They say it’s always darkest before the dawn and after posting yesterday on how deee-pressed I am over the lack of anything significant happening with the Mets this off season this story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, raised my sprits that the Mets are just a one player away from adding Johan Santana to the rotation. That player is Fernando Martinez the 18 year phenom. So what’s the problem? If Omar Minaya is holding this deal up due to F-Mart, then he should be fired immediately. If its The Skill Sets holding this deal up, I’ll cancelled my 7 pack and not darken the door way of $iti Field.
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The deal plays out like this:
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P Deolis Guerra, P Kevin Mulvey, P Phil Humber, OF Carlos Gomez and OF Fernando Martinez for ACE PITCHER JOHAN SANTANA.
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Yes it is a very steep price but when you spit the bit down the stretch and your fan base loses all faith in your ability to win and you have a ball park that will print money faster than the Fed YOU HAVE TO MAKE THIS DEAL.
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With all that think about how this makes Petey, Maine and Ollie Perez better. The pressure comes down a bit on all three as they all drop down a notch in the rotation pecking order. A pitcher of Santana’s caliber cuts down the odds of a losing streak as he is a true stopper.
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Look giving up three young pitchers in Guerra, Mulvey and Humber is very tough, tougher than giving up Gomez and F-Mart because outfielders can be plugged in via free agency and trade but do any of the three have ace potential? All three grade out to at best # 3 pitchers and they are all unproven. Your giving up what could be for what is, a two time Cy Young winner, a player the rejuvenates not just your team but your fan base that is pissed off about higher ticket prices and the fact that every non-Mets fan continually breaks our balls about the collapse of last season. Â OMAR, SKILL SETS GET THIS DEAL DONE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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This post was written by kranepool on January 10, 2008
Agreed!!! I’m fairly certain neither Guerra, Humber or Mulvey will ever become a Johan Santana. Gomez and F-Mart are promising, but what have either proven?? OMAR… MAKE THIS HAPPEN
Yes make that deal! One 18 year-old is the hold-up?? No way. Do it!
I know Omar’s nervous about giving up young talent, but for every Jose Reyes and David Wright that have come up through our system, there have been more like Alex Escobar, Greg Jeffries, and Paul Wilson.
http://sportslocker.blogspot.com/
No deal.
Hold onto the kids and pay retail for a free agent. Yesterday’s ace is no guarantee for tomorrow or tomorrow’s championship. (See Viola, Frank and Saberhagen, Brett) This is a team that will get old in a hurry if that wave of talent is skimmed off.
You still would have to pay Johann the biggest contract ever paid a pitcher to close the deal.
MBFOTSH says that the Twins atill want Reyes and the deal is not close. Of course, he knows everything and everybody in sports. He’s convinced that unless he’s on the air, the NFL simply cannot have games.
Anyway, the price is VERY high, in terms of young talent and Freddy’s cash. But, these are extrondianry times. Collapse, new ballpark, fan confidence at an all-time low, so, gulp, I say do it. I just hope we’re not watching stars play in MN in a few years while the guy we got is re-habbing from rotator cuff surgery. That’s the Mets fan in me, pull a negative from a positive.
Going for the one high-priced pitcher, giving up all these kids, it totally goes against the grain. For me, the question comes down to if we can be pretty sure that Santana gives us five excellent seasons as our lead starter, shifting Pedro and the rest down a peg in the order, in effect improving the entire rotation.
I am guessing that Santana will be even better in the NL, and even more so at Shea, and let’s go, make the blockbuster deal!!
Anyone remember Mike Hampton?
Out of 5 prospects, odds are one or more will blossom. I’d not risk the trade and stick with the younguns.
Either way I would NEVER give up Reyes. He wins more games single handedly than any pitcher. I don’t think Santana, by himself, would make this the Mets’ year, so let the young ones develop and go for free agents next year….although I could be wrong(lol)
I HAVE been bellyaching for the Mets to finally have a #1 pitcher.
I’m torn as you can see.
