With the lockout dragging on (and on, and on), Twins Daily takes a look at one of the key pieces of the Johan Santana trade.

Subject: Philip Humber

Why You Remember Him: The Twins traded the immortal Johan Santana to the New York Mets for Humber, beloved space cadet Carlos Gomez, Deolis Guerra, and Kevin Mulvey in 2008.

The Texas native was one of the arms meant to replace the admittedly irreplaceable Santana. He pitched 20 innings for Minnesota over two seasons before being granted free agency after the 2009 season. He continued his journeyman career through 2016 with one absolute highlight (see below) before retiring.

What You Don’t Remember: He was drafted third overall in the 2004 MLB Draft by the Metropolitans. The second overall pick? Justin Verlander. That’s why Mr. Met is always forcing a smile. (For those curious: The number #1 pick was Matt Bush, who didn’t reach the majors until 2016 and pitched four innings for the Rangers last year. And your Minnesota Twins took Trevor Plouffe at #20 and Glen Perkins at #22. Good picks!)

What You Might Remember: The 21st perfect game in Major League Baseball history was pitched by Philip Humber for the godless and frankly disgusting Chicago White Sox. That said, A.J. Pierzynski caught the game, so it wasn’t all bad. 16 total career wins. One perfect game. The power of A.J.

What’s He Up To: He’s back in his hometown of Carthage in eastern Texas. You can read a 2021 interview with him in the Tyler (TX) newspaper where he reflects on his career and the perfect game. You can also work with him in his capacity as a brokerage professional on your commercial real estate needs.

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Still one of the worst trades ever (at the time)

Twins did really well for late round picks that year.