Still Questioning Santana's Ability To Dominate NL

John Donovan at SI.com writes about Johan Santana and after just two starts asks if Johan Santana will make the NL “A League of His Own”:

Taking a young, two-time AL Cy Young winner, not-too arguably the best pitcher in the game, and dropping him into a so-so division in a league where they actually let lame-swinging pitchers try to hit, lends itself to that kind of hyperbole. The next coming, supposedly, of Sandy Koufax. Or Steve Carlton.

"He was so dominating in a hitter's league. So you would hypothesize that he would probably be better here," says Chipper Jones, the Braves' third baseman. "But so much of this is about run support and defense. He could pitch like he did over there and go 15-13.

"Or," Jones adds with a slight smile, "he could go 24-8."

Clearly Santana should be 2-0 in these first two starts, but the baseball gods aren’t always in a giving mood. So far he hasn’t shown any reason to not believe that he will absolutely dominate in this league. Going 7 innings in each of his first 2 starts, fanning 11 hitters, his batting and spectacular made defensive plays that he has made this season already should make us Met fans giddy to know that we get to enjoy him for the next 6 years.

Johan On The Mound

For those of us not privileged to watch today’s game featuring Johan Santana, here’s his performance:

Innings pitched: 4.0
Hits: 2
Strike outs: 4
Earned Runs: 0

Santana's First Spring Training Start?

David Lennon at On The Mets Beat writes about Johan Santana and his possible start date:

After finishing today's live BP session, Johan Santana suggested that his first Grapefruit League start will be Friday, Feb. 29, against the Cardinals at Tradition Field. That game will be televised by SNY. Santana is planning on one more BP for Sunday, a side session on Tuesday and then taking the mound for real (sort of) on Friday.

Humber OK With Santana Link

Phil Miller at Twin Cities.com writes about Philip Humber and him being alright with his name being linked to the Johan Santana trade:

What he did was establish himself as a big-league prospect, a power pitcher with the nerves of a winner. It set him off on a course that provided a handful of other baseball thrills, one frightening

Twins pitcher Phil Humber throws a pitch from the mound duirng the first day of spring training workouts for pitchers and catchers Monday, Feb. 18, 2008 in Fort Myers, Fla. (Luis M. Alvarez) (St. Paul Pioneer Press)setback, and a permanent new identity: the guy the Twins got for Johan Santana.

No, Humber isn't the only one, but as the most polished of the four prospects swapped by the New York Mets for Santana, the lanky Texan is a decent bet to arrive first in Minneapolis, giving skeptical Twins fans a close-up look at what a two-time Cy Young Award winner gets you these days. He's not nervous, though. His collegiate breakthrough — that complete-game 14-2 national title clincher against Ryan Garko and Stanford — gives him a good understanding of how to operate under pressure.

"I don't feel any. I mean, how can you get equal value for Santana? I don't know about that, but I feel like the four of us are going to make a differencehere," said Humber, who is even occupying Santana's old locker in the Twins' spring clubhouse. "I really think the Twins got a great group of guys to come over. I know I've worked hard and I'm ready to contribute."

Bullpen Is The Key

David Lennon at On The Mets Beat writes about an interview with Billy Wagner who put his spin on the Johan Santana trade:

"Definitely it’s an improvement," Wagner said. "Johan is definitely a huge step in the right direction. Butwe’ve got to put it in perspective, too. He’s coming from Minneapolis, where there’sone of you [reporters]. I mean, we can’t put a lot of pressure on him to do more than he can do. I think that once he settles in and gets comfortable, and relaxes around us and the fans of New York, then he’ll settle in. If he starts out and does well, it’s a bonus for us. But our bullpen, that’s the whole key."

The First Name Complex

Ben Shipigel at The New York Times writes about Pedro and El Duque and ponders if Johan Santana will merit the same from the Mets staff shortly:

Santana is scheduled to throw his first true side session on Sunday, according to a sheet hanging inside the clubhouse. There were 34 pitchers on that list — half are scheduled to throw Friday, the other half on Saturday — and only two were identified by something other than their last name: Pedro and El Duque. Maybe soon, there will be a third: Johan.

Santana In Port St. Lucie

Adam Rubin at The Daily News writes about Johan Santana and his first day at Mets Spring Training:

With pitching coach Rick Peterson, bullpen coach Guy Conti and trainer Ray Ramirez observing, a beaming Santana pitched from a 60-foot, six-inch distance on flat ground, with coach Randy Niemann serving as catcher.

Afterward, Peterson and Santana had a lengthy conversation - their first dialogue since Peterson was pitching coach with the A's.

"It was nice to have a visit and to find out what he likes. Johan's my teacher," Peterson said, alluding to how he will devise a workout schedule for Santana based on the ace's preferences.

Santana To Throw For First Time As Met

Adam Rubin at Surfing The Mets writes about Johan Santana and him throwing for the first time as a Met:

It’s raining pretty hard in Port St. Lucie this afternoon, but there will be one treat at an otherwise quiet complex: Johan Santana is headed outside now and is scheduled to throw his first bullpen session as a Met off a covered mound. Santana, who had a press conference last week at Shea, is not expected to formally address the media again until Saturday.