This no east decsion by any means as we see that from reports the Mets do not want to give up F-Mart in this deal. The key here is Santana forcing the Twins had as he wants to be able to make his spring training plans now. Do the Twins really want this playing out all season? This is the type of distraction that kills a team. It seems as we have to wait to see blinks first Omar or Bill Smith
Santana gives you 200+ innings (workhorse to replace Glavine but who pitches deep into games saving the bullpen), is in the middle of his prime, is a lefty (always more valuable), is a strikeout pitcher and has dominated hitters in the AL for the past 5 years. Any AL hitter will tell you that he’s one of the pitchers they would least like to face. Everyone is saying he will get a 6 year $120 mil salary. The Mets will easily be able to pay that especially with the new stadium. As far as losing the farm for him, you know as well as I that Mets grossly overestimate their prospects. Not one Mets pitching prospect is projected at more than a #3 starter at best. Outfield prospects are easily replaceable as the free agent market always has quality outfielders for hire. No one is predicting Gomez or Martinez to even be a .300/ 30 / 100 guy – they are more speed guys with good defense. I’d gladly give up the farm for one of the most dominant pitchers of this age. Here’s your rotation:
Santana
Petey
Maine
Perez
El Duque / Pelfry
That rotation, and barring any major injuries wins us the division. Importantly, I must add, Delgado is a huge part of whether the Mets will run away with it or barely make it.
ONLY If JEFFY Allows it:
Maybe, it would be even better if Omar would tell Jeffy to go play with his trains, take a cue from “Fitzy” in Red Sox Land by telling Jeffy a Big “GFY”, which stands for “Go F— Yourself.”
I think Freddy Skill Sets and Uncle Saul have given thier blessing to make a big withdrawl from thier account in the Astoria Savings Bank and have given Omar to go ahead to sign Santana to a long term deal. The hang up is Jeffy wants Santana assigned to Brooklyn
I know they are only prospects and he is maybe the best picture on the planet but giving up F-Mart makes me want to throw up a little.
Is everyone going mad!!!???? 5 prospects for 1 pitcher who could break down on any given day? Does anyone remember the trade with these very same team that brought us Cy Young winner Frank Viola for Rick Aguilera, Kevin Tapani, David West and 2 others. Viola won 20 games for the Mets in 1990 on his last start. In 1991, he was 12-2 at the half and then shrunk faster than a cheap suit from Wal-Mart the second half with a 1-13 record. After that he was gone and he had surgery and “Sweet Music” became a horrible Karaoke Show. Aguilera and Tapani became integral parts in the Minnesota Twins exciting World Series victory in 1991. Aguilera saved 3 of the ALCS games and 2 in the Series and won game 6. Heavens to Kranepool, he saved 42 games that year! Tapani was 16-9 that same year becoming their second best pitcher after jack morris! Gving up both, Gomez and Martinez is preposterous. It’s not like my Metsies are set in the outfield for years to come. They have a fragile dinosaur in left field and an “Art Shamsky” in right. (Anyone remember him?)Both players are not pieces of long time plans in Metsie county. I say hold on till Minnesota blinks. Boston is not going to tinker with their success as they have a pitcher that is a proven winner and would have to tear up his contract to match santana’s and the Yankees are not going to pawn their farm knowing that they have some blue chip prospects that possibly could be mentioned in the same breath as Santana in a couple of years. So Met fans, let’s not get panicky. Remember if the Mets wouldn’t have traded Nolan Ryan, they would have won the ‘73 Series against Oakland. That staff would have had Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack. Not a bad quartet, huh? It would have been the Mets that would have had the dynasty that the A’s enjoyed during that same period. I’ve been watching my Amazin’s since their inception in ‘62 and I have suffered for many more seasons than I enjoyed but at 53, i have learned that patience is virtue. What if Humber and Mulvey become this year’s Aguilera and Tapani or more recently, Scott Kazmir? Sit back, let the brass do their job and I’m beginning to smell spring training right around the corner. PLAY BALL!!!!
Sit tight. It is obvious by now that no one is breaking down the twins door for Santana. They Yanks have a serious luxury tax issue that even they are paying attention to ( well Hal Steinbrenner is and he controls the $). The Red Sox really do not want to give up Ellsbury or anyone to get him , plus their rotation of Dice K, Lester , Bucholtz , Wakefield and Mr. Becket is to their liking and they want to stand pato if they can. Wait and you can have Santana without giving up more. Wait, Omar, wait.