity for a team like the Twins right now. I am looking forward to seeing what Delmon Young will do. I think he could put up better numbers than Hunter in 2008 and has a chance to be a perennial MVP candidate. If Joe Mauer can stay healthy, Justin Morneau puts up his usual numbers and free agency along with the Santana/Nathan deals.. net another solid bat or two; the offense could be greatly improved next year. Plus, they are loaded with young, quality arms. Former GM Terry Ryan made sure of that.

Philadelphonic: 2010 you're getting a pretty phenomenal stadium, and with the great young guys you hopefully pick up this off-season, what is the future for Minnesota Baseball?

David Zingler: I think the future of baseball here in bright. The Twins have a cheap owner, but an outstanding front office and farm system, which should ensure they remain competitive and relevant. Most fans around here are cautiously optimistic that the ownership will spend more money once they enter the new digs. The way baseball is structured the Twins will need a lot of luck to win another World Series title (we are quite proud of the two we have - 1987 & 1991), but I can see another run of post-season births like we've seen in this decade happening in the not-to-distant future.

So there it is. Some truth out of the Twin Cities. I hope all you fans have enjoyed this. And Minnesota Twins Fans? This blog is dedicated to you.

Thanks to David Zingler, if you'd like to read more of Dave's work and his thoughts, please check him out at www.DavidZingler.com

Let me see if I can get a Baltimore  "Erik Bedard" version of this blog up before he leaves town!

Take care and be good,

Your Friends at Philadelphonic.