Trouble.

The weekend series in Colorado was nice, there's no denying that, and overall the Mets as a team are playing a more inspired, motivated brand of baseball since the regime change some 7 days ago.

But right now, the Mets trail baseball's worst team, record-wise, 5-0 in the 5th inning with their ace on the hill.

I'm not gonna sit here and sweat the fact that they're losing to the Mariners; that is what it is, any team can lose to any other team, and will do so frequently over the course of a long season, but the issue is Johan Santana, who is looking a lot shakier than someone deserving the moniker "best pitcher in baseball" should look.

Santana, coming into tonight's game in which he and the Mets are now trailing 5-1, is 7-5, while the team is 9-6 in games he has started. That ain't dominant, and while I don't generally give much credence to a pitcher's win-loss totals, much of that being based on luck, a pitcher of his supposed caliber should be winning more games, period.

His ERA is respectable at 3.04, his WHIP not terrible, due to the low number of walks he issues, at 1.21.

On the flipside, he is allowing nearly a hit per inning, and has just given up his 14th HR of the season, a Grand Slam hit by Felix Hernandez on the first pitch he saw, which oh by the way was the first home run a Mariners pitcher has ever hit. That number of home runs surrendered is good for 9th in the NL, and all but one of the pitchers above him in that category pitch in Philly, Cincinnati, Colorado or Houston. In case that doesn't mean anything to you, those 4 cities' baseball teams play home games in ballparks only slightly larger than the bed on my pickup truck.

I understand his pattern in the past, and am hopeful that it will follow this season as well: he generally comes out of the gate sluggishly, and then goes on an absolute tear for the rest of the season, particularly midsummer. Thing is, the season is nearly, incredibly, half over, and now's about the time that that absolute tear should get going. I though that Keith (or Ron, I'm not 100% sure who said it) nailed it on the head during tonight's broadcast when he talked about the time for theatre; tonight was supposed to be the night that Johan's dominance reared its head, but not quite.

I'm not gonna call for Johan's head here. I don't think he doesn't care, and I don't care how much money he makes. I'm sure anyone would happily accept that contract.

Nor am I gonna start questioning the deal to acquire him. Anyone, anytime, anywhere, makes that deal, end of story.

But if this team has a run in them, he needs to go out and be that guy, that's all there is to it, and Saturday against the Yankees would be a hell of a time to get on a roll.

Hey, if this were fantasy baseball, the Mets would be winning, the runs being unearned.

Now let's go beat the piss out of the Starbucks Mermen the rest of this series.

Johan Gets the Sheets Pulled Out From Underneath Him

IMAGE: JOHNCRIMMINGS FROM FLICKR


Maybe it shoulda rained...

Johan Santana is a hell of a pitcher, make no mistake, but it looks like his propensity to give up the longball isn't out of his system. It really comes with the territory with a pitcher who lives on a changeup: when the change doesn't fool a hitter it can be hit very, very far, and Gabe Kapler knew it was coming in the 7th inning. Funny to think a guy who was managing the Greenville Drive last year can take Santana deep.

To put it in perspective, Johan has a career ERA just over 4 in April and May, and his second half ERA is under 3. He does come from a country that hugs the equator, so one could understand how pitching in NY for the first time in April, hot as it may seem to us, could be initially discomforting. Point is, he'll be fine, and I can't believe that I heard boos as he left the game today. Come on.

Sheets was iffy in the 1st, giving up two runs, but he was simply untouchable after that all the way up until David Wright took him out to left field too little too late.

I felt hopeful when Eric Gagne came in, cuz if anyone can pull a Benitez these days, it's him, but he was very efficient, getting the Mets 1-2-3 in the 9th.

Ollie pitches tomorrow against our old friend Jeff Suppan; initial word is that Reyes will not play, though his MRI was negative.

Manny Ramirez just doubled in two runs off of Moose to give Boston a 3-2 lead in the 6th. Hold on, fellas. Let's go Sox.

The Tigers can't win a game, nearly being no-hit by GAVIN FLOYD, and eventually losing 7-0, dropping to 2-9 on the year.

Smoltz looks as if there never was an injury, as he gave up only 1 run over 6, dropping his ERA to 0.82 in a 10-2 Braves W over the Nats. Jeff Francoeur went 3-5 and hit 2 homers. He has caught fire.

Philly plays later, pitting Cole Hamels against the Cubbies and Ted Lilly at CBP. Hopefully the lefty shuts the Philly big boys down.

Let's Go Mets.

How to Solve your Corner Outfield Woes: Go to Church and Seek the Help of Angels

IMAGE: MICHAEL G. BARON FROM FLICKR

Boy, has it ever been a while since we had a win streak...

My baseball week started on a very sour note, after waiting all April to see the Mets in person, I finally drove out to Turner Field, as I happened to be in Atlanta, last Friday, and what did we get? A rainout. Oh well, I thought, we'll get 'em on Saturday and Sunday. Not so much. 2 swings by Kelly Johnson and Mark Teixeira and it's Tomahawk Chops galore.

Oh well, I again think, I'll be back in Brooklyn tomorrow and on Tuesday we'll turn it around at Shea. And again, not so much with the second part of that arrangement. To be fair, I'll always be grateful to have been at the last opener at Shea, especially with my father close to his birthday, but on the baseball end of things the game was ugly and the second out #27 was recorded all the baseball Seventh-Day Adventists of the message board and talk radio world stuck their heads out and cried, "the end is near!" I'll admit, while the more rational and optimistic end of me was rife with self-reminders of the insignificance of week 1 records, they were accompanied with some foreboding.

And then the bats went off on Wednesday, led by, of course, Angel Pagan, with a good deal of help from the Philly defense, and Pelfrey gave us one of his better Major League showings. Eric Bruntlett is officially my all-time favorite Philly.

Thursday Maine looked very good, surrendering one run over six, and he had enough help to win it, but Heilman indulged himself in that one nasty habit of his, that is giving up bombs, and there were those phightins, right back in it. In extras the bats looked weak, they looked not so much with the clutch, and you were just waiting for the ball to drop with the bullpen.

As a side note, I understand completely why going in to Thursday night, any Met fan would have been sour on Scott Schoenweis, and why they would have booed him as he exited his prior appearance, but to me it seems counterintuitive to sit at a relatively important baseball game into extra innings and boo your own pitcher coming in in the 11th. I mean you want him to succeed, don't you? Boo him after he fails, or boo him if the situation doesn't matter, but in a tie game in the 11th, with 2 men on and Philly's best hitter at the plate, do you really want to shake Schoenweis' already shaky psyche?
And hey, he got the job done.

