After the Mets officially declined the 2014 option on Johan Santana earlier today, the veteran lefthander issued the following statement to the team and the fans…
“I want to thank the Mets organization, my teammates and of course give a big thank you to the Mets fans, who have been behind me from day one and stood by me through all the good and bad.”
“I am not sure what the future holds, as this is all new to me, but I have every intention of pitching in 2014 and beyond and I am certainly keeping all my options open. BELIEVE IT.”
After undergoing surgery in April to repair a tear in the anterior capsule of his left shoulder, Johan Santana has begun a throwing program and is making great progress toward his return to pitching in games.
Last week, Jorge Castillo of the Star-Ledger reported that Santana’s agent, Chris Leible, said a return to the Mets isn’t out of the question for the Mets’ southpaw, but the two sides still haven’t spoken.
General manager Sandy Alderson sounded open to bringing back the two-time Cy Young Award winner during an appearance with Mike Francesa on WFAN radio. “I think that’s a possibility,” Alderson said.
Santana, 34, appeared in 109 games during his Mets tenure and went 46-34 with a 3.18 ERA while tossing the first no-hitter in franchise history.
While Johan has likely pitched his last game in a Met uniform, his impact on the franchise cannot be understated and we at MMO have a message for him…
THANKS FOR THE GREAT MEMORIES, JOHAN!
