Sell the Whole Farm for Santana

There has never been a pitcher quite like Johan Santana. You could call him a left-handed Pedro Martinez, but that would insult his uniqueness. Once thought too short to be a starter, the reticent Venezuelan hero has been the key to this decade’s baseball renaissance in Minnesota, during which the Twins have made four trips to the playoffs and won approval for a new ballpark. With an explosive fastball, a notorious changeup, and total control of both, the peerlessly efficient Santana has dominated in the game’s deepest division. He is the best pitcher in the sport as unquestionably as Martinez once was, and as Greg Maddux was before him.