A Royal Flush: Johan Santana Meets Queens

After months of speculation, rumors, and incessant examination of Matthew Cerrone's "MetsBlog" by the hour in search of updates on the never-ending Johan Santana saga, it all finally ended today, January 29th, 2008.

The New York Mets attained the best pitcher in baseball this decade: Johan Santana. The price? Well for now, it appears to have been a bargain—Carlos Gomez, Phil Humber, Delois Guerra, and Kevin Mulvey.

It appears that Guerra is the only player in this deal who has the potential to be a legitimate stud.

Gomez may be a solid ball player as well, but he was extremely inconsistent during his time in New York.  While he showed flashes of brilliance on the base paths, and some pop in his bat, he didn't hit for a particularly high average.

Switching from the grassy meadows of Flushing to the Minneapolis turf may help his speed-driven game, and turn those groundball outs at Shea into infield Texas Leaguers at the Metrodome.

I honestly don't see Kevin Mulvey or Phil Humber becoming any more than #3 starters during their Major League careers, but only time will tell. There's a reason I'm not someone who evaluates talent for a living, and I could be completely off base in my predictions of these four ballplayers.

If I were a Twins fan, however, I wouldn't be particularly happy with the trade, but would understand the predicament that the front office was in. The team had a free agent pitcher that it could not afford, and one who wanted to play for a contender. Unfortunately for him, he was stuck with a good baseball team that doesn't have the resources to build itself into a great one.

GM Bill Smith and friends are hoping the four prospects they get from the Mets will play pivotal roles in making this Twins squad a playoff contender for years to come, but to be frank, I don't particularly see that panning out right now.

As a Mets fan, I am ecstatic at the moment. The Mets just acquired the best pitcher in baseball for four prospects who could be good major league players, but are virtual unknowns.

Johan Santana is a proven commodity. Barring any injuries, you know he will give you a chance to win every time he steps on the mound. Having a shutdown starter like Santana also gives confidence to the entire Mets team, and will push them to perform to the best of their abilities. Just like how the Red Sox play better baseball when they know Josh Beckett is going to be on the hill.

As in most sports, all of these guys are professionals, and although some are better than others, confidence plays a HUGE part in the long-term success of a team. Acquiring a player with the name and pedigree of Johan Santana will make every single member of the Mets excited to return to work, step on the field, and fight to win a world championship. I can't underscore this fact enough: Johan Santana's influence will not solely be seen through statistics.

This is a great day for all Mets fans. The incessant saga that we have been following for months has finally come to an end and much to our surprise, we got our man...for once, and GM Omar Minaya may have saved his job.

With such a huge splash during the off season, acquiring the best player available, the Mets now have even more pressure on their backs to excel in 2008. For the first time since the late 80's, one could argue that the team in New York with higher expectations and increased pressure to win immediately is the Mets.

Brian Cashman and the Yankees front office are finally committed to building its club for the future, and from within. For this reason, they did not gamble away their future to attain Santana. The Mets, on the other hand, had to. They endured a collapse of monumental proportions, and needed something to re-energize the players and its hungry fan base.

The Mets had several No. 2 starters this past season in Pedro, Perez, Maine and Duque, but never had that that top-flight, shutdown starter that could go out every fifth day and give the ball club at least seven solid innings.

Santana's ability to pitch late into games is one area where his impact can't be measured statistically. Every team wants to use its bullpen as little as possible, and with Johan in the rotation, Willie Randolph's job becomes a lot easier (especially as someone who was often criticized last season for using his bullpen WAY too often).

I will be following this story in detail in the next two to three days as a long-term extension is hammered out between Johan and the Mets.

Best of luck to the Twins -- I hope our prospects end of being valuable additions to your major league roster one day, but hopefully not too valuable. There was a reason this process took so long. We held these guys in high regard, and hopefully they will deliver for you, as long as it’s not during interleague play.

But for Met fans, this is a day to exhale and rejoice. Of course, Johan Santana will not single-handedly carry the Mets to the NL pennant, but as long as he is healthy, he will bring a phenomenal effort to the game each start.

And best of all, Johan Santana will bring a confidence and a heightened swagger that this team, organization and fan base DESPERATELY needs. YA GOTTA BELIEVE!