Smiggy Scoops All --- Mets Nab Santana (split)

[Guest AG/DC]

I'm trying to OHM my way to the point where I can enjoy this even if they fail to extend him.

[Elster88]

Stop it! I keep trying to forget that there is a possibility this won't happen.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

We'll sign him. It's all a matter of how stupid the money is.

[nymr83]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: We'll sign him. It's all a matter of how stupid the money is.

agreed. the mets don't make this deal and this disapoint the fan base by not getting it done. i know you're not allowed to talk to him beforehand but i have a strong feeling that they would have gotten a ballpark figure from his agent, perhaps it slipped out while discussing another client?
Minaya: so what will it take to get Joe Shmoe on board?
Agent: well, nothing like the 150 million over 7 years that Santana is gonna get, but about 1.5 mil each of the next 2 years should do it.
Minaya: I see, i'll get back to you.

[Gwreck]

Endy Chavez, who the Mets did recently negotiate a contract with, does have the same agent as Santana.

---

I figure the extension to be an increased figure for 2008, plus 5 years at $125 million, plus some sort of option year in addition.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Aw-fucking-some. Minaya stuck to his guns, and got what he wanted. Brilliant.

Regardless of how Santana does here or how good our former prospects become, Minaya pulled off a sweet bit of bargaining. Whether it's a net win for the franchise is still open to debate, but from where I sit, this is a no-brainer for us.

Woo-hoo!

[Guest mario25]

Omar did a great job on this one!!! This is an A+ job and the Mets faithful should be ecstatic today!!!!

[Guest AG/DC]

Five years at $125 million is A-Rod money. And if A-Rod can scarcely justify A-Rod money, it's going to be hard to see how a pitcher can.

I mean, sure, we're all convinced that the Mets are lighting cigars with thousand dollar bills these days but that's a rich salad.

[metirish]

Various NY area baseball writers say we can thank the yankees for Santana, they also heap praise on Minaya for playing his hand just about perfect.

[soupcan]

="Gwreck"]Endy Chavez, who the Mets did recently negotiate a contract with, does have the same agent as Santana.

I read in the Post this morning that he's Reyes' agent as well.

"Well Omar considering you raped us on Jose's deal..."

[Guest AG/DC]

I don't know that it works that way.

I think on 72-hour-negotiating-window trades, the team trading the player needing to be signed does some back and forth to make sure the acquiring team and the player are in the same ballpark, seeing how it's in their interest that the deal go through.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

metsguyinmichigan wrote: Sweet! Expected Klapisch headline: "Omar waits too long, gives up too much" Expected Verducci headline: "Santana's good, but he's no Jeter"

And the actual Klapisch headline today: Yanks draw assist in giving Johan to rival

See, it's all about the Yankees. Not "Omar brilliantly plays Twins, gets ace and still holds on to top propsect."

No, the Mets succeeded because the Yankees allowed them to. These people are so predictable.

[Guest AG/DC]

Hey, wait, that's not what you predicted.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

AG/DC wrote: Hey, wait, that's not what you predicted.

Well, um, I, ah, predicted that to people here in the office but forgot to type it here. Yeah, that's the ticket.

[Willets Point]

I could have predicted the Boston headline today that read: "Red Sox strike out."

[Centerfield]

I feel bad for the sports fans in Boston.

[Willets Point]

Centerfield wrote: I feel bad for the sports fans in Boston.

I think the 2 WS championships in four years and the upcoming clobbering of the Giants will soothe them.

Oh wait, you were being sarcastic.

[metirish]

A view from a local Twin City paper.

We get who? Twins' Santana deal falls flat

[Fman99]

metsguyinmichigan wrote: metsguyinmichigan wrote: Sweet! Expected Klapisch headline: "Omar waits too long, gives up too much" Expected Verducci headline: "Santana's good, but he's no Jeter" And the actual Klapisch headline today: Yanks draw assist in giving Johan to rival See, it's all about the Yankees. Not "Omar brilliantly plays Twins, gets ace and still holds on to top propsect." No, the Mets succeeded because the Yankees allowed them to. These people are so predictable.

For the first time in months, given the enormity of the story, I thought I'd check the NY rags' sites to see what their take was on it. And of course, it's all about the MFYs. Just reinforces why I prefer to get my commentary from blogs these days.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I read the print copy of the Daily News this morning, and it wasn't ALL about the Yankees at all.

One writer did say that the Mets wouldn't have been able to do this deal if the Yankees had stepped up. It's really hard to dispute that point, though. The same is probably true of the signings of Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran.

Hopefully some day soon we'll see a transaction where the Mets will get a player that both they and the Yankees desperately wanted. That is hasn't happened yet is a sign that the Yankees are still the power to be reckoned with in this town.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I don't know.

I think it will be very interesting to chart Ian Kennedy vs. Kevin Mulvey, Phil Humber vs. Phil Hughes; Deolis Guerra v. Joba Chamberlain and Carlos Gomez v. Melky Cabrera.

I mean, I doin;t think either team woul;d make that trade only because they'd prefer to keep "their guys" but I don't think you can say that in the end the MFYs have all that great an advantage.

One small but significant advantage the Mets 4 have is that I think we've seen all the good Cabrera can do and it's not all that much.

[metirish]

I agree with whatever write said that we should at least take into account the Twins history of cultivating young talent, so it will be interesting to see what becomes of the young pitchers in the deal.

[RealityChuck]

Fman99 wrote: For the first time in months, given the enormity of the story, I thought I'd check the NY rags' sites to see what their take was on it. And of course, it's all about the MFYs. Just reinforces why I prefer to get my commentary from blogs these days.

You only think of the enormity of the story if you're a Twins fan; they have every reason to complain about its the enormity. But there is no enormity at all if you're a Mets fan.

However, it seems clear that if the MFY were willing yesterday to offer the same deal they did in December, Santana would be wearing pinstripes. But this doesn't take away from the great job Omar did in this situation -- he made an offer and judged that the other teams would drop out while the Twins became more and more desperate.

Consider this: if the MFY had agreed to the trade they offered in December, it still would have been good work by Minyana -- he did everything he could. I could imagine the outrage, though.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'm going to argue here that it's very possible the pundits are overselling the Yankees alleged advantage seeing that Melky Cabrera sucks and the Twins wanted an everyday center fielder.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Hopefully some day soon we'll see a transaction where the Mets will get a player that both they and the Yankees desperately wanted. That is hasn't happened yet is a sign that the Yankees are still the power to be reckoned with in this town.

Dude, are you kidding me? This happened during the fall and Verducci and his ilk just covered it up.

Luckily, I can imagine the conversation.

Hank: Dammit, the Mets got Church AND Schneider? How in the hell did this happen, Cashman?

Cashman: The Nats, they were crazy, Boss. I offered them Melky Cabrera! How could they turn that down?

Hank: Just great! Now were stuck with that chin-less fossil behind the plate. Now that Pettitte's off the juice we're gonna need someone to catch the crap he's throwing up there. Schneider's just the man. ANd he doesn't hate ARod like everyone else does, which is a plus.

And Bobby Freaking Abreu in right? He has the range of a bolder! Oh, to think we could have had Ryan Church tredding the hallowed ground where DiMaggio and Mantle walked.

Cashman: Actually, DiMaggio and Mantle played center, Boss.

Hank: And they, in their current state, have more range than Damon!
Oh, Church and Schneider. If only we had them.



I'm telling you, it happened.