Mets' Bet Lets Team Get Coveted Vet; Team Trades for Pitching Ace Johan Santana

According to AP reports out of New York, the Mets have struck a tentative deal with the Minnesota Twins to land coveted left-handed starter and two time Cy Young award winner Johan Santana. The report has the Mets obtaining Santana for outfielder Carlos Gomez, and pitching prospects Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra, and Kevin Mulvey. Completion of the swap is contingent on Santana agreeing to a contract extension (believed to be at least 5 years at $20 million per season) and passing a physical.

Although the Mets had to part with some of their highly touted minor league arms and the fact that Santana's extension will dramatically boost the team payroll, this bold trade instantly places them as the favorite to rise out of the NL East. In 2007, the Mets saw a 7-game lead over the Phillies in mid-September evaporate before their eyes, as they lost the division by one game.

The Mets did lose Tom Glavine, who posted a 13-8 record in 2007, to the Atlanta Braves. However, Glavine's best years are clearly behind him as he is entering his 21st major league season. His win/loss record was favorable, but his ERA of 4.45 (fourth worst in his career) proves that the offense bailed him out last year on multiple occassions.

Santana, on the other hand, had an ERA of 3.33 with the Twins in 2007, and finished with a 15-13 record. He is also a workhorse on the mound, eating up an average of 228 innings a season during the past four years (compared to 205 innings for Glavine). It is difficult to imagine the Mets squandering a 7-game lead with a stopper like Santana in the mix. In addition, Santana's stingy ERA was compiled in the American League, which of course includes stronger lineups with the addition of a designated hitter.

The Philadelphia Phillies have not made any major moves and more than likely have taken a step back with All-Star center fielder and clubhouse leader Aaron Rowand bolting to the San Francisco Giants in the offseason. Also, the Atlanta Braves lost superstar outfielder Andruw Jones to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The other two teams in the division (Nationals and Marlins) will be non-factors in the race, with sub .500 records.

Best of all for the Mets is they did not relinguish either their top pitching prospect (Mike Pelfrey) or their top position player (outfielder Fernando Martinez) in the deal. However, according to Baseball America's prospect ranking, Minnesota will receive New York's number 2, 3, 4, and 7 prospects.

With the Mets favored to win NL East, they would then need to outlast the NL Central and NL West winners (presumably the Cubs and Dodgers) to return to the World Series. I can almost hear the chants of "Let's Go Mets" and see the wave starting now.

More information:

http://www.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=276371