The Mets are getting more than a great ballplayer, Ken Davidoff at Newsday writes, they’re getting one of the best teammates in baseball. Terry Ryan, former Twins GM, now back doing what he loves, scouting talent, is quoted regarding Johan…

“Everybody knows his statistics. He’s a better guy off the field. He’s one of the good guys on the team. He’s respectful of everybody, from clubhouse kids to teammates to front-office members … He treats media well.

“Everything we believe in, everything that you’d like your high-profile guys to be — Morneau, Mauer, Nathan, Cuddyer, we’ve got good human beings — he’s right up at the top. It’s tough to do better than that. Those types of guys, when they’re your best pitchers and your best leaders and your best human beings, that helps a lot of things.”

Santana’s longtime agent Peter Greenberg talks about Santana’s desire to play for a contender…

“I told Johan, ‘We could do the biggest contract in history [with the Twins],’” Greenberg said. “But you have no guarantee they’re going to be able and compete. Teams like the Mets, Yankees and the Red Sox, you know they’ve got a track record. They’re going to try to field a team that’s going to try and win a World Series from the start, but at the halfway point, they’re going to have the commitment from ownership to go and get someone else.”