Mets Merized Online

Well, it finally happened. Johan Santana is (tentatively) a New York Met. I can’t speak for everyone but all of a sudden the grass is greener and the sky is bluer than it was a couple of days ago. All that stands in the way is a contract extension and all of the players passing their physicals, which shouldn’t be a problem. Neither the Mets nor Twins would try to bargain with players they knew weren’t healthy and the Mets certainly would not have traded for a guy they KNEW was going to command the money Johan will. I look for a press conference to be announced shortly and Johan to be holding up his new home whites flanked by Omar and Jeff Wilpon sometime Thursday or Friday. It will be a day that will be seared into Mets fans consciousnesses for a long time.

Can somebody tell me what Billy Wagner’s problem is? Okay, I realize the Mets choked last season and up until a day or so ago the Mets might not have been better than a 3rd place team. Tell me though; what does Omar have to do for our own closer to believe in the team? In my humble opinion, getting the best pitcher this decade is a pretty big deal. Maybe Billy is like that kid who lashes out because his best friends (LoDuca and Glavine) moved away. Baseball is a business like it or not so he needs to just support his team and earn that insane contract Omar handed to him a few winters ago. I can tell you that as good as Billy is, if he is going to be a cancer, I would happily welcome Chad Cordero, Huston Street, or Joe Nathan in his place.

It’s been a roller coaster of emotion these past couple of days as a Mets fan with the magnitude of this trade. It fits right in there with the Gary Carter and Mike Piazza trades that led to two pennants and a World Series championship. The fact of the matter is the Mets finally have a difference maker. There are no other pitchers in MLB that come to my mind who could transform a team like Johan Santana will. Omar has served notice to the whole National League that the Mets are coming out with guns blazing. John Donavan wrote on SI.com concerning the trade:

“With Santana in tow, there’s no question that the Mets, incredibly to many, are again the class of the East. And of the league, too. Snicker at that.”

Yes indeed, Braves, Phillies, Marlins and Nats… snicker at THAT!

The day after this brilliant trade by Omar was announced, we want to know what everyone is saying. It’s understandable that some people are leery until the deal is sealed, but I, for one, am a very proud Mets fan!

Here are some quotes from around the league: 

Braves GM Frank Wren - "Johan Santana is one of the best pitchers in the game so clearly you hope that a pitcher like that doesn’t end up in your division with a division rival. But we feel like we’ve improved our club as well this year and I think it’s going to be a very good division race."

Billy Wagner – "I think the Phillies are still ahead of us. I think their offense and what they’re capable of doing – their whole organization right now has gotten a lot better and they’ve gotten a little taste of what playoff baseball is. They’ve got two MVPs. They’ve got a serious threat in their bullpen with Brad Lidge. They’re putting Brett Myers back into the rotation. I honestly think it’s really tight at the top. I’m not going to put us ahead of them because we don’t deserve to be there until we achieve something."

David Wright – "We’re going to welcome him with open arms. When I think of an ace, I think of a guy who can get you a win every five days. There’s only a handful of those guys out there – there’s not many – and Johan is one of those guys. You know that every fifth day he’s going to eat up innings, he’s going to win. And to have one of those handful that I’d consider an ace is obviously pretty special." 

Philadelphia Inquirer – "The sound that came out of the executive offices at Citizens Bank Park was something closer to a deflating groan. The old “You sank my battleship!” commercial comes to mind here. One day after feeling pretty good about upgrading their third-base position with the signing of Pedro Feliz, the Phils were completely one-upped by their closest National League East rival. The Mets added baseball’s most precious commodity – a true No. 1 ace – while giving up nothing that figured to significantly impact their 2008 roster … So now, Johan Santana is headed to Queens. He will make the Mets better – and the Phillies’ quest for back-to-back NL East titles a little more difficult."

Let the critics talk but one thing’s for certain, once this deal goes through, they will have to find something else to complain about because the Mets will finally have a pair of aces and a rotation to be proud of! Is it spring yet?

