Benjamin Grimm

Set your TiVo or VCR: SNY coverage will start at 1:15 p.m. I've yet to see or hear Santana being interviewed. Does anyone know how good his command of English is?

I agree. Especially about Point 2. If the formula can be refined, AG's second point is where the magic kicks in.

That picture looks more like an X than an M (or an inverted W) to me. If his delivery was shaped like a Z or a Q, then I'd really be concerned.

I think if anyone is the main player in the package, it's Gomez. But as Edgy said, it's really a package of four, not a 3 plus 1. Gary Cohen, on this week's Hot Stove Report on SNY, said he thinks Humber is going to be a star pitcher. He sounded VERY high on Humber. That opinion isn't really in line with most others I've heard or read.

I'm not sure how to correct the formula then. Maybe the Ryan Thompson numbers are an aberration that makes a good formula look faulty? Should we try a few more transactions and see how they turn out? Some possibilities would be the trade that brought Kevin McReynolds from the Padres, Steve Henderson for Dave Kingman, Jerry Koosman for Jesse Orosco, Matlack and Milner to Texas, Hebner for Espinosa, Reardon and Norman for Valentine, and Mazzilli for Darling and Terrell. (I was trying to pick a variety of trades that all involve players whose careers have ended. I don't know how far back salary information goes, however.)

I can see that. But the problem is, a lot of times money is the underlying reason for the trade. So factoring in the money helps judge the overall success of the transaction. But from a fan's standpoint, I am more interested in the impact on the field rather than the impact on the books. I can go either way on this. The dollars are definitely the thing that's skewing the Ryan Thompson score.

Elster88 wrote: I don't think Pedro gives a crap considering he wasn't the OD starter in his first year on the team. Actually, he was. That was the game in Cincinnati where Looper gave up a game-winning homer. Glavine was the Opening Day starter in 2006 and 2007, but it was Pedro in 2005. Elster88 wrote: Am I spelling Johann wronng? It's Johan, not Johann. (Though I've seen it both ways.)

Yeah, I think that if your formula shows that Ryan Thompson brought more value than Jeff Kent, then something is clearly wrong with the formula. I'm not sure I understand the money figures. On the "$ (in Millions)" line, it looks to me like Kent made $33 million through the end of 2002, and Ryan Thompson made $491,000 through the end of 1996. If that's the case, I don't see how his average salary is $3.5 million.

metirish wrote: Looks like Pedro's agent is angling for an extension at some point. ] �As long as he�s able to pitch without the discomfort and the pain, he�s going to want to play for a long time,� Cuza said. �He enjoys the game.� I do hope Pedro comes back to the Mets in 2009. That is, assuming he's healthy and productive in 2008. Before the Mets make any plans for him for beyond this year, they need to let a good part of 2008 play out.

Ah! I see. That makes sense, then.

I'm the lone vote (so far) for Pedro. Gotta give the veteran his props. If it was Game 1 of the playoffs, that would be a different matter. But whether Santana starts Game 1 or Game 2 of the regular season won't have any noticable impact on the way the season goes for the Mets. It would be nice if it worked out that Pedro started the season opener, and Santana the home opener. I haven't looked at the schedule with this in mind, so I don't know how likely this is.

So you're saying that in the trade that sent David Cone to Toronto for Jeff Kent and Ryan Thompson, we'd only look at what Cone did for the Blue Jays and what Kent did for the Mets? I can see that, but the problem with it is that I'd say that the Cone for Kent trade (let's ignore Thompson for now) was a very good one; they got a young player who ended up on a Cooperstown path. Should the fact that they later traded Kent in a bad deal reduce the quality of the original deal that imported him?

Here's where we started talking about Santana becoming a Met. It dates all the way back to last October: Buster Olney = crazy person

Looks like they're allowing for a few days so the Giants can have a parade.

He's passed the physical. The deal is official and the press conference will be at 4:30 p.m. today.

Well, that doesn't make trades bad. If the Mets have made a lot of bad trades, then their trading partners have made good trades. The past doesn't necessarily influence the future. You're saying that for every good Mets trade, there have been three bad ones. (And of course, there have been many that were more or less neutral.) That's an extreme ratio, and I just don't believe it.

I don't buy that for a minute. Without trades, there would have been no Carter. Or Hernandez. Or Piazza, Grote, Staub, Olerud, Clendenon, Maine, Perez, and many others. I think the Mets have been well-served by many of their trades. Whether the good outweighs the bad, I don't know. But the margin isn't lopsided either way.

http://leaptoad.com/mets/jpeg/JohanSantana1972traded.jpg

http://leaptoad.com/mets/jpeg/JohanSantana1972traded.jpg

SNY's Daily News Live is reporting that MLB has granted a two-hour extension.

Let's hope it doesn't come to that. They have fourteen whole minutes remaining. You wouldn't need half that time to convince ME to take $130 million dollars.

Please Mister Browser, look and see (Oh yeah) If there's a update on the web for me (Please, Please Mister Browser) Why's it takin' such a long time (Oh yeah) For me to hear from that team of mine There must be some word today From the team that plays at Shea Please Mister Browser, look and see If there's an update, an update for me I've been sittin' here waitin' Mister Browser So patiently For just a blog, or just an update Sayin' he's gonna pitch for me

Jon Heyman, 2:07 p.m. wrote: Johan Santana and the Mets continue to make progress on a record-setting contract that is expected to make the two-time Cy Young winner a $150-million man, SI.com has learned. People with knowledge of the talks say they expect a deal to be completed by the 5 p.m. EST deadline. Santana and the Mets are discussing a contract extension for six years that is expected to pay Santana close to $22 million a year, according to sources familiar with the talks. In addition, it is believed the Mets may add about $7 million to Santana's $13.25 million salary for 2008.

Do you say these are being inserted into baseball card sets?

Ken Rosenthal, Fox Sports, 11:09 AM wrote: The Mets are offering Johan Santana by far the highest salary ever for a pitcher under a multiyear contract. However, the structure of the deal remains an issue only hours away from today's 5 p.m. ET deadline to strike a deal, according to major league sources. The Mets' offer is in the range of $22 million per season. The hang-up is that the Mets want the guarantee to be for five years, with vesting options that could extend the deal, sources say. Santana's agents, Peter and Ed Greenberg,, want a guarantee of six or seven years. "We've still got a ways to go, but we're in a lot better position than we were a few days ago," said a source close to the negotiations. There are several ways the two sides could bridge the remaining gap. The Mets could increase their financial offer by giving Santana a signing bonus on top of his $13.25 million salary for next season. The two sides also could adjust the innings threshold on vesting options to make them more easily attainable for Santana. In the end, the Mets simply might guarantee a sixth year. "22.5 times six will get it done," one prominent agent predicted. The total value of such a package would be $135 million.