But the ball did not drop with the bullpen; the only ball that dropped was a line drive off the bat of the shortstop right in between Werth and Jenkins. Reyes stood at 2nd, and WHO ELSE BUT ANGEL PAGAN, 3 for 5 on the night overall, provided the winning base hit. Who knows if Reyes scored? It counted.

Friday, we had a feel-good story that will be hard to top. Brooklyn's own (And this time the player in question actually grew up here, rather than Paul LoDuca who quickly fled to AZ after birth) Nelson Figueroa pitched his ass off if you don't mind me saying, allowing 2 runs over 6, and the bullpen was nearly perfect behind him, Joe Smith allowing the only baserunner on a walk to Rickie Weeks. Delgado contributed to the runs, as he has been doing, Easley gave us one, even Raul Casanova managed to get away from the ladies for a moment to knock one in. And who roped a key, late RBI single? ANGEL F'IN PAGAN! Mets beat the Brewers, the Brooklyn boy shines, Heilman gives up no bombs, Wagner gets save numero uno, there's the first 3-game win streak of the year.

The bad news? Reyes leaves with a hammy strain, said not to be serious. There are many rumblings that perhaps it's more than they're letting on, but methinks something else might be brewing. What has been the single loudest whine about Reyes since last summer? "Someone needs to give him a good talkin' to!" I think Willie might have done just that. Physically he has looked fine, but his approach has stunk. He had the one highlight scoring the run on Thu. night, but otherwise he has swung early and made no good contact. He just hasn't gotten on base, and it seems to be a bad combination of simultaneous cockiness and subtle lack of confidence. That's a long, presumptuous way of saying he's pressing, and I really believe that with a lead in the game and the bullpen set to go according to the late-inning plan, Willie sat Jose down. I think he did this, and I think he figured that with Santana going on Sunday and some unlikely characters producing well, he could really make a point by giving Jose a day on the bench and a Monday off to think. Why not?

And why not bat Castillo 8th once him and Reyes are back? Let Pagan swing the bat, baby. Moises Alou is a distant memory. Here's to a fine discovery in left field. Right now I want no one else up in the big spot. Well, maybe that guy who plays third.

Tomorrow we get to see our Ace live and in person at Shea, and I can't sleep. Oh by the way, he's facing a pitcher in Ben Sheets who hasn't allowed a run this year in 15 1/3 IP. This is a good game waiting to happen. My hope is that Castillo can play tomorrow so he can bat leadoff with Pagan #2, but that may be unlikely. Pick a lineup, any lineup, if Castillo isn't ready.

One more sad note. I have made a business decision to move right in to the belly of the beast, to the town where a Larry Jones jersey is a common sight. As such, this homestand is my Shea Stadium farewell tour, sort of...
Hell, no I'm not giving up my seasons! My job in Atlanta will be right next to the airport and guess what ballpark's right next to LaGuardia? I could get off work at 5 and still see half of 7:00 game!
I'll miss NY, namely Brooklyn, my hometown and the greatest little big city in the world.

Let's Go Johan.

Santana and the Mets Shine in Miami; Everyone Else Loses

IMAGE: ALPINEINC FROM FLICKR


So it's only April, yeah, and it's only April 1st, but that being said I couldn't have asked for much more to kick-start the 2008 season and completely bury 2007.

Johan had no opening day butterflies, and was simply brilliant, making one mistake to the Hammer, Josh Willingham, after getting squeezed for a walk the previous batter, hence the two runs. Aside from that blemish, Johan gave all the elements of a well-pitched game that you could ask for. He fanned 8 in 7 IP, at one point downing 4 consecutively, but also mixed up his outs, getting fly balls when it was easy to do so and ground balls, less so, when required. He made a couple of solid plays with the glove, and when he got into trouble, he got out of it. For me, the highlight of his performance was the full-count strikeout of Hanley Ramirez, leaving two runners stranded for the Marlins in their only real shot at a rally.

And then we had our rally...

And as an aside, yes, I will loosely refer to the Mets as us, though some folks turn their nose up at it. I will not follow a team day in and day out, on season and off, buy merchandise and buy seats all year, and refer to them as some alien entity with which I have no identifiable connection. They're Us.

But anyhow, when was the last time we had a rally like that? My guess would be August? Everyone got involved, and the big guys led the way. That is how an offense of this caliber is supposed to function, not scattering hits and relying on the longball, but looking to Wright and Reyes and Beltran to get things churning or finish them off, while the lesser hitters just keep it going in between. Again, this was only day one, but it's all we've got, and I can't think of a better way to get it going. Let me reiterate, too, as always, David Wright was huge, and needs to be the Captain of this team,

Pagan, at least for a day, really earned his spot on this roster, while Ruben Gotay was busy striking out in one pinch-hit AB in a braves uni.

Which leads me to the other news of the day. I have been in Atlanta for over a week now for family/business reasons, and am staying through this weekend to see the Mets come in to town, hitting a peak on Sunday with Santana v. Smoltz. But yesterday, I watched the Met game, happily, and then turned the Braves on. Noticing plenty of empty seats, I decided what the heck, why not go, and sure enough, not only was Turner Field NOT sold out on opening NIGHT, I mean you can't even say you had to go to work, but I got in there, complete in a Mets hat, jersey and '86 starter jacket, for FREE. Some guy just gave me his extra ticket as I walked up to go buy one. What I got was more than I expected. I expected to go antagonize some rednecks, which I did, but what I got was an epic game, with the Braves scoring 5 in the 9th to force extra frames, the last two runs plated on an error on a pop-fly, only to be defeated by good 'ol Xavier Nady, the X-man himself, who belted a 3-run game winning shot about 10 feet away from me in the 12th inning, and also went 4 for 7 with 4 RBI on the night. I wanted to get some angry rednecks and maybe see the Braves lose to a sorry team, and what I got was angry, drunk, tired, heartbroken rednecks and a disgrace of a loss for the Braves. All I can say is This.

Did I mention that Flash Gordon got absolutely Mota'd in the 9th down in Philly? 5 runs on 4 hits in the 9th=it's gonna be Mets-Nats on top all year. (Ok, well...) The Phils still hit like they do, but their criminal of an ace, their hero Brett Myers, was very unspectacular, yielding 4 runs over 5 innings to a weak offense. Day One in the NL East could not have been scripted better.

Elsewhere, the spanks' final opening day at the toilet party was ruined by rain, the Injuns beat the ChiSox in a good one in 10 innings after a horrible interference call that prevented a Chicago run scoring in the 9th. Ozzie Guillen, not so much with the happy.