The Freakin' Mets Got Better

Randy Miller at Philly Burbs writes about the early arrivals to Spring Training for the Phillies and what manager Charlie Manuel had to say about the Mets:

As usual, Manuel already has pitching concerns, especially on the heels of the rival New York Mets trading for two-time Cy Young winner Johan Santana.

“I think the freakin' Mets got better,” Manuel said. “Hell, [Santana is] tremendous.”

All Eyes On Santana

Marty Noble at Mets.com writes about the 2008 Mets Spring Training and how all of the attention will be on Johan Santana:

Santana may or may not bask in all the media attention his presence is certain to generate, but his colleagues will enjoy a degree of anonymity because of him. The crowds will surround his locker. Even David Wright might have a moment's peace -- maybe by St. Patty's Day. Santana will not. Each start he makes will be a quasi-event, even though no exhibition game performance has any significance unless health is an issue. Microphones and cameras that somehow overlooked his Cy Young-ness during his tour with the Twins will appreciate his articulateness and charm. The days he doesn't pitch, Santana will be swarmed like a Yankees reliever in Cleveland.

But Santana will be in the foreground almost every moment -- whether or not that is his intent -- from the moment he arrives. He is to report Thursday, with the other pitchers and the catchers, and work out Saturday. (The corresponding dates for position players are Feb. 18 and 20.)

Santana will be followed from field to field as Tiger Woods is from hole to hole. The most mundane things Santana does will be watched closely -- and celebrated -- by those who line the fences. His contract will be mentioned roughly 137.5 million times, his autograph will be sought with zeal greater than what the Mets demonstrated when they pursued his signature.

The Martinez And Santana Show

George Vecsey at The New York Times writes about Johan Santana coming to Queens and and the competition that might take place between him and Pedro Martinez:

The other night, after the Johan Santana deal was in place, Willie Randolph was chatting with Pedro Martínez about the immensity of acquiring a pitcher with a 93-44 career record. Why, Santana just might win the Cy Young award, the manager said.

“Maybe after I win one,” Martínez said. Quite seriously, too. He already has three Cy Young awards as the best pitcher in his league. Santana, for the record, has two.

This is the way it works when two great pitchers are placed in proximity to each other in the same rotation. Randolph cited the old days when the Braves had John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux in the same clubhouse, and nobody wanted to ruin a winning streak.

The Press Confrence

Jim Baumbach at Newsday writes about the Johan Santana press confrence and what he had to say:

Santana, in his first official comments as a Met, said: "Well, first of all I would like to thank everyone for being here. It is a pleasure for me and my family to be part of the Mets family."

A two-time AL Cy Young Award winner, Santana then added, "I know now is going to be the time to keep doing what I'm doing. ... I'm looking forward to making my time here in New York very special."

Asked why he wanted to play for the Mets, he said, "I know I'm going to have a chance to win. That's what I want to do."

"It's all about learning. It's a learning process," he said. "I'm going to take my time. ... But I'm not going to let that affect my performance on the field."

Regarding the possibility of winning a World Series title, Santana paused and smiled.

"That's why we're here," he said. "That's why we play. I think we got the right guys to do it."

Press Confrence And The Number 57

Adam Rubin at The Daily News writes about the Johan Santana press confrence today and that Santana will onlybe the fourth to wear 57:

Johan Santana - whose trade from Minnesota became official shortly after he agreed to a contract extension Friday that will keep him in Flushing at least through 2013 - will be unveiled Wednesday at a 1:15 p.m. press conference at the Diamond Club at Shea. Santana's father Jesus and wife Yasmile as well as David Wright, Willie Randolph, Omar Minaya, Jeff Wilpon and Santana's reps will attend the event, which will be carried live on SNY.

Santana, who wore No. 57 with the Twins, will keep that number, which has been rarely used by the Mets. (Outfielder Eric Valent, pitcher Jason Roach and coaches Tom Robson and Bobby Floyd wore the number in the past.)

Castillo On Santana

John Harper at The Daily News writes about Luis Castillo and Johan Santana being reunited and how Castillo thinks Santana will handle New York:

"When I got traded," Castillo said on a conference call yesterday from the Dominican Republic, "I remember Johan, in the locker room, we talked for 20 minutes. He told me he wanted to play for the Mets.

"So when I got over there I told (GM Omar) Minaya that Johan liked the Mets. I told him, 'I know he'll make a lot of money, but he's a great pitcher, and we need him here.' "

"The day Johan got traded, he called me," Castillo said. "I felt so happy about it. He's a great guy and, for me, I think he's the best pitcher in the big leagues.

"I don't see any problem coming to New York. He works hard every day. He just needs to keep doing what he's doing, and he'll be fine."

Fundraiser

Greg Endo at Spoiled Sports writes about a couple of things the AL Central teams are doing to ensure Johan Santana's departure to the NL:

"We're happy to help," said Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski of the gesture, in which his team plus the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, and Kansas City Royals will each "pony up some dough" to better facilitate the Santana trade.

