La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that both the New York Mets and Minnesota Twins have discussed adding another player to the reported Carlos Gomez, Philip Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey deal. While the Mets view 19-year old prospect Fernando Martinez as ‘practically untouchable’, the two sides have talked about adding Scott Schoeneweis, Joe Smith or Aaron Heilman to the deal for Johan Santana.

The Yankees and Twins have discussed adding a third or fourth player to their proposed deal of Philip Hughes and Melky Cabrera.

The Red Sox have discussed tweaking the back-end of their current offers to make the deal happen, but the Twins still would have to work with either a deal led by outfield prospect Jacoby Ellsbury or another led by pitcher Jon Lester, but not both in the same deal.

Update 1/26 - 7:12 p.m. - It appears that Neal updated the article and now it does not include pitchers Scott Schoeneweis or Joe Smith.

According to Brian McTaggart of the Houston Chronicle, five athletes will be honored on February 5th with the prestigious Thurman Munson Awards at a dinner at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York. It is recognized for the athlete’s success on the field of play and their work within the community. Among the five athletes include Mets 3B David Wright, Astros 2B Craig Biggio, Yankees CF Melky Cabrera, New York Knicks shooting guard Jamal Crawford and Olympic gold-medalist Kristi Yamaguchi.

Jayson Stark of ESPN.com is reporting that the Twins and Yankees were getting nowhere in discussions in their attempt to complete a deal for Johan Santana. The Yankees are contemplating pulling out of the race for the left-hander.

The report states that the Twins again asked the Yankees for Ian Kennedy as the third-player in the deal for Santana that also included Phil Hughes and Melky Cabrera. The Yankees may look to the bay and a possible deal for Oakland ace Dan Haren.

Jon Heyman on SI.com reveals the Twins demands for Johan Santana.

The Yankees have been offering a package leading with Ian Kennedy and Melky Cabrera, however the Twins are insisting that Philip Hughes be included.

The Twins have requested Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz from the Red Sox. The Red Sox seem unwilling to deal either player.

The Twins asked the Dodgers for Clayton Kershaw and Andre Ethier but they refused.

Lisa Kennelly and Ed Price of the Star-Ledger reports that the Yankees would have interest in signing CF Aaron Rowand if the team finds a suitor for Melky Cabrera.

Rowand’s agent, Craig Landis, said only that the interest in Rowand — a strong defender who this year with Philadelphia hit .309 with 27 homers and 89 RBI — “is strong and has picked up” since center fielder Torii Hunter came off the market, signing with the Angels. Landis said “nothing is imminent” as far as Rowand’s signing.

According to Peter Gammons over at ESPN Insider, the Minnesota Twins want a three-player deal from the Yankees for Johan Santana. The Twins are asking for SP Phil Hughes, CF Melky Cabrera and CF Austin Jackson.

Over the weekend, it was reported that Johan Santana is likely seeking a six-year, $150 million deal.

Cabrera, 23, played centerfield in 131 games for the Yankees last season, hitting .273 with 8 home runs and 73 runs batted in. Cabrera managed to steal 13 bases and score 66 runs during the course of the 2007 season.

Hughes, 21, widely considered the best pitching prospect in baseball, went 5-3 with a 4.46 ERA last season in 13 starts. In just his second career start, Hughes took a no-hitter into the 7th inning, before tearing his hamstring with just 84 pitches thrown. In the playoffs against the Indians, Hughes relieved SP Roger Clemens after just 2.1 innings of work. He took over in the 3rd inning and recorded the next 11 outs while only giving up 2 hits and got the win for the team.

Jackson, 20, considered a top 10 prospect within the Yankees organization. He was named the No. 2 prospect in the Hawaii Winter Baseball League. An NL Scout on Baseball America had to say about Jackson. “Once he gets underway he’s a plus-plus runner. He’s the best athlete in this league. He doesn’t have that first-step explosion, but this guy is a real crowd pleaser on the bases.”

Here’s a rundown of Hot Stove news this afternoon…