The Cubbies and Brew Crew duked it out for 8 innings without scoring once, as Sheets and Zambrano were both excellent, and then it got real interesting: Milwaukee scored thrice in the top of the 9th, setting the stage for Eric "le drug buddy de Paul LoDuca" Gagne to walk two batters on 9 pitches to start the bottom half of the 9th. Then stepped in the new guy, Kosuke Fukudome, already 2 for 2 with a walk on the day, who proceeded to take Gagne's 3-1 over the Ivy and outta here. That Japanese guy, he's good. But oh wait a minute...Kerry Wood can't hold the tie in the 10th, Brewers win anyhow, oh well.

Rocktober has clearly come to an end, as the Rox hot finish last year was cooled with a 7-1 thrashing from the RedBirds. Eric Bedard was pretty good in his Mariners debut, Webb outdueled Harang for a Dbacks W, and Peavy did the same to Oswalt as the most boring team in the majors that doesn't play in Oakland won their opener and stayed classy in SD.

The scrappy Royals spoiled the Tigers opener with an unlikely rally, Tampa downed the O's, Barry Zito still ain't worth all that cash, and apparently the Twins will not go winless without Johan or Torii Hunter, the latter of whom got a standing O in Minnesota yesterday, then went 0-4 in a Twins win. And that's that.

PANIC! SANTANA'S WASHED UP! THE METS CAN'T BEAT UMICH!

IMAGE: CDOGZILLA FROM FLICKR

And we finally get our first visual taste of the possibility that is the 2008 New York Metropolitans. The first few games in this first week always come across somehow as unreal; we paddle through, or rather, shovel through months of winter, unceasingly awaiting the arrival of Spring. Every columnist and amateur blogger makes allusions to the beaten down metaphor of the real world's natural cycles as it couples with the going and coming of baseball, and then SPRING HITS, BASEBALL IS PLAYED, and no one really notices for a week or so. So it goes.

I woke up today looking forward to the early highlight of my day being Johan Santana's Met debut, and indeed it was the highlight, Juan-gone homer or not. The first inning was shaky, as our ace allowed two iffy singles and then a deep fly to the sprightly Juan Gonzalez, but the second went by without any bumps, and for anyone who is concerned about the first inning, let it be. Johan went out there today to work his arm up. How do you do that? Throw some fastballs, not too hard. If anything, it's a good sign that Johan's heater is lively enough to stir up a home run out of the old man's bat, right? The whole experience of the two innings was fantastic, just to see #57 in uniform.

Additionally, Reyes did a little swinging and a little scampering, picking up 2 hits and a RBI. Wright and Alou each knocked one in to boot. F-Mart, the favorite son Omar worked so hard to keep, made a web gem of a catch on a foul ball late in the game, Ryan Church lined a hard single against a lefty and Duaner Sanchez got in the game and looked OK, despite getting taken very deep by Albert Pujols leading off the 6th. Final score: 5-4 Cards, who I have picked as 75-game winners. It's just nice to see some baseball, eh?

Oh, and the forums are full of people ready to dive off of the Verrazano based on Santana's 3 ER and the Mets' 0-3-1 ST record so far. Especially because that one tie was to a college team. OH NO! WE'RE ALREADY TWO GAMES BEHIND PHILLY! THEY MUST BE THE TEAM TO BEAT! But I doubt anyone will actually jump, because anyone who takes February baseball results seriously hasn't followed the sport enough to care that deeply.

And lest I forget, today marked the triumphant return of none other than Joselo Diaz...crickets...the other piece in the, ahem, K*zmir deal, who pitched a flawless inning. Always nice to see AAAA middle relievers. Speaking of that, what little respect I ever had for the Redbirds is now gone, as I have discovered that they let mediocre RP Brian Falkenborg go to the Dodgers. Late at night last September 18, my friend Scott and I watched, huddled together, on MLB.TV as Falkenborg hurled 2 heroic scoreless frames for the Cards in extra innings against the Phillies, who we obviously wanted to see lose. Despite the herculean efforts of Brian Falkenborg, Philly pulled the victory out after he left the game, but he left us with an inside joke that will never die. You gotta admit that "Falkenborg" sounds like some sort of Transformer... If only everybody pitched like him, we coulda had a one-game playoff down in Philly last year...

Anyone see Torre in Dodger Blue against Larry and the Bravos? Strange. He's a lot easier to like, though.

Ash Wednesday is Johan Day and Truck Day

IMAGE: MICHAEL G. BARON FROM FLICKR

I'm currently watching Johan Santana, in a Mets hat and jersey, sandwiched between Mike Francesa and Chris Russo, which is pretty entertaining. Little bit of a back and forth battle between Johan's stock answers and Mike and Dog's prodding, which isn't yielding much.

Basically, what can be drawn from this whole press conference is that Johan is pleased to be here, and is polite, articulate and comfortable. Nothing really groundbreaking came out of anyone's mouth.

Hell of a sight, though, Johan in that jersey. Our generation, the Mets fans in their mid-20's and under, finally have our Seaver, our Doc.

David Wright is clearly very excited, although the last two times I've seen him on camera he looks as if he's just gotten out of a jar of Krisco.

Otherwise, it's truck day, the first real hint of the oncoming baseball season. In under a fortnight pitchers and catchers will report (Johan to Schneider, anyone?) and then it all gets going. Hardly ever have I approached a season with such longing and anticipation. Not since last year, anyhow.

I'll put out my season previews/predictions in the coming weeks, team by team.

Oh, that Giant parade? Got there two hours early, couldn't get in anywhere on the route, walked in circles for four hours. Ugh...

Let's Get Physical

From Metsblog: The Mets have announced that Johan Santana has passed his physical, meaning that all hurdles have been cleared. Next stop, press conference. Very good.

Some afterthoughts, some of which I put up on Cerrone's site in the last couple days:

There has been a varying amount of fuss surrounding a possible Santana decline in the second half of last year. He finished 2007 at 15-13 (which you can throw out based on the team he played for)giving up 16 hr after the All-Star break and posting a 3.60 in August and a 4.94 in June. Additionally, some scouts have speculated that his velocity has fallen off somewhat.

To begin with, the sample size for Santana’s alleged regression is small enough that it's hard to take it too seriously. Walter Johnson had an off-year in 1921. Seaver lost 9 of his first 11 in 1974 and still won 22 games the next year. Curt Schilling's mid-to-late 20's were hardly spectacular, but his greatest success followed. My point is that when elite pitchers show any signs of normalcy people can overreact, and generally it's unecessary. His track record alone would quell my concern, but coupled with the consensus that he was unhappy last season playing for a bad team that was bound to trade him it all fits together.

