Santana passes medical, joins Mets: report

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Venezuelan-born pitcher Johan Santana has completed his move to the New York Mets from the Minnesota Twins, after passing a medical on Saturday, MLB.com (http://www.mlb.com) reported.

The 28-year-old, two-times Cy Young Award winner, heads to New York in exchange for four young Mets players in one of the biggest deals of the close-season so far.

A report on the league's website said Santana's deal would keep him at the Mets until 2013 and would net him around $137 million -- making him the best paid pitcher of all time and the top paid player on the Nets roster.

The Mets are due to hold a press conference later on Saturday to discuss the trade.

Santana, a dominant starter, mixing a lively fastball with a devastating change-up, has been with the Twins since 2000 and produced an 82-35 record in the last five seasons.

The four young players heading in the opposite direction are outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra.

(Reporting by Simon Evans in Miami, editing by Pritha Sarkar)