Johan Santana will veto any trade during the 2008 season:

According to major-league sources, Santana has informed the Twins that he would not waive his no-trade clause during the season, ending any chance that he could be moved before the July 31 non-waiver deadline.

Players with no-trade protection occasionally adopt such positions when they are in the free-agent years, fearing that their performance could suffer if they change teams and/or leagues just months before hitting the open market.

The Twins have said privately that they will be content to keep Santana if they do not receive the right offer this off-season, then entertain the possibility of trading him in July. But Santana's stance greatly increases the chances that the Twins will act quickly.

It is in Santana's interest to be traded now because he will require a monster contract to approve a deal. It is expected that the contract would be at least six years and $120 million, and rather than enter the season with the risk of injury, he would prefer the deal to be struck as soon as possible.

Of course, I'm sure Johan could be cajoled into a July trade for the right price. I've also seen stories that right now, Santana will go only to the Yankees or Red Sox. There's a lot of pressure on the Twins to make a deal now. If the Yankees do indeed pull out of the bidding, do the Red Sox lower their offer? What's real and what's rumor? It's been a fascinating negotiation so far.