Also, while it’s nice that he’s logged more innings than anyone in the last 5 years, part of that is due to the Twins total reliance on him, something the Mets should not be as guilty of, and in turn should provide him with more rest. Not to mention the no-DH, the pitcher’s park, and the tendency for NL pitchers to exit games sooner for PH’s.

When a pitcher posts a 3.33 in the AL, K's 235 batters, and wins 15 games on a weak team and people get worried, that pitcher is something truly special.

On a completely different note, every time I look at this season’s probable lineup, which doesn't have much room for give, I can’t help but think that there’s no good reason for this team not to sign Kevin Mench. He has consistently destroyed lefties, (Career OPS vs. LHP: .979) despite not being of much use otherwise. That would give you this lineup vs. LHP (Each player listed w/ career OPS vs. LHP):
Reyes .710
Castillo .829 IMAGE:COMPUJERAMEY
Wright .962 FROMFLICKR
Beltran .855
Alou .946
Delgado .819
Mench .979
Castro .736
Pitcher

That is a truly formidable lineup against a leftie, lacking a serious weak link, as Reyes' lower OPS does not convey the diversity of his play, and Castro's limited PA's don't fully communicate his level of comfortability with lefties. Delgado is what pops out. His career numbers are not in line with what he did last year against southpaws, which was zilch, but perhaps a contract year and a healed wrist will help that...

Kind of a limb to go out on with the initial idea of signing Kevin Mench... The overall thought here is that any backup OF with a propensity to hit lefties, be it Mench or someone else, to spell Church about 20% of the time, could provide a lethal little lineup.

Oh, that's me in the picture with my new Santana jersey that I had made 5 minutes after the trade was announced. As I left the store with it and looked at it on the street, a guy walked by me and said that he saw on ESPN that Johan failed the physical. He kept with it long enough to get me for a second, and then laughed. Phew.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered. (Just about)

IMAGE: DGWHITHAM FROM FLICKR

Breathe deeply, throw the "Freddie Coupons" BS out the window, and look forward to watching Johan Santana make Larry Jones, Jeff Francoeur, Tex, Ryan Howard, J-Roll, Utley and Pat the Bat look like lost children for the lion's share of the next decade.

For 151 million dollars over 7 years. Obviously it's not our money, and I kinda get a kick out of having the highest paid pitcher in MLB history on the Mets. Makes you feel like a real somebody, you know?

I don't have much more to say today, after spending the last 48 hours browsing and refreshing from Metsblog to ESPN to MLBTradeRumors right back to Metsblog, and everything in between.

And I knew the whole time exactly what would happen: This.

But it's still very sweet. We got an ace. An ace to end all aces.

Of course this would all happen 2 days before Super Bowl Sunday, making us wait for an official announcement until probably Tuesday, although I was surprised to see that Johan will be having a physical tomorrow, rather than Monday.

Otherwise, Pedro Feliciano, or Petey Fleece as I affectionately call him, has been re-upped for a little over a million bucks for this coming season. Poor Pedro, jeez. Just a mil?

The Clock is ticking...

IMAGE: LEO REYNOLDS FROM FLICKR


All of us over here at the Harbor are really hoping that that premature jersey order didn't jinx anything...

These negotiations have very quickly degenerated into another speculation parade. You can see what John Heyman says here, or what Ben Shpigel says here, or what Jayson Stark says here, or if you really want to waste your time, you can read this, by Buster Olney (second entry down).

Thing is, just like every article over the last 2 months that speculated on where Johan would eventually be traded, all of these articles say the same thing, kinda differently.

Point is, in spite of the little man that is always inside of me that yells "the end is near" in relation to all things baseball, this deal will be done. Period.

It's not even worth going over, again, what a massive PR nightmare the Mets would undergo if it fell through. They knew what he wanted before they got him, and they wouldn't have done it if they weren't prepared to pay.

And the fact that the negotiations are ongoing, and probably will be until the very last second, makes complete sense, objectively. Santana, or rather his reps, have established a desired monetary total and a desired total of year. Seeing as they do hold most of the cards, though not all of them, what with Johan's desire to get this done as well, their demand is really the starting point. Omar, or Fred, or whoever the heck is in there, most likely rebutted with an offer as unreasonably low as Santana team's was high. From there, they bicker, compare, laugh, eat, take bathroom breaks, yell and sleep, and with each passing hour each side pulls the other side progressively closer to their desired goal. At any point before about 4pm on Friday, today, if either side says, "that sounds great, we'll take it", they've cheated themselves out of more valuable time to either raise (in the case of Santana's boys) or lower (in the case of the Mets) the opposing side's offer.

So in my mind, that's what's really going down here, and any further speculation on the parts of Olney, Stark, Heyman, etc. is there to get some more browser hits and stir up some noise. I'm pretty sure that neither Omar Minaya nor Peter Greenberg is regularly excusing himself from the negotiation table to go call Buster Olney and let him know what's going on.

It'll all be done today. They'll have a press conference after the Super Bowl, pending a physical.

Cue the weekend Olney blog entry: Unnamed sources have told me that Johan Santana might have a mild but rapidly progressive case of scoliosis...

More Thoughts, Post-Biggest Deal in Met History (Maybe)

IMAGE: MICHAEL 2973 FROM FLICKR

Here's how this deal breaks down for me if I'm a fan of each team that found themselves involved in the circus.

The Met Fan: I am absolutely, indescribably ecstatic. I have just landed the best pitcher my team has seen since Gooden's heyday, or maybe even The Franchise himself (I'm not counting Pedro as his peak was pre-met) without losing a single established Major League player, and without draining my system of its best pitcher and best position player. I have suffered through a long offseason after a longer September, an offseason rife with questions about the dedication of my ownership outside of the dollar bill, and the capability of my front office. Everywhere I saw Matt Wise, Ryan Church, Angel Pagan and Ricardo Rincon; I saw J-Roll beaming again with confidence; I saw Tom Glavine nonchalantly head back to his good 'ol boys in Thrasherville; I saw every personality on any airwave that could sniff a baseball cast my team aside in the Santana race, lest my superstar SS were included; I saw Hank Steinbrenner tamper and bumble his way through my emotions as a fan; And then I saw Freddy Coupons cash in his stash; I see the city of brotherly love stuffing their faces nervously with tastycakes; I see tomahawks going limp; I see the Mets not come in second in a major sweepstakes. There is, from the standpoint of a Met fan, nothing to complain about here. Nothing. On a scale of 1-10, the met fan comes out of this with a 10.