After thousands of rumors, posts, blogs and articles, the Mets have trumped the Yankees and Red Sox won the Johan Santana sweepstakes! Baseball’s best pitcher is now a New York Met… 

It was long time in developing, with most analysts and sportscasters giving the Mets little chance of getting Santana from the Twins. We have had to endure countless articles that said the Mets farm system was inadequate and their prospects were sub par. However, in the end the Mets had exactly what the Twins were looking for and the topper is that they keep their best prospect Fernando Martinez, the teenage wonder.

In the end the deal costs the Mets Kevin Mulvey, Phil Humber, Carlos Gomez and Deolis Guerra. Each of them have potential but they each came with with their own baggage as well. Gomez was a speed burner who has yet to prove he can hit. Humber has talent but is not projected to be more than a bottom of the rotation starter. Mulvey is probably the most polished in the group, but has yet to do anything at the major league level, and Guerra has not pitched above A ball.

This deal was a major coup and a huge feather in Omar Minaya’s hat. For months, Omar has endured harsh criticism from many Mets fans for not doing something sooner. Even Billy Wagner voiced his displeasure twice to the media. I hope that those same people in the media like Steve Phillips of ESPN and Wallace Mathews of Newsday, now eat their words and give Omar the respect and recognition he deserves.

The only thing left for Omar to do is sign Johan Santana to a long term deal, and both sides are set to meet on Wednesday. Of course Santana will hold out for a 7-year deal, but considering he turns 29 in March, I wouldn’t be too worried about signing him to a deal like that.

The important thing is that with this deal, the Mets are now considered the odds on favorite to win the NL East and may even be the best team in the National League.

It’s a great day to be a Mets fan!

Bob Nightengale, of USA Today, reports the Minnesota Twins have agreed to send two-time Cy Young winner Johan Santana to the Mets for four prospects. The prospects include Carlos Gomez, Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra, and Kevin Mulvey. The biggest part of this deal has to be Fernando Martinez. Not only do we get Santana, we keep Martinez.

..it’s over! and we prevail! Fernando Martinez was a big chip if we added him in the deal. Lucky for us, we get to keep him.

With Santana on the Mets, the starting rotation is projected to look like this:

1. Johan Santana
2. Pedro Martinez
3. John Maine
4. Oliver Perez
5. Orlando Hernandez

..the Mets now have 72-hours to reach a contract agreement with Johan. This is a must-do for the Mets, in my opinion, only because a tease to the fans won’t go over well. I’m fine with a 6-year deal, just make it reasonable Omar.

5:15 PM Update by Joe D. – The Mets or Twins have yet to confirm this officially. Sources from both teams are confirming the deal is done and the Mets are working with a 72-hour window to sign Santana. Johan Santana is looking for a six year deal sources tell us. We will continue to monitor the situation throughout the day and night.

5:35 PM Update by Joe D. – Both SI.com and USA Today are reporting that they have confirmed that the Mets have acquired Johan Santana and the only thing that stands in the way is the Mets reluctance to go beyond a five year contract. 

Billy Wagner continues to make light of the Mets lackluster off season with some strongly worded comments about where the mets rank in the their division. In his opinion not only do the the Phillies rank ahead of the Mets, but the Atlanta Braves as well.

The comments were made during SNY’s broadcast of Mets Hot Stove with Kevin Burkhardt, and was first reported by Matt Cerrone at MetsBlog.

Billy Wagner got himself into same hot water back in November when he criticized Omar Minaya for what he perceived as no sense of urgency and an unwillingness to make the necessary improvements on the team. Minaya immediately addressed those concerns in private with Billy Wagner and supposedly everything was straightened out according to Omar back then.

It’s too bad Wagner can’t apply some of his closing skills to his own mouth, and spare the team the unneeded negative attention and embarrassment.

It’s a sad situation when one of your key players goes on the record and basically says the Mets will not go into the post season in 2008. Rather than exhibiting some enthusiasm for the upcoming season, he instead chose to shoot down our hopes. Even if Billy Wagner is right, shouldn’t he have kept it to himself?

Is Billy Wagner becoming more trouble than he is worth?

