Twins News...

While Johan Santana and Tori Hunter have been the latest casualties of the high money stakes faced by the Twins in the off season, there may be at least one bright spot:

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins rookie general manager Bill Smith didn't take long to make a head-turning trade.

It just wasn't the deal everyone expected.

With all the focus recently on the Twins listening to offers for ace Johan Santana, Smith instead completed a blockbuster, six-player deal with the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night.

The deal sent pitcher Matt Garza, shortstop Jason Bartlett and Minor League pitcher Eduardo Morlan to Tampa in exchange for outfielder Delmon Young, infielder Brendan Harris and outfielder Jason Pridie.

The trade was the first step in the Twins trying to improve an offense which finished in the bottom half of the American League in nearly every offensive category in 2007.

Young, 22, is considered to be one of the up-and-coming hitters currently in the game. The No.1 overall pick in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft, Young finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting this past season. He played in all 162 games for the Rays in 2007, hitting .288 with 13 home runs and 93 RBIs.

With very few exceptions, the Twins have historically had more than a knack when it comes to discovering and developing young talent into stratospheric super-stardom. This will no doubt be a rebuilding year for the small-market team with a history of building big-market talent, but look for yet another division contender in the making.