The Yankee Fan: As a Yankee fan in this spot, I would be very much at odds with these droves of fans, who are seemingly happy about Johan and the Mets because of his not going to Boston. It would seem to me that Theo and co. never really had their hearts in it. They tried to steal the girlfriend because they hated the boyfriend, not because they gave a damn about the girl. I would sit, as a Yankee fan, and look at what it is and what it could have been. I have Phil Hughes, who has always been highly touted, but so thoroughly unproven (note this article on former #1 pitching prospects), and I have Melky Cabrera, who may not be more than a Benny Agbayani without all that class. I have Ian Kennedy, whose ceiling does not rise so high, and I have Joba, who we all love in the Bronx, but he has a slight bug problem, and only a couple of months behind him. IN my rotaion I have Wang, who is a strong pitcher and still very young, butwho was shaky last year at times, and has come up miserably in the postseason. I have Hughes. I have a shell of Mike Mussina. I have Joba, unless he is in the 'pen, and if he is not, I have big questions there. Then I have Pettitte, who is a serious question in the wake of the report and his age, followed by a large cast of characters such as Igawa, Kennedy, Karstens, Sanchez, etc. It's ok, but it's not like Boston, or Anaheim, or Detroit, or Cleveland, or even Toronto. Seattle, anyone? I had a chance to get a pitcher who very well may have become the greatest pitcher in Yankee history, and the same GM that brought Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright would not bring me Johan Santana. My silver lining is that the Red Sox do not have him either, and I still have my kids, who could prove the law of averages wrong and become Santanas in their own rites, but I cannot patronize those other NY fans any longer. I must watch my crosstown rivas who hate me so puff their chests out, justifiably so. If I'm a Yankee fan, after seeing what it took the Mets to get him, I want Cashman out for not doing this, plain and simple.
On a scale of 1-10 the Yankee fan comes out of this with a 3.

EDIT: Upon further review, after reading this Bob Klapisch article from Northjersey.com, I feel even more strongly about this assessment. If what he's saying about the Twins offering to make a deal sans Hughes is true, it is inexcusable not to deal Kennedy, Melky and a third prospect for Santana, though Klapisch himself may not agree with me.

The Red Sox Fan: I see myself as being on the opposite end of the Yankee fan. Surely, I would have greatly benefited from seeing Santana pitch at Fenway, and it may hurt a bit after the media frenzy just post-winter meetings that told me Johan was mine, but I am not in a position where I need the man. I have arguably the best staff in the game as is, and most of it is poised to grow and get better. Lost amongst talk of Beckett and Lester and Buchholz is last winter's crush Dice-K, who may fare much better once adjusted to life in the states, with its smaller strike zones and all. I did not get that major shot to get better, but I am already on top, and my youth is considerably more proven than that of the Yankees. Papelbon is the best at what he does, and my two big young pitchers between them have a no-hitter and a World Series clinching win already. My new CF gave my team such a shot in the legs last fall that it ran all the way through the Rockies, and he's safe without Johan coming. Did I mention that none of these players were the rookie of the year? That's my 2B. I have a team with a cunning young GM that has played the Yankees like a violin in the Johan sweepstakes, ownership that has won more than all our previous owners, and a solid manager who is one of the game's best. My counterparts in the Bronx have drama at the hot corner, a new manager thrust into a mass of egos, one of whom he once served as the backup to, a loudmouthed new owner who is there through nepotism alone, and a GM that has produced the highest payroll in the game year after year with not a recent playoff series win, let alone a ring, to show for it. I don't need Santana, my rivals probably did, and they didn't get him. Oh, and all that money the Yankees spend that makes them so hard to compete with? It comes from a market that just may flip a bit over to the other team in town. I'm just fine.
On a scale of 1 to 10 the Red Sox fan comes out of this with an 8.

The Twins Fan: Well, what can I say? We've pulled rabbits out of hats before in Minny. After all, Santana himself was a mere rule 5 pick. There was the Pierzynski trade, the Viola trade, etc. I didn't get nearly what I thought I may in return for my ace, but I got a potential OF stud and 3 pitchers to add to a mix of many young arms that just have to produce a star or two. Under the radar as it has been, I am getting Liriano back this year, who showed Santana-esque flashes in 2006. I wasn't going to get anything if I kept Johan and he walked next year, my team tried the extensions and failed, and at least I have something in return. Maybe the whole not having to face Johan thing is a tad overblown, seeing as the Twins may not contend at all for a few years, but it helps to not have to watch one of the two biggest haves of my AL live it up with my old buddy. Despite the downsides, I have to have faith in an organization that has pulled out unlikely star after unlikely star. And I have Mauer, Morneau and Cuddyer all tied up. But one day, seriously, could Minnesota just keep one superstar and not watch them dominate somewhere else? Moss, KG, Santana...
On a scale of 1 to 10, the Twins fan comes out with a 4.5

A nice little anecdote: About five minutes after I read the words have acquired, on MetsBlog, God Bless Matt Cerrone, I called up Legends Sporting Goods, a local store here in Bay Ridge that makes customs jerseys, and asked for a #57 Santana Mets Pinstriped Home Jersey. The guy on the other end of the phone very emphatically asked me, "why?". I said, "you didn't hear? We got him!" The man was indeed unaware and started yelling with excitement, thanking me for making his day, and saying he'd be more than happy to make me that jersey. Such are the joys of the connection we experience through fandom.

Oh, this article from braves.com is a must-read for humor's sake. Best headline ever: Santana Deal Brings Parity to NL East. In it, Tom Glavine describes how the Mets' getting Santana "certainly evens the balance in the division". Oh, because the Braves picking up your old junk arm and Mark Kotsay really thrusted them to the top.

EDIT: "WOOOOOO" (Think Ric Flair)

PUT IT IN THE BOOKS: THE METS GET SANTANA!!!

IMAGE: TUNELOVER FROM FLICKR

The New York Metropolitans have acquired Johan Alexander Santana Araque from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for four players who have yet to be officially named, but are reportedly Carlos Gomez, Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey. (USA TODAY)

The Mets will have a 72 hour window to negotiate with Santana on a contract extension. All along, the word has been that he wants a 7-year deal at about 20 million or more per year. In light of Santana's reported rejection of a Twins offer earlier in the day of a 5-yr, $100 million deal, one would have to assume that this extension will get done. The Mets were probably fully aware of Santana's unwillingness to go 5 years before they pulled the trigger on this deal, which would imply that they have no issue going 6 years on a contract with him. When all is said and done, with so much at stake, one year will not be a deal-breaker; someone will budge. 6 years at 20 mil and a 7th year player option at a lower price, perhaps?