We gave him a landmark contract when the Mets signed him, making him the highest paid closer in the National League at that time. I think he owes the Mets a little more respect than he has given them.

It looks like the Baltimore Orioles have traded right handed, starting pitcher Erik Bedard to the Seattle Mariners according to several sources including the Seattle Times and the Baltimore Sun.

Apparently the Orioles will get back super-prospect Adam Jones who has been called back from Venezuela to undergo a physical.

When reached for comment today, Adam Jones said…

"I received a call from Seattle saying that there is no more playing for me and I can’t do anything about that,” Jones said. "I leave tomorrow morning… It sucks. I want to play. This is Game 4 of the finals and I really want to be there for my team, but it’s something that all the guys understand. I really want to play, but I can’t."

Although Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has said the deal is completed, both teams have suggested that it is yet to be finalized, but confirmed something is imminent.

*** This was the second of the big three pitchers to slip through the hands of the New York Mets, with the other being Dan Haren. That leaves Johan Santana as the last viable option for a top of the rotation starter that is still available.

I find it interesting that Erik Bedard can be had for what amounts to one big outfield prospect and yet the Mets couldn’t pry him away with a bundle of four prospects. I actually felt that Bedard was a better option for the Mets because he has two years until free agency.

Last season Bedard went 13-5 with an ERA of 3.16, and he struck out 221 batters in 182 innings. He is only 28 years old and has improved significantly each of his four years in the majors.

Johan Santana is officially the last big pitcher standing. Reports this weekend say that he will be traded within the next ten days. The Yankees, Red Sox and Mets are all said to be in the mix. Other rumors reported that if the Mets have truly taken Fernando Martinez off the table as has been reported, any discussions with the Mets are over. The Mets have now moved on to "Plan L", Livan Hernandez. As soon as the Mets get the official call from the Twins saying "NO DEAL", Hernandez will join his brother El Duque in the middle of the Mets rotation.

We are not alone Mets fans…

I think the Mets’ beat writers are getting as anxious about a Johan Santana trade then we are. Some of them have even changed their positions on the matter. A couple have gone from reporting any rumors on the matter, to actually urging Omar Minaya to pull the trigger already. Yikes!

Bob Klapisch – There are many fine individual components here – Beltran, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Billy Wagner – but the sum of these parts somehow feels less than the whole. The Mets can thank the Phillies for that: they go into ‘08 believing Randolph’s team, while cosmetically impressive, is soft.

The Phillies have every reason to feel that way, of course. The Mets need a drastic, sea-change event to reverse their slide, both in the standings and in their rivals’ perception of them. Santana is the antidote. Without him, those ghosts could be a problem again this summer.

*** I must agree with Bob in that no matter how impressive we look on paper, when your opponent isn’t scared of you, it don’t matter how good you look. Last season, the mets were not scaring anyone…

Steve Popper - I know what I’m hoping. I hope that we never hear another rumor, never read another story – after this one – about Santana coming to (fill in the blank). And the only way that will happen is if Santana goes somewhere, anywhere. So Mets, get it done. Give up four prospects. Give up five. Give up Fernando Martinez. Get it done. The Mets can get by this season without him, and they still might be the favorites to win the East. But the reason they should go for Santana is the one that critics would tell them not to make the deal for — the future.

Martinez may turn out to be a star. Deolis Guerra could turn out to be an ace. Or maybe they won’t. But in Santana, arm health permitting, the Mets would ensure the future of their pitching rotation, something that they are desperately in need of beyond this season.

*** Obviously the only sure thing among all the players in this deal, is Johan Santana. The others could end up like most prospects and never become the players they are hyped up to be. While usually only 1 out of 5 prospects ever make it in the majors, the Mets’ odds are actually much worse than that. Only 1 out of 12 of their first round picks ever have a career longer than 5 years. Ouch!

David Lennon – It would be awfully tough for Smith to trade Santana and not have any of the players in that deal make an impact for the Twins next season. I’m not saying that Carlos Gomez won’t make the roster, but he could use some more experience before stepping into a full-time role. As for Philip Humber or Kevin Mulvey, they have potential, but that’s about it at this stage.

