Johan Santana had long been considered the best pitcher in baseball.  From 2004-2008 there wasn’t a pitcher who could touch him, posting some remarkable numbers, especially when you consider that he called the AL home up until 2008: Struck out 200 or more batters every season Had a sub-3.00 ERA in four out of five seasons (the other year saw him at 3.33) Posted three WHIPs of 1.00 and better (and the other two season’s [...]

John Lackey?  Roy Halladay?  Both are All-Star caliber pitchers.  Both could elevate the Mets to the level where we expect them to be.  Signing Lackey and trading for Halladay would look lovely, but we know that’s not happening.  After all, the Wilpons are our owners.  Acquiring one of the two appears to be the more likely scenario. As Joe D stated in a blog earlier today, John Lackey might be the wiser choice because he [...]

According to an article by Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com, a recent survey polled 20 MLB executives (general managers, assistant GMs, etc.) on a number of topics, including where they believe free agent pitcher John Lackey will sign.  They also revealed their thoughts on the possible length and dollar amount of his contract. Of the 20 executives who were polled, the majority believe his new area code will be 718.  However, will that be in the [...]

As we all know by now Citi Field is a pitchers park.  It has a big outfield and 16 foot fences on the outfield walls.  The Wilpons decided when building a new ball park for the Mets to play in that they wanted a pitchers park for the Mets. I’m sure if you ask David Wright he will tell you emphatically that Citi Field is indeed a pitchers park. With Citi Field being a pitchers [...]

John Lackey has been with the Angels since 2002, when he helped them win the World Series.  He has been the heart and soul of their pitching staff for eight seasons. Now he may have thrown his last pitch for Los Angeles/Anaheim/California. Is it possible that his performance for the Angels in Game 5 of the ALCS just earned him a contract for the 2010 Mets? The Mets need a proven #2 starter to follow [...]

Do you ever wonder what guys like Johan Santana think after suffering through two straight non-playoff years?  Last year the Mets collapsed in September for the second straight year, and the Twins were a one-game playoff away from reaching the postseason.  This year the Twins are battling the Tigers for the AL Central crown while the Mets have been out of the race since July.  I know Johan likes the bright lights, but let’s face [...]

             Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman are both saying that Dr. David Altchek will be performing surgery on both Johan Santana and Oliver Perez on Tuesday. What a lucky break for the Mets… It must be “Two for Tuesday” at the Hospital for Special Surgery… Santana, of course, will have bone chips removed from his left elbow, while Oliver Perez gets his knee repaired. Both pitchers are expected to be healthy and ready by spring training, [...]

On a night when Johan Santana was supposed to take the mound, Nelson Figueroa stepped into his shoes.  The rest of the team paid tribute to Johan by doing what they do best in his starts; not scoring.  They played a close game, but ultimately fell a run short, dropping the opener of the nine-game road trip by the final score of 2-1. The game was scoreless until the Mets came to bat in the [...]

Omar Minaya earlier today had a telephone conference with reporters that was broadcast on SNY.  As usual when Omar has a press conference he continues to make the Mets look silly.  Omar said that he could not recall that Johan Santana had an elbow injury during Spring Training.  What planet is Omar living on?  Here is a link from MLB.com Johan’s exam canceled after session.  In the piece dated March 1, 2009 Omar Minaya says [...]

The Mets got a bit of bad news and good news after the results of Johan Santana’s MRI came back only minutes ago. According to a Mets press release, Johan Santana will require minor elbow surgery that will shut him down for the rest of this season. The good news is that he is expected to make a full recovery by the time pitchers and catchers report next spring. I know surgery is never a [...]

The Mets played one heck of a series against the Phillies this weekend, sweeping Philly and securing their lead atopthe NL East, pushing the Phillies back 16.5 games in the division. At this point, don’t be surprised if the Nats don’t pass the current 4th place team. Then their only hope would be to play spoiler. What a series for this Mets team, that is simply on fire. Who would have guessed at the start of the season, Johan Santana would [...]