On Feb. 1, 2008, Johan Santana agreed to a six-year, $137.5 million dollar contract with the New York Mets, two days after the Minnesota Twins dealt their ace left-hander for center fielder Carlos Gomez, and pitching prospects Philip Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey. By all accounts, it was a steal for the Mets.
The Mets had two days to seal-the-deal with Johan and as time was running out, both clubs asked for and received an MLB approved two-hour extension. With three minutes to spare, the Mets announced the landmark deal that made Johan Santana the highest paid pitcher in baseball history.
More importantly for the Mets, after a historic and gut-wrenching collapse in 2007, the Mets were now the odds-on favorite to win the NL East with 10:1 odds they would go all the way and win the World Series.
Of course, it never happened, but that was hardly Santana’s fault, who led the National League with a 2.53 ERA in 2008 with a league leading 34 starts and 234.1 innings pitched while racking up 208 strikeouts and a 7.1 WAR. He would finish third in the Cy Young voting.
Things began to unravel for Santana after that as his body began to break down, and he would never give the Mets 30 starts or 200 innings again. However, when he was on the mound and healthy, few were better than Santana.
When all was said and done. Santana’s Mets career amounted to a 46-34 record over four years with a 3.18 ERA and 1.201 WHIP in 109 starts.
A two-time Cy Young award winner who prided himself on making only one trip to disabled list in his eight years with the Twins, was hurt each season with the Mets, including missing all of the 2011 and 2013 seasons.
Despite all of the injuries, Santana gave the Mets everything he had when he was on the mound, and was one of the fiercest competitors ever to don the Orange and Blue.
No Met fan will ever forget the complete game, three-hit shutout he tossed against the Miami Marlins in the second to last game of the 2008 season. It was a do or die game and he answered the call on three days rest while battling a leg injury.
And of course, Santana will forever be remembered with reverence for tossing the first no-hitter in Mets franchise history. It happened at Citi Field against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 1, 2012 and when David Freese struck out to end the game, there wasn’t a dry eye in New York. It was euphoric and transcending, but it would also be Santana’s last shining moment as a Met.
So if you had to do it all over again, would you still make the trade for Johan and agree to the $137.5 million contract that sealed the deal? Of course you would. I do that trade again in a heartbeat and I never look back. I cried buckets on June 1 and I’ll never forget that night as long as I live. Worth every damn dime.