Anyhow, there isn't much you can say to fully express the significance of this deal. Any of the Omar naysayers can cut the word "nay" out of their vocabulary for good, as he has just pulled off a masterful deal. Every move he has made here has been perfect. He has remained calm throughout, not hinting at much in any direction, and in spite of the frenzy surrounding him, he waited and waited and waited until the final right moment and got us the ace of all aces without giving up Jose Reyes, Fernando Martinez, Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez or Aaron Heilman. The team as of now is the same 88-win team it was last year, essentially, plus Santana, a healthy(er) Pedro and some improved defense. Subtract a late season collapse, which you hopefully can, and you've got 100 wins. It may be early yet, but now we can really dream.

All I can say is, wow. Wow.

2008 is my year, I'll tell ya. I got my first son, the Giants in the Super Bowl playing the Patriots, and Johan a Met. Might have to start calling the kiddo Johan.

Oh, the Nationals have agreed to terms on a one year deal with Johnny Estrada, "giving them even more options on offense". Cool, dudes.

Spiritual Awakening?

IMAGE: PLANET EXPRESS FROM FLICKR

So I was watching some Hockey highlights on FSN late night/early morning (Go Isles, BTW), and I noticed in passing the words "Mets Acquire" on the bottom line. I said nothing, but my jaw tightened up and my heart started racing ever so slightly as I grabbed the MacBook to go searching. Alas, this sudden acquisition was merely Angel Pagan, former Met farmhand (and maiden voyage Brooklyn Cyclone) and a .264 hitter in 148 AB's last season in ChiTown. He is , in essence, a poor man's Endy Chavez at this point, with perhaps the potential to develop into a regular man's Endy Chavez sans Game 7 heroics.

Upon reading about the deal, I called one of my more involved Met fan friends, who I knew was out at a bar and therefore not in range of media, and told him simply, "we got him." His reaction really made me feel bad, I mean deeply, deeply sorry, as his slight drunkenness allowed him to take the full leap into momentarily believing that my statement meant that either Johan Santana was a Met, or that my wife, now less than a week short of her due date, had given birth to our first child. But it was only Angel Pagan.

I'm starting to believe that Santana will be dealt the moment my kid is born. Not to put the two events on the same level in the grand scheme of my life, but both sagas at this point have left me with the same mantra: Come on!

Yes, we have purchased a Mets baby cap and onesie.

The fallout of this Pagan deal is potentially big and potentially negligible.
A) Omar wanted to add another 4th/5th OF type in case of the outfield injury bug that liked to hit if 2/3 of your outfield is Beltran and Alou. The deal is for depth, plain and simple.
B) Omar is going to deal Gomez and/or F-Mart and/or Endy for Johan or another top-flite SP, and has acquired Pagan to fill in the spot(s) left empty by such a deal.
C) The Twins have an irrational love for Angel Pagan.

Of those three options, C is clearly not the case, but I hope B is.

At this point, I just want to get Johan. Period. Only two situations, to me, justify not doing it. The first one being if the Yankees break completely and include everything the Twins want, and the second one being if the Red Sox do the same. In either case, there's really no offer the Mets could make to match, but any other way you spin it, they should get a deal done. Give 'em any of the studs, honestly I don't care. Here's the recipe:
Add of 2-3 of the following: Gomez, F-Mart, Pelf, Humber, Mulvey, Heilman
Add one "ML ready Outfielder" (a twins need): Endy Chavez
Add one ML 2B (something the twins lack): Ruben Gotay
Call Bill Smith
Let deal bake for 7 years/150 mil

If this happens, the Mets add the ace of all aces, hold on to every major player on this team, and have either in-house or FA options to replace minor pegs that have been lost. Just do it. Put it in the books.

So long, it's been good to know ye

IMAGE: CHSCHWA17 FROM FLICKR

The image to the left was taken by someone else, who I'm glad took it and took the time to post it on flickr. The scene it shows took place during quite possibly the most memorable baseball game I have ever attended, certainly the most memorable regular season game. The primary reason for that is that attending this game with about 20 other people, using my 2 season tickets and going stubhub crazy, was the highlight of a great, clean, bachelor party last spring. That alone would have made this a game that would stick out in my memory, but on top of the event, it also happened to be an interleague game, and ended in a David Wright walkoff double. Even better. Oh, and Brooklyn's own Paul LoDuca went absolutely ape on the umpire, not once but twice, totally inspiring the crowd and apparently the team as well.

This is what Paulie could do above all else. I know I'm beating a dead horse by alluding to Duca's heart, but there's a reason that every Met fan on the internet or in any deli or bus stop says this, and that's because it's true. On a team rife with players possessing questionable drive, he was among a small minority who really gave it their all, and stood out.

Now he's a Nat, and I for one hope he gets a Piazza-esque standing O next year at Shea. (Oddly enough, Mikey P got a Shea standing ovation at that same bachelor party game) I can guarantee anyone that he will stand out against the Mets from here on out, as he probably feels slighted by them, and should.

The real annoying part of all this is that the only logical explanation I could find for not resigning Duca was an insistence on multiple years in a contract. That made some sense, what with his clear tendency to wear down. But he signed a one year deal in DC! Somehow I doubt he wouldn't have done the same to stay in a place he loved.

I wonder what would happen in a collision at the plate between Paulie and Brain Schneider. Ugh...

The Santana race continues, and frankly, if what we're hearing is true, I'm frustrated, and my reason for it probably puts me in the minority. If John Heyman's article on SI.com is accurate, Johan Santana would be a Met, done deal, if the Mets were to include both Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez.

Here is where the whole prospect thing aggravates me. Youth and Minor League talent is certainly valuable, and something to be held on to at almost any cost. Don't for instance, trade your best pitching prospect for an aging, mediocre starter when your team probably can't contend anyhow (Kazmir). Don't trade an OF who has allegedly been the gem of your system for years when his value is low for a truly sub-par return (Milledge). In short, don't sell the farm for mediocrity or mild improvement, but by all means sell it all, sell anything for the chance to bring the best pitcher in the game onto a team that is already a borderline contender in the weaker league.

What I don't get about all of this unwillingness of Omar's (and, admittedly, most Met fans...) to trade both of these guys is that at the same time the Mets are talking them up and don't want to give them away, everyone else seems to be killing the quality of the Mets' collection of top prospects. We go from "not having the chips to land a front-line starter", which I've heard again and again, to being unwilling to include one more guy to get THE front-line starter of all front-line starters.

