What's taking so long?

[Guest KC]

I haven't read or heard anything so I'm just asking. Was there a physical
today? Conference calls? Expensive lunch with high priced hookers?

If this goes down to Friday afternoon I may have a freakin' stroke.

[TransMonk]

With 72 hours, I can't imagine one side or the other not saying "Let me sleep on it."

[Guest KC]

I'm just being a dick. The Giants coverage here is maddening beyond belief
(for me) and I want some baseball news to shut them up.

I'm predicting a 4:00 pm news conference tomorrow afternoon.

[seawolf17]

Maybe they'll announce it midway through the third quarter Sunday night.

[metirish]

I heard on Wfuv today during the sports rap that Santana wanted the Mets all along......make of that what you will

[Benjamin Grimm]

The Associated Press wrote: Mets officials met with Santana's agent, Peter Greenberg, in Manhattan on Wednesday. If the sides reach an agreement before Friday's deadline, the only obstacle left would be Santana passing a physical.

[Frayed Knot]

Anyone know the exact deadline - or do these things tend to be a bit flexible?
We need like a count-down clock up top or something.



tick .. tick .. tick ..

[Guest KC]

I heard Friday at 5 pm somewhere today.

I also heard that Eli used Chapstick more often the last couple of days than
normal but the coaching staff isn't overly concerned.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

The snooze mentuioned the contract talks were to begin last night. So I think that means were at 48 hours now.

[metirish]

Customized Count-down Clock.

http://www.timeanddate.com/counters/customcounter.html?month=02&day=01&year=2008&hour=05PM&min=00&sec=00&p0=179

[Valadius]

I thought this thread would be about why the parody contest is taking so long.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Shooter Charley Walters, of the Pioneer Press, a Twin Cities paper, had this nugget of information:

SHOOTER CHARLEY WALTERS wrote: The money was flowing Wednesday during negotiations for a contract extension between pitcher Johan Santana and the New York Mets. With details still to be worked out, including a $7 million signing bonus and performance incentives, the parties were talking about a six-year deal worth more than $150 million.

[metirish]

Great name Shooter, yeah it's a lot of loot to boot.

[Frayed Knot]

KC wrote: I heard Friday at 5 pm somewhere today.

That's what I've heard as well.

So we're just under 32 hours and counting ... tick .. tick .. tick

[Guest KC]

Eli's lips are better, but they're still questionable.

[Guest AG/DC]

It is 1 day, 7 hours, 31 minutes, and 36 seconds, says the clock.

[Frayed Knot]

31 hours




Someone should check in near the top of every hour and keep this current.
You west coast guys have the 3AM EST shift.

[Centerfield]

I'd hate to be Minaya in these negotiations...what leverage can he possibly have? What's to stop Johan from asking for 8 years, $200 million?

[smg58]

Well Santana did ask the Twins to resolve the situation quickly or he'd invoke the no-trade clause for the rest of the year. He would have to go back to Minnesota and face a year with an organization and fans that couldn't be too happy with him.

[Guest AG/DC]

I don't know. He can walk away and take his Humber/Go-Go/Mulvey/Guerra batch back.

He may not want to, but his leverage comes from convincing the agent that he's willing to if he doesn't start jettisoning his ridiculous demands and negotiating honestly.

And if it collapses and the media asks him why, he can say, "The nutcase was asking 8 years and $200 million."

"And a fucking tent!"

[Guest Mr. Zero]

Little to no leverage. Wasn't the original request something like 7 years for 140 million? Now its 6 years for 150. Or so they say.

[seawolf17]

Give him eight years, $200 million. I don't care, Omar, just get it the fuck done.

[metirish]

Well it was never going to be easy....from espn.

] It appears the Mets' negotiations with the agents for Johan Santana won't be over quickly. Sources familiar with those discussions said Thursday that while the talks may not go right to Friday's 5 p.m. ET deadline, the two sides were still far enough apart that it was unlikely any deal could be reached before Friday morning at the earliest. The sources also left open the possibility that the talks could collapse without an agreement, though the odds of that appear remote. Santana's agents, Peter and Ed Greenberg, are believed to be looking for a six-year extension in the range of $150 million -- a figure that would include an upfront payment that would boost Santana's 2008 salary ($13.25 million) to beyond $20 million. The Mets, not surprisingly, differ on the dollars. But the biggest obstacle appears to be the length of the deal. Indications are that the Mets want to limit the guaranteed portion of the extension to five years, not including Santana's current contract, which expires after 2008. So if Santana's side is adamant that the deal extend beyond 2013, it's believed the Mets would insist that the back end of the contract not be guaranteed, but could include at least one vesting option year. In the meantime, there are signs that the Mets continue to express interest in free-agent pitcher Kyle Lohse. Lohse was viewed, essentially, as the Mets' backup plan in case they weren't able to trade for Santana. But when one baseball man who had spoken with Mets GM Omar Minaya was asked if the club could end up with both Santana and Lohse, the reply was: "Absolutely."

[Frayed Knot]

There is *ALWAYS* a price at which you should walk away.
There may be a disagreement over where that line is, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

The 'just give him a blank check' attitude is the same one that would have willingly coughed up the existing package along with Martinez & Pelfrey and maybe Reyes.


I still can't imagine that this isn't going to get done.
Santa Anna's incentive for not making insane demands is the one where he gives up mega-money now in exchange for maybe making more a year from now ... if he doesn't get hurt ... and if the market doesn't change.



30 hours.

[metirish]

Time until Friday, February 1, 2008 at 5:00:00 PM (New York time)
1 day
27 hours
1676 minutes
100575 seconds

[metsmarathon]

well, its a (fairly) smart contract that hte mets want to sign him to. i like the idea of a vesting option year or two. i figure it'll take some smart negotiating and some sizeable concessions to get it done that way though. like, lots of signing bonus and the like, and much more front-loading than we're used to.

and to be honest, i really like the idea of front-loading a contract as opposed to the more customary backloading idea...

i just really hope they get something done. clearly, the mets cannot let it fall through.

[Guest themetfairy]

Santana's agent is Peter Greenberg. IIRC, he's the one who misplayed the Mets during Edgardo Alfonzo's free agency.

[Centerfield]

As an aside, I sure as hell hope we are keeping Guerra, Mulvey, Gomez and Humber completely covered in bubble-wrap during these 72 hours.

We certainly can't have them taking any cabs.

[metsmarathon]

i would suggest, at a minimum, an air hole.

another opening or two might be good, too, for keeping things unmessy.

[Guest AG/DC]

I can sense this getting closer. Carlos Santana has come to an agreement. So close.