After the non-waiver trade deadline passed Tuesday and the Minnesota Twins didn't acquire any impact players, ace left-hander Johan Santana questioned his future with the team, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported.

"We've been close," Santana said, the newspaper reported. "And in all those times, we seem to be a couple players away from winning it all. So I respect all the decisions they make, but I won't say that they're right all the time.

"They protect their young players. They protect their organization, their roots, everything. But I guess I won't be a part of it. A lot of guys don't feel like they can be part of it, and they have to move on."

The only move the Twins made was to trade second baseman Luis Castillo to the New York Mets, saving $2 million in payroll.

"I'm not surprised," Santana said, the newspaper reported. "That's exactly how they are. That's why we're never going to go beyond where we've gone."

Through Tuesday's games, the Twins trail the Detroit Tigers by six games in the AL Central, and they are five behind the Cleveland Indians in the wild-card race.

"You always talk about future, future. ... But if you only worry about the future, then I guess a lot of us won't be part of it," Santana said, the newspaper reported.

"Why waste time when you're talking about something that's always going to be like that? It's never going to be beyond this point. It doesn't make any sense for me to be here, you know?"

Santana will be a free agent after the 2008 season, along with closer Joe Nathan. Outfielder Torii Hunter is a free agent after this year. When asked if the Twins' lack of trades sent a message to those three, Santana said, "I don't think (the decision makers) care," the Star-Tribune reported.

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"I've been here for eight years, and I've seen a lot of those kind of things," Santana said, the newspaper reported. "I've seen a lot of those guys (like Castillo) come in and leave. (The decision makers) don't care. They always talk about caring about it; I don't think they care.

"Because if you're always talking about having young players -- that's the philosophy the team has, and I respect all that -- but it's been proven that it's not enough to go all the way to the World Series."

Twins general manager Terry Ryan said one trade wouldn't have been enough to lift his team.

"We've got some problems," Ryan said, the newspaper reported. "Detroit and Cleveland are awful good, and then if you look at the other things that are going on in our league, we've got an awful lot of work to do."

Santana said he wouldn't give up or stop trying, but he wasn't sure the front-office executives had the same attitude, the newspaper reported.

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"Me, personally, I never give up," Santana said, the Star-Tribune reported. "It's over when the last game of the season's over. I don't know how these guys upstairs think. I'm expecting everybody else to do their jobs and help us win games because I've been so close to being in the World Series.

"A lot of these guys, they don't know. They're just happy to be here. Maybe that's how they like it upstairs, but I don't like it."

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