The Mets are under the impression that Smith is still figuring out which way to go, as reported today in Newsday. They’re definitely in the mix, but if the Twins want a difference-maker for next season, the Yankees and Red Sox seem better equipped to provide that. If not, and Smith goes for the mother lode of prospects, then the Mets could be the ones to close the blockbuster deal.

*** The mother lode? Reminds me of the mother lode the Mets received when they traded a stud ace of the rotation pitcher by the name of Tom Seaver… It didn’t work out to well for the Mets for the next gazillion years… If I’m the Twins I would want the deal that offers the best major league ready player, and that means a big fat no to the Mets offer. Luckily for the twins, they don’t really seem to have a genius running the operation these days, so it bodes well for the Mets.

Well, happy almost end of the week to everybody! Once again, an uneventful week in the world of major league baseball.  I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m getting pretty sick of hearing about who the front runner for Johan Santana is.

I think SI.com has an article at least 3 times a week about it. I just want to tell the Twins to make up their minds already. They have to do something in my opinion because he has made it clear that he won’t stay for what they’re offering… We ALL know the Twins aren’t going to pony up the dough to have a shot so they better do something quick.

The only bright side to this whole mess, is it got me interested in seeing what all the fuss over this guy is about. I know all about the awards and stuff, but admittedly had not seen him pitch outside of the ESPN Sports Center highlights.. After watching this 17 strikeout video of him against Texas, I’m sold.

The guy has nasty stuff! Plus the video is set to “Crazy Train”, so that never hurts on the cool scale. I can’t help but picture him in orange and blue…

The other plus is it looks like the Mets aren’t going to try and force another slogan down our throats this season. If I have to hear “Amazin’ Again!” or “The Magic Is Back!” one more time I might be sick. We really just want to see the team play ball and do it competitively. True blue fans don’t need gimmicks, we’re already hooked. You know we are die- hard when after all the years of disappointment, we’re still around. Kind of like Red Sox fans, only with a few decades less heartache. Instead, we’ll be bombarded with reminders of Shea waiting for the wrecking ball. Thanks for the reminder that our childhood “ Graceland ”(for lack of a better word) is on death row. Nice. Real nice.

I realize that stories in MLB are limited this off season, minus the whole steroid thing. So I just really want Spring Training to start ASAP! We really need something better to write about besides Barroid and Roidger. Anyone else broken out their glove or swung a bat yet? This may sound stupid to most but I have already been making sure my batting gloves fit again and taken a few swings on the hit-a-way outside. Although stupid may be too strong a word to use, more like obsessed! Stupid in my estimation, is reminiscent of a situation Batman and Robin once got themselves in after leaving the Batmobile parked outside of Yankee Stadium…

Robin: “BATMAN!”

Batman: “Yes Robin?!”

Robin: “Didn’t we park the car…here?”

Hope he had a GPS on that utility belt…

Anyway, hope y’all have a great day! Don’t work too hard…

The Mets are now looked at as the clear favorites in the Johan Santana sweepstakes by more than just a few credible sources. Yesterday alone Jon Heyman of SI.com and the Boston Globe hinted as much.

There is absolutely no escaping these rumors. Every morning I make my usual treks to my favorite Mets sites, starting with Matt’s MetsBlog and then I move onto ESPN Insider, AOL Fanhouse, and finally Fox Sports. Lately it’s always Santana, Santana, Santana… 

My question is this though, is being the front runner a good thing? I am beginning to feel like the only reason why the Mets are now leading this fruitless marathon, is because we are the only organization foolish enough to still be willing to think about an offer that amounts to suicide for our minor league system.

The latest version of the rumor now has the Mets including newly acquired outfielder Ryan Church, and while I’m not in the least bit beholden to Church, I think it makes the deal even worse than when we were including both Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez.