Remember, we're not talking about hurting the quality of the on-field product. In any of these Gomez and F-Mart scenarios, we keep Reyes, Wright, Perez, Maine, Beltran, and every other current potential starter except maybe Church, while adding Santana. How can you not do that? Especially in a year when the Mets are particularly draft-heavy, having effectively three first-round picks in the upcoming draft. I don't mind if the farm system takes 2-3 years to be rebuilt while I watch ballgames in late October at Shea/Citi.

My vote: if they want 'em all, give it to 'em.
I'll probably get killed for this in the era of BA, BP, etc. Oh, well, I think I'm right.

Still in the Mix?

IMAGE: FRANK PEREIRO FROM FLICKR


Rumors can be downright infuriating, but we ask for it. A week ago, Johan Santana had one leg in pinstripes if you bought what was being tossed around, and then the Boss Jr. pulled the plug. Three days ago, he was allegedly even closer to joining the Red Sox, and all along 'Los Mets figured to have no chance.

Now, any deal that seemed imminent involving Johan is on hold, at least, and reports are that the Mets think they are very much in the discussion to acquire the lefty.

If I didn't care so much, I'd just shut the computer off and ignore it all until I saw a press conference with a done deal.

My constant thought on this whole thing has been that the Mets do not have what it takes to get Santana, short of trading Jose Reyes, which is completely out of the question. Even if a deal were right, Reyes, despite a foul fall, has aroused as much excitement at Shea as any player in franchise history who wasn't a world champ in 1986. You just can't do it.

But despite my impression on it, and what appears to be the prevailing opinion amongst the sports media, the Mets are seemingly right back in the race. I don't know what changed.

Perhaps the Twins now have a desire for a bundle of talented players from top to bottom, rather than a couple blue chip studs and a couple longshots. This the Mets can offer: quantity. While Gomez and Pelf are no Ellsbury and Buchholz or Hughes and Melky (we think...), Boston's Masterson and Lowrie or the Yankees' Jackson and Marquez are no F-Mart, Heilman and Mulvey.

Perhaps there is some question as to whether the Yankees or Red Sox, both heavily soaked in payroll already, would be apt to work out a reasonable extension with Johan. If not, he and/or the team in question would almost certainly veto any deal. One would think that the Mets, awaiting Citi Field and still lagging behind the Bombers in payroll in such a rich market, wouldn't think twice about paying Santana if given the opportunity.

Or perhaps Bill Smith and his boys in the Minnyapple stopped for a moment and gazed into a crystal ball, foreseeing a dark decade for any team that dared play AL baseball against a Red Sox or Yankee ball club anchored by endless cash and the best pitcher in the game. Maybe the thought of shipping him over to the senior circuit is more comforting, and the Mets appear to be the NL front-runners.

Again, I don't really see it, but if Omar does I hope he has a reason, and I hope I'm proven wrong.

In other news, John Maine will not be releasing any collaborative material with RuPaul or David Bowie any time soon.

Just a ridiculous story "broke" earlier this week on the AM dial, reporting that wholesome ol' Johnny Maine followed a woman into a restroom at an NYC restaurant and asked to wear her dress. Apparently, Maine was in Virginia well before and after this event occured. Might shoulda checked on that, huh?

But at least if it had been true SOMETHING of note would have gone down this winter...

Bring Your Kiddies, Bring Your Wife, Bring 'Em All...

IMAGE: MICHAEL G. BARON FROM FLICKR

So after driving cross country, totaling my car and getting stuck in the Show-Me State for 3 days, I came home to some serious family matters, and thus have been absent blogwise for a glaring amount of time. Hopefully, somebody noticed.

Where the hell do I start? It's difficult to navigate through all of the non-action/potential yet improbable action that the hot stove has yielded through early December. You probably gathered what my feelings were with regards to the Milledge debacle based on the last post and the current poll, and I've simultaneously softened and hardened towards the deal. I've softened because time has passed, we have what we have, and one must always try to practice acceptance; I've hardened because since the moment of that deal, all the really juicy wheeling and dealing began, and the Mets, if they were not going to let 'Stings play, are at the very least short one more chip. Mets PR is telling us that there wasn't much interest in Milledge, but you just can't tell me that a 22-yr old who has been touted as a 5-tool player for the last three years (whether those tools work or not...) wouldn't be of some value in a trade, even as a throw-in. Not many teams would refuse to take him. I put a lot of stock in what Peter Gammons says, and he said this (2nd paragraph from bottom).

But again, what's done is done, and I can only hope that Brian Schneider solves the whole staff and that Ryan Church either helps acquire something bigger, or decides to play against everyone else the way he has played against the Mets.

Now we come to the winter meetings madness. It was really wishful thinking on all of our behalves approaching the Santana situation, and it seems as if Omar and Co. knew that. If what appears is going to happen happens, and the Red Sox end up with Johan, you can start talking about a rotation of historic proportions. Remember Pedro and Schilling in 2004? Subtract 14 combined years of age. Oh, and they've still got Curt Schilling, and the other guy, that japanese guy. I recall some sort of mild hubbub surrounding him about a year ago. If this Yankee "deadline" with Santana and the Twins proves to be a reality, Hank Steinbrenner is simply a fool. Not only have they (the Yankees) arbitrarily withdrawn from a negotiation they certainly weren't out of, they've also made things a lot easier for their arch-rivals. Just don't make no sense. Sometimes the whole prospect thing just gets a bit out of hand. You won't give up Hughes, Cabrera and Kennedy for JOHAN SANTANA? Melky Cabrera is not a star, and he never will be a star. He's a little better than Preston Wilson at his prime, but still with less power. Phil Hughes has definitely been pumped up quite a bit for a while now,and showed flashes of real effectiveness but he's already been injured. Ian Kennedy is basically Mike Pelfrey with less hype-time behind him. If I'm a GM, I give up just about anyone for Johan Santana. It's great to hold on to young talent, but when one of the best pitchers the game has ever seen is on the table, let it go. Remember, blue chip prospects can always turn in to a deal for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider. Hank Steinbrenner's misconduct to date is encouraging to me as someone who has a vested interest in seeing the Yankees in peril.

So Johan's out. Next stop? Dan Haren. Simply, I really, really don't see it happening for the Mets. I hold Dan Haren in a very high regard. He's very young, very good, and very consistent, all nice things, but early reports are that Billy Beane is coming out guns blazing as he shops Haren. The word is that it'll take about what it takes to get Santana from the Twins to get Haren from the A's, and there are two reasons that that should leave the Mets out of it. A) They don't have what it takes to get Santana, so they wouldn't have the equivalent of something they don't have. B) Good as Haren is, he's not Johan, and no one should pay that price. Maybe I'm wrong here, maybe Beane backs of a bit, but unless that happens, you can count the Mets out of Haren.

