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.

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...