Apparently, many Mets fans think the deal is much more palatable by replacing Fernando Martinez with Church. Martinez has yet to do anything at the major league level and is the most hyped Mets outfielder since Alex Ochoa. At least we know Church can fill a need as a corner outfielder for the Mets right now. Martinez and even Carlos Gomez will not be major league ready for at least two more years.

How is the inclusion of Church more palatable? Didn’t we give up Lastings Milledge for this guy?

Two questions that have fallen through the cracks yet further illustrates the sheer madness of the entire situation. Just last week, Willie Randolph himself cringed at the suggestion of five of the Mets best prospects for Johan Santana. So now we are going to hand over four prospects plus a a young proven major leaguer?

Preposterous!

If this deal does go through, and I’m quite sure that it wont… All I can say is…

Omar! You are the weakest link, good bye.

Here is the second part of the WFAN interview with Willie randolph by Chris Carlin and Kim Jones. The first part was posted earlier today.

Carlos Delgado – He is not the fiery type or a boisterous leader, but he leads by example and you have to let people be who they are. He knows exactly what he needs to do without me having to tell him. He is remorseful and he’s looking to come back strong. He’s starting to hit already which is something he has never done this early and he is hell-bent on getting back and doing what he’s capable of.

Jose Reyes – When you have 50,000 people screaming "Jose, Jose, Jose" it’s easy to get caught up in it and become full of yourself. I think what happened to Jose was more a case of timing than anything else. He went into a slump and like most young players he didn’t know how to deal with it and get going again. The timing of his slump was wrong. As far as me having to take him out for those two games, listen… you have to play hard and hustle for me everyday. He understood that and a couple of times I had to call him on a few things, but for the most part Jose Reyes hustled and played as hard as anyone else on the team. He at times got a little bit down on himself and some of his immaturity surfaced and I had to call him into my office, but let me just say that he’s a great kid and I focused so much on him because he is such a big part of our offense and he makes us go. When your energy is not there it starts to look like your not doing certain things. But like I said, he got into a funk, it happened at the worst time of the season, and he never had to deal with a slump before. It’s a good lesson for him, but a tough lesson to learn at the wrong time.

Luis Castillo – He’s a veteran guy and he was preoccupied with his health and his pending free agency and he was very hard on himself. He could have been more of a mentor for Jose Reyes and he tried to be one at times, but he had many issues on his mind. I spoke to him about that and this year he’ll be better. He’s going to be with us for a few years now and he knows what I expect from him.  

John Maine – When you get to a certain level you can’t regress. I need to get more from him and I think he’s going to give us more innings and a better year overall.

Duaner Sanchez – He is the biggest key for us in the bullpen and we need him to be the dominant setup guy he was for us a couple of years ago. He’s pitching and he’s looking great.

Players Urgency – We always come out of the chute with urgency. It’s so important to get out of the division with a good start because everyone is so tough in our division. We need play well and not get ourselves in a hole. There’s no doubt the players learned something, I know and feel in my heart that these guys are going to bounce back and that they realized they wasted a golden opportunity.

Johan Santana – Pitchers the caliber of Johan Santana are few and far between and of course any manager would love to have him on their team. To me you have to be smart when you make a trade like this because it’s going to impact you financially. I love young players and when you have a nice nucleus of prospects it’s okay to let a few of them go, but you have to be careful not to give up four or five of them in one shot. That being said, if Mr. Minaya and Mr. Wilpon want to that, hey I’ll take him, but my baseball mind tells me that’s a lot to give up. I think we have some good young prospects in Martinez and Gomez and pitchers too. I think this kid Mulvey looks like a good pitcher and of course Pelfrey and Humber need to step up.

The Off Season – We have gotten better but we still haven’t addressed the pitching issue. Let’s face it there’s not much out there to get excited about in free agents in terms of quality. I know the fans and the media want something to happen but you can’t have a knee jerk reaction type of move that can backfire on you. You have to trust your young players sometimes, just look at all the kids on the Marlins and the Yankees.

*** One of the highlights of the interview came when a youngster asked Willie how he would make sure the Mets won’t lose their motivation again. Willie’s reply… "I’m gonna whip them".