Casilla and Mijares wonder where that other spanish speaking player went

In an unsuspecting trade, the Minnesota Twins traded the center piece of their trade with the New York Mets for Johan Santana, Carlos Gomez to the Milwaukee Brewers for short stop J.J. Hardy. Many in the organization were surprised by the move as Gomez was an intricate part of late inning defensive replacement situations. "It's going to be weird looking behind me and seeing Denard (Span) out in center instead of Go-Go," Twins set-up man Matt Guerrier said, "I'm used to coming out in the 8th inning and Carlos would always be there."

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said the trade wasn't all that easy, "We are going to miss Go-Go swinging at the first pitch and his enthusiasm for getting on TV." While the trade was a surprise for some, others saw that the time was right to make the move. Twins MVP catcher Joe Mauer was one of those people. "I'm excited to bring in a quality player like J.J.," Mauer said, "I think he will fit in very nicely here. Also, I could never understand a word that Carlos said to me."

Perhaps the players that will miss Gomez the most are 2nd basemen Alexi Casilla and relief pitcher Jose Mijares. "I remember talking in spanish with another player on this team but I haven't seen him around lately," Mijares said, "I wonder what happened to him?" Casilla, perhaps the most distraught over the trade that sent his best friend to Milwaukee, "Carlos and I were the best amigos and we did everything together. Now I have to hang out with Jose and he always wants to drink dos equis and watch telemundo. Carlos never liked to do those things"

With Gomez gone, the Twins are rumored to be in dealings with the Toronto Blue Jays for a swap that would consist of the Jays trading 2nd basemen Aaron Hill and pitcher Jesse Carlson to the Twins for the before mentioned Casilla and Mijares. "With us moving into the new stadium next year," Twins General Manager Billy Smith said, "we went to create an All-American atmosphere for our fans. Being understood when we talk helps us create that."

It is yet to be seen if outfielders Denard Span and Delmon Young will be on the trading block but with the recent moves the Twins have made, it will not be surprising if those players are gone by Opening Day.