"We've already raided petty cash and secured a loan," a spokesman for the Indians said. "We can kick in maybe five, six million."

The Royals are set to hold a bunch of car wash fundraisers this weekend in their Florida spring training home, plus there are an "inordinate" number of empty cans and bottles that the team has been meaning to get to, that can add to the team's contribution.

The White Sox plan to sell a bunch of memorabilia on eBay to raise their portion.

Mets And Santana Close To Six Year Deal

Jon Heyman at SI.com writes about the on going negotiations between the Mets and Johan Santana and that they are close to complete:

Johan Santana and the Mets continue to make progress on a record-setting contract that is expected to make the two-time Cy Young winner a $150-million man, SI.com has learned. People with knowledge of the talks say they expect a deal to be completed by the 5 p.m. EST deadline.

Santana and the Mets are discussing a contract extension for six years that is expected to pay Santana close to $22 million a year, according to sources familiar with the talks. In addition, it is believed the Mets may add about $7 million to Santana's $13.25 million salary for 2008.

That expected new $20 million salary for '08, and the six additional years at $22 million, could bring Santana's total haul to $152 million. The previous record for a pitcher was Barry Zito's $126-million, seven-year deal signed last winter with the San Francisco Giants.

Santana Willing To Compromise?

Zac Wassink at Global New York Mets Fan Blog writes about the Johan Santana Negotiations and how he is willing to compromise:

ESPN 1050 is now reporting that Santana is willing to make compromises in order to complete a deal before 5 pm. That should put some minds at ease. It will also make Santana even more of a hero to the Met faithful. I now have a renewed sense of confidence that this deal will get done today.

Attention Mets: Give Santana What He Wants

From Dave at Mets Lifers (Network Member):

I know Omar Minaya is trying to do the right thing by not committing to a pitcher for more than 5 years, but he cannot, I repeat, cannot screw this up over an extra two years.

If the Mets win even one World Series during that seven year span we won't care that we overpaid for the final two years.Get the deal done.Santana is holding all the chips. If the Mets don't give in to his demands, he goes back to Minnesota and gets traded at the trading deadline and tests the free agent market where someone will meet his demands.

The Mets would then be the laughing stock of baseball and the ire of their fans might even be greater than the debacle that was last September.Just get the deal done.

Give him 7 years.

He's the best pitcher in baseball right now. And right now is when we need him most.Get the deal done. The clock is ticking.

How The Mets Rank With Johan

Over at The Metropolitans they discuss what the Mets rotation is going to reflect next year versus last year:

To put the point differently, we can compare what the Mets would look like with and without Santana, using Dan Szymborski's excellent ZiPS projections, which are available at baseballthinkfactory.org. According to Szymborski's numbers, Pedro Martinez, John Maine, Oliver Perez, Hernandez, and Pelfrey project to pitch 796 innings this year, with a 4.10 earned run average. Swap Pelfrey out for Santana, and the rotation looks good for a 3.69 ERA in 880 innings.

Just to give you an indication of how tremendous that is, only 22 qualified starters in the entire big leagues posted a 3.69 ERA or better and the Mets project to have their entire starting staff average ERA there. As for team ERA for starters, the Padres, Indians, Cubs, Boston, Angels, Giants, and Toronto rounded out the top eight with a 4.11, 4.19, 4.19, 4.21, 4.22, 4.23, and 4.24 respectively.

The Mets were 11th with a 4.40 and it should be noted, Tom Glavine helped pull down that number as he was on the wrong side of 4.40. Of course there will be injuries, but Mike Pelfrey is one of the better 6th options in the league so I feel pretty comfortable saying the Mets might be odds on favorites to lead the league in starter ERA with a full year of Pedro and Johan in the fold.

The scary part is the Mets were already sixth in the bigs for starter k/9. Tampa was first with 7.71, Boston was second with 7.01, Baltimore was third with 6.95, the Cubs were fourth with 6.92, the Angels were fifth with 6.87, and the Mets were sixth with 6.85. Minus Tom Glavine's 4.00 k/9 and add in Johan and Pedro's innings at an aggregate of 9.00 k/9 or more and you have something that makes a grown man giggle.

Gomez Reacts To Trade

Kelly Thesier at MLB.com writes about Carlos Gomez and what he had to say about being traded to the Twins:

"The only thing I heard about was Santana, Santana, Santana," Gomez said Thursday when reached at his home in the Dominican Republic. "Nothing in the news was said about Gomez, or nothing about the other players traded to the Twins. But I think all us prospects have the tools to play in the big leagues."

"This is my opportunity to be a center fielder," Gomez said. "I have to prepare for a new organization, but I'm ready. The only thing I want is to play baseball and play every day."

"I don't want to say I can play like Torii, that guy is unbelievable," Gomez said. "I'm just going to be Carlos Gomez. But I think I can play center. I have speed, I like to hustle and I like to slide. I think I play a good center field and hopefully the fans will get to see that."