Mets Add Santana to Subtract 2007 Memories

How could it get worse than last September for the New York Mets?  Losing the division was horrible, but the way it happened was humiliating. 

For the first time since the 1960's, the New York Mets were a joke.  Late night talk show hosts got their jabs in, baseball pundits showed every fact and figure in connection with it and every Mets fan could not even bare to look at a playoff game.  

What was left from the 2007 Mets season was an embarrassment and a change of culture.  It could not stay this way long.

Then came Johan.

In the midst of what seemed like a bleak winter for the New York Mets, their general manger pulled off what may prove to be one of the biggest heists in baseball history.  By acquiring Johan Santana for a decent young outfielder (Carlos Gomez), two average pitching prospects (Kevin Mulvey and Philip Humber) and a long-term project (Deolis Guerra), general manager Omar Minaya was being applauded by everyone who has ever seen a game of baseball.

However, the move for Johan only answers the question of how to change the culture after last year's embarrassment.  There are still many other obstacles to overcome, including age, injuries and the Philadelphia Philllies.

As of now, the injuries present the biggest problem for the Mets; they have already lost steady right fielder Moises Alou till May.  Meanwhile, Orlando Hernandez, Carlos Beltran, Luis Castillo, Brian Schneider, Carlos Delgado and Ryan Church have all fought through injuries during Spring Training. 

Even with one of the game's best starters, the Mets will need all of these players to make major contributions in order to contend for the division title.

If the Mets can avoid lingering injuries, then the team should provide many positive memories to erase the negative ones of last season.  The idea of having Pedro Martinez as the team's second starting pitcher is staggering in itself, but if John Maine and Oliver Perez continue to develop, fans could be saying the same about their third and fourth starters.  

The fifth starter is a question mark with Jorge Sosa and Mike Pelfrey competing for it, but if Orlando Hernandez can mirror his production from last year, New York should be fine when he returns.

The bullpen, which could be considered the largest reason why the Mets collapsed down the stretch last season, should be stronger this year with the addition of reliable middle reliever Matt Wise.  The final inning will once again be the responsibility of Billy Wagner, while Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoeneweis should play key roles in getting to their closer.

Unlike the pitching, the lineup has several more question marks.  David Wright, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran may be the only reliable members to stay in the lineup for the majority of the season. 

The platoon at catcher between Brian Schneider and Ramon Castro should be adequate, but with both battling injuries, it could prove to be the team's weakest link.  Both first and second base offer injury question marks with Carlos Delgado and Luis Castillo getting older by the day.

With Alou's absence, the outfield could be the the biggest issue of them all.  Beltran will be the mainstay in center, but the Mets will need to count on Ryan Church in right field. 

Church, who was acquired along with Schneider in a trade from Washington for Lastings Milledge, has power but his production against left handed pitchers leaves something to be desired. 

In right field, the Mets will hope Angel Pagan's stellar Spring Training numbers will continue when the games begin to count.  A trade is still not out of the question with ex-Met Xavier Nady of the Pittsburgh Pirates being a common name thrown around.

There is no doubt that the Mets are fielding an improved team compared to last season.  The addition of Santana alone should add at least five wins while saving the arms in the bullpen. 

New York should once again be at the top of the division come September, and if they are able to block out the memories of last year and finish the deal, the champagne will taste that much sweeter.