Then there's Erik Bedard. The nice thing about him is that the two biggest suitors for any big name (NYY-BOS) are just about eliminated from the start by sharing the division with the Orioles, as are the Blue Jays, who apparently have expressed interest in him. Common sense, as well as winter meeting rumblings would say Baltimore wouldn't deal him withing the AL East, although Peter Angelos has a tendency to be a complete moron.

Bedard is an option that I find to be very attractive. He brings a little more flash than a Haren, if not a little more risk, and probably at a lower price than the two pitchers mentioned earlier. The Mets are said to have offered Humber, Gomez and Heilman for Bedard already, twice actually, (credit to MLBTraderumors.com)and the O's declined both times. What's encouraging is that if that package is a discussion, maybe Pelfrey/Mulvey instead of Humber is a deal, and I'd be happy with either scenarios. Also, the Dodgers initially appeared to be the front-runner in the Bedard race, and have now backed off significantly. I say go get him if you can.

The next option would have been Dontrelle, but Dave Dombrowski dropped a bomb on all of us by acquiring him and more notably Miguel Cabrera, thereby creating a potential powerhouse in Detroit. I'm not gonna lose any sleep over missing out on Dontrelle Willis, at this point.

A.J. Burnett? Meh. I suppose he's better than a lot of other options, and definitely better than no one, but at what price. He has an opt-out clause in a year, and a bad history of injury. If this drives the price for him down considerably, say a Humber/Pelfrey and a minor-leaguer, I'd go for it, but anything more is too much of a risk to give up a lot of value for a potential albatross is he got injured and then didn't opt out.

I don't see why the Mets don't sign Carlos Silva regardless of anything else, and I have a feeling they will. Can't hurt.

With all of the pitching talk, I'd be curious to see if the Mets were inquiring on any outfielders, via free-agency or trade. Not the priority right now, but another bat that's better than a Church would be nice if the pitching thing can get worked out...

Or maybe nothing happens at all, Pedro pitches 200 innings, Delgado returns to Toronto form, and Ryan Church explodes. Or not.

Go get that Canadian lefty from Baltimore, dammit.

Offseason Needs: Starting Pitching

IMAGE: MAJORLEAGUEWIFFLEBALL_COM FROM FLICKR
So I figured I'd incrementally cover the various areas that this team, that is the New York Metropolitans, needs to address. Perhaps the most blatant, and probably the most in need of creativity on the part of Omar Minaya, is starting pitching. So, rather appropriately, we will start with starting pitching. The following are potential/probable free agents for this coming offseason:
Kris Benson, Paul Byrd, Shawn Chacon, Matt Clement, Bartolo Colon, Scott Elarton, Josh Fogg, Casey Fossum, Freddy Garcia, Livan Hernandez, Jason Jennings, John Lieber, Kyle Lohse, Rodrigo Lopez, Wade Miller, Eric Milton, Odalis Perez, Joel Pineiro, Kenny Rogers, Curt Schilling, Carlos Silva, Brett Tomko, Kip Wells, Randy Wolf, Jaret Wright, Victor Zambrano. A few of these players, have team options, but Pineiro and Byrd seem like the only ones with a real shot of getting their options picked up.
Essentially you are left with a bunch of guys who are either below average, injury-prone or very old. No one in this group would fit the title "front-line starter", which ideally is what the Mets would like to acquire. The only two on this list who really stand out at all are Schilling and Kenny Rogers, and either one could easily be resigned by their respective teams. I don't think we'd ever see the Gambler in a Met uniform again. Schilling is old and pretty fragile at this point, but he most likely brings a good deal more to the table than Duque, and with some luck could replace Glavine nicely. I wouldn't be wholly opposed to that option; there is indeed a need to add youth to this team, but there are plenty of other places you can do this, and a 1-2 year deal for a proven veteran to fill one of two rotation vacancies may not hurt. As far as the rest of the list goes, you can totally right of the injury-plagued members. I just can't see Omar envisioning Matt Clement or Bartolo Colon as viable options to solidify a shaky staff. What I could see is bringing in a dependable, league average or so innings eater to replace El Duque in the rotation, sending him to the bullpen; someone along the lines of Carlos Silva, Kyle Lohse or Livan Hernandez. If you write in Pedro, Perez and Maine, and assume some length of injury for one or more, that leaves two spots. The only way a Silva type works here is if there is an additional deal made on the side for a real impact pitcher to fill the other vacant spot. Example rotation: Pedro, Javier Vazquez, Maine, Perez, Carlos Silva, with Pelfrey/Humber as insurance.
Of course, such a scenario is entirely contingent upon bringing that impact guy in. It's tough to speculate on which big-name starters could be made available, but here are some potentials: Johan Santana, C.C. Sabathia, Dan Haren, Dontrelle Willis, Brandon Webb and the entire White Sox rotation. A couple of these are serious stretches as far as availability goes, but you never know. Personally, I would stay the heck away from Willis, as the league seems to figure him out more and more, and he would demand an amount of cash to resign that just wouldn't be worth it. Any Met fan in their right mind would be thrilled to see Santana come to Queens, but what in the world gets him? Milledge, Maine, Humber, plus? Reyes? If through some bizarre act of God Johan becomes available at a price that would not seriously cripple the rest of this team's future, then sure as hell go get him, but I hear too many people saying, "they gotta get Santana", as if it were a forgone conclusion that this were doable within the realm of reason. But hey, Santana, Pedro, Maine, Perez and whoever looks real good. The most likely options would be the usual suspects from the south side of Chicago, and while none of them command the same fear of God that the other names do, there would be a lot of potential for success in the NL. Vazquez would seem to be the most interesting, coming off a year in which he won 15 games, posted a 3.74 ERA and struck out 213 for an abysmal ballclub. One could cite the failed Yankee experiment as a reason not to bring him to NYC, but to be fair the guy got hurt, and the Yankees kinda ran him out of town quickly. He seems like someone who could be gotten for a Gomez, Pelfrey and low-end minor-leaguer, and make a major difference in this rotation. Beyond him you get Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland and Jose Contreras. Any of them could be successful, and gotten at a smaller price. (Consider the El Duque-Contreras element...)
The options really are endless, and with each one arises a new drove of complications. No matter what, there absolutely needs to be a major addition to this rotation in one form or another, because the cross your fingers with the guys you have approach did not work this year.
Kris Benson, anyone? ;)