The Eagle Has Landed: New York Mets Bring In Johan Santana

After months of speculation, rumors, and incessant examination of Matthew Cerrone's "MetsBlog" by the hour in search of updates on the neverending 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 to me 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, and while he showed flashes of brillance on the basepaths, and 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 number-three starters during their Major League careers. But only time will tell, and there's a reason I'm not someone who evaluates talent for a living. I could be completely offbase in my predictions of these four ballplayers.

If I were a Twins fan, 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, but was stuck with a good baseball team that doesn't seem to 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 I don't particularly see that panning out right now, to be frank.

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 single time he steps on the mound.

Having a shutdown starter like Santana also gives the team around him confidence, and will push them to perform to the best of their abilities. 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 win a world championship. I can't underscore this fact enough: Johan Santana's influence will not solely be seen through statistics.

This has to be 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. Omar Minaya saved his job.

As great of a moment as this is though, it puts even more pressure on this club to compete. For this first time since the late 80s, one could argue that the team with the higher expectations and increased pressure to win immediately would have to be the Mets.

Brian Cashman and the front office of the Yankees have finally committed to building its club for the future, and from within. This is why they did not gamble away the house 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 fanbase. Plus, the team had a bunch of number-two starters, but didn't have that top-flight, shutdown starter that could go out every fifth day and give the ballclub at least seven solid innings.

As I said before, the effect of that cannot be measured statistically. You want to use your bullpen as little as possible, and this is something that will make Willie Randolph's job far easier...especially as someone who was oft criticized by a certain blogger for using his bullpen WAY too often.

Of course, I will be following this story in far more detail in the next two to three days as a final extension is finally 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 its 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 every time he takes the mound. And best of all, Johan Santana will bring a confidence and a heightened swagger that this team, organization and fanbase DESPERATELY needs.

YA GOTTA BELIEVE!