Apparently, Mets GM Omar Minaya read our Random Thoughts from last night. How else can one explain the coincidence of finally reaching a tenative agreement with the Twins to acquire lefty ace Johan Santana for a package of four prospects?

The news came down earlier this afternoon when the Twins finally agreed to Minaya’s package which includes pitching prospects Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey along with outfield prospect Carlos Gomez plus minor leaguer Deolis Guerra. They emerged as the frontrunners for Santana due to the Yankees and Red Sox balking at Minnesota GM John Smith’s outrageous demands.

“If it’s true, obviously, you’re getting arguably the best pitcher in the game,” an excited Mets third baseman David Wright said to reporters.  

For the Amazin’s, it’s a no-brainer since they desperately needed a young hurler to anchor a rotation which includes Pedro Martinez along with John Maine, Oliver Perez, veteran Orlando Hernandez and Mike Pelfrey.

If the Mets and Santana can work out an extension, the 28 year-old two-time AL Cy Young winner automatically becomes their best pitcher- bolstering an inconsistent staff which fizzled down the stretch during a historic collapse. With a healthier Pedro returning in the final year of his contract plus Maine and Perez, the Mets’ top four in the rotation looks very formidable.

In 2007, Santana went 15-13 with a 3.33 ERA, permitting 183 hits in 219 innings while walking 52 and fanning 235 which ranked second in the AL to ironically former Met farmhand Scott Kazmir who finished with 239 for Tampa Bay. His signature performance came in an Aug.19 1-0 win over Texas where he struckout 17 Rangers in eight frames before departing to a standing ovation. The 17 K’s were a new Twins’ franchise record.

During the Venezuelan’s eight-year major league career, he’s struckout 10-or-more batters 37 times. He’s a three-time All-Star who also snagged his first Gold Glove last year. Santana’s career record is 93-44 with a 3.22 ERA along with six complete games and four shutouts.

He’ll bring that impressive resume to Queens starting this Spring unless something goes wrong with an extension or physical.

One alarming aspect from last year was that Santana had a poor second half dropping seven of his last 11 decisions where his ERA skyrocketed from 2.60 to 3.33- his highest ERA since 2001. He also yielded an AL high 33 home runs.

However, the southpaw will be going to the senior circuit and won’t have to contend with loaded lineups which include the DH. That should help along with plenty of support from the Latino contingent in New York.

“For our younger pitchers to develop under a guy like Pedro, a guy like Johan, you can’t ask for any better situation,” Wright added.

“He’s going to go out there and he’s going to give you seven or eight innings every five days and he’s going to get you a win. That’s just what it comes down to. I’ve gotten a chance to get to know him a little bit the past couple years. He seems like a great clubhouse guy. He’s going to fit in perfectly with the chemistry that we have.“

You can’t help but wonder what the heck Smith was thinking about here. Did he really think he could get the Yanks and Sahhhxxx back into the bidding? On paper, he did receive a nice return landing the Mets’ second, third, fourth and seventh rated prospects according to Baseball America.

However, that didn’t include top outfield stud Fernando Martinez. Would he have been better suited waiting it out till mid-July to see where his team was in the standings? Let the debate begin.

You can’t tell me that the Mets’ package was better than either the Yanks or Sox who both boast better rated farm systems.

Still, getting two of New York’s highly touted SP’s along with Gomez isn’t a bad return. We’ll just have to wait and see how they develop.

The thinking here is that Santana’s got at least three more peak years left. So the Mets must take advantage and bring a third world championship back to Queens.

Now, we’ll just have to wait and see if the rumored Erik Bedard deal to Seattle for top outfield prospect Adam Jones, lefty reliever George Sherrill plus possibly two other prospects comes to fruition.