The main piece in the trade that sent 2-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana to the Mets, is now gone. On Friday the Twins dealt outfielder Carlos Gomez to Milwaukee in exchange for shortstop JJ Hardy.

Hardy, 27, batted .229 (95-for-414) with 16 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs and 47 rbi in 115 games for the Brewers in 2009.  With 26 home runs in 2007 and 24 in 2008, he became the third shortstop in Brewers’ history to hit more than 20 home runs in a season twice, joining Robin Yount and Jose Hernandez.

The 2007 National League All-Star was originally selected in the second round of the 2001 First-Year Player Draft out of Sabino (AZ) High School. He has a career batting average of .262 (543 for 2075) with 104 doubles, eight triples, 75 homeruns and 265 RBI in 571 games.

Gomez, 23, was acquired by the Twins from the New York mets on February 2, 2008. He batted .229 with 15 doubles, five triples, three home runs and 28 RBI in 137 games with the Twins in 2009.

 Photo above by Tom Dahlin