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.
