Months of speculation ended at about 4:30 PM EST on Tuesday as the Mets
finally acquired ace LHP Johan Santana from the Minnesota Twins. Since
the great collapse, we have debated on Gotham Baseball Live potential
packages for Johan Santana. Throughout the ordeal, I have been skeptical
about the chances of Santana landing in Flushing. With names like Phil
Hughes, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholtz, and Jacoby Ellsbury, how could the
Mets compete?
The strange part about the Santana ordeal is that Smith never demonstrated decisiveness in the type of package he desired. If Phil Hughes was whom he desired, then why not start there and work out the rest of the package details? Once you had Theo Epstein and the Red Sox “locked in a room” for 48 hours, why not make a deal? The answers to those questions are a moot point. Furthermore, Mets fans should, in the words of Gotham’s Mark Healey, “send a thank you card to Theo Epstein and Brian Cashman for sitting this one out.” Whatever the reason, 2008 looks bright for the men in orange and blue.
Not since the Mike Piazza trade has this organization been at a proverbial crossroads. The disappointment of the 2006 NLCS led to the poor off-season of a year ago, and that of course led to the great collapse of 2007. For the first time, many were questioning Omar Minaya and Willie Randolph. You even started to hear fans bemoan the loss of that LHP from Tampa given away by former Mets GM Jim Duquette. Howard Megdal thought the Twins obtained less than the Mets did in the ill-fated 1977 deal of Tom Seaver.
To put it in perspective, if I told you at the end of the season the Mets could get Johan Santana and keep Fernando Martinez and Mike Pelfrey, how many would want me committed? Although I doubt this trade will make Mets fans forget the original “Black Friday” it should begin the healing process from the collapse.
Even the most optimistic Mets fan will have to admit the specter of the collapse will hang in the clubhouse this spring. For a team that has been accused of “lacking character”, that is not a good way to start 2008. Mentally, this trade provides a fresh start and ushers in a new era of Mets baseball. Similar to Mike Piazza, I predict Santana will become one of the faces of this organization. From a baseball standpoint, the rotation aligns so much better than just 24 hours ago. Pedro gets to play Scottie Pippen to Santana’s Michael Jordan (a role much better suited at this point in his career), John Maine gets to be a plain old #3, and Oliver Perez can be the best #4 starter in baseball. We can’t forget El Duque, who now can take "vacations" without worrying about the rotation collapsing in his absence. The biggest winner of the deal could be Mike Pelfrey, who now is free to develop without the pressure of being a key cog in a thin rotation.
The negativity surrounding the Mets will not completely go away with one deal. There are still some questions about this team handling the ghosts of 2007. That discussion is for another day in Port St. Lucie. Mets fans should enjoy the good feelings from this deal. The same feelings you had on the days Hernandez, Carter, and Piazza were acquired. The holidays are long over, but one last gift from the North Star State still has to be opened. Thank you Bill Smith. Mets Fans send their regards.
Months of speculation ended at about 4:30 PM EST on Tuesday as the Mets
finally acquired ace LHP Johan Santana from the Minnesota Twins. Since
the great collapse, we have debated on 