When pitcher Johan Santana of the Minnesota Twins became available via trade, the Mets traded Gómez and pitchers Deolis Guerra, Philip Humber and Kevin Mulvey to the Twins to acquire him on January 29, 2008. Gómez became the starting center fielder for the Twins, following Torii Hunter's signing with the Los Angeles Angels. He won a three-way race for center field in 2008, beating out prospects Denard Span and Jason Pridie. Gómez's 40-yard dash time was clocked at 4.29. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire nicknamed Gómez "Go-Go" due to his last name and his blazing speed. Batting first, with Alexi Casilla batting second, Gardenhire referred to the speedy duo as "Loose Cannon One" and "Loose Cannon Two."