Benjamin Grimm

Sure it would be great if he was healthy and productive and pitched 215 innings. But if that does happen, that $25 million in 2014 is going to be problematic. Especially if he's injured and/or sucky in that year.

I feel like I should have known this. I'm sure that Santana's contract details have been public knowledge since the Mets signed him five years ago this month, but I didn't remember the specifics. And we've been told, again and again, that Santana's contract comes off the books after 2013 and that this is "almost certainly" his last year with the Mets. But if he manages to pitch 215 innings, that probably won't be the case: NY Mets, Terry Collins have a healthy worry about Johan Santana The two-time Cy Young Award winner�s six-year, $137.5 million deal expires this season, but the contract contains a 2014 player option that vests for $25 million if Santana pitches 215 innings in 2013, and is on the active roster for the final 30 days of the season. By Andy Martino / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Thursday, February 14, 2013, 11:37 PM PORT ST. LUCIE - Johan Santana, in public and private, has spent the past few months saying that he has not felt this healthy in several years, and is ready for a strong, full season. If that happens, a vesting option in Santana�s contract could present a complication for Terry Collins, and impact the ace�s midseason trade value. The two-time Cy Young Award winner�s six-year, $137.5 million deal expires this season, but the contract contains a 2014 player option that vests for $25 million if Santana pitches 215 innings in 2013, and is on the active roster for the final 30 days of the season. The vesting option will also be triggered if Santana wins the Cy Young Award in 2013. If the option does not vest, the Mets can buy it out for $5.5 million. What are Santana�s chances of hitting that innings target? He has not topped 200 innings since 2008, but did so in every season from 2004-2008. In 2009, his year ended on Aug . 25 because of minor elbow surgery, and 2010 and 2012 were shortened by major shoulder surgery and its aftereffects (2011 was a complete injury-related wipeout). But this year, if Santana is indeed back to a regular schedule, and is pitching well enough to either help the Mets mount a surprise wild-card run or become trade bait, the vesting option - combined with the ace�s full no-trade clause - could become a focus. Would a contending team want to acquire a player who is on pace to top 215 innings and be owed $25 million at age 35? Very likely not, unless the Mets, Santana�s agents, and the acquiring team are able to work out an arrangement (the Mets could include significant money, or the new team could work out an extension with Santana, for example). Collins dealt with a similar situation in 2011, when closer Francisco Rodriguez had a $17.5 million option that would vest for the following season with 55 games finished. The situation was a distraction for Rodriguez, who once charged into the manager�s office and asked to restructure his contract to eliminate the clause (Collins told K-Rod that he appreciated the thought, but was talking to the wrong team official). Collins said that because the front office did not interfere in the K-Rod situation, he is not worried about managing Santana�s innings. "No, I�ve got to get him ready and let him go pitch," Collins said. "The person that makes it easy is the general manager. He doesn�t give me a hassle. Sandy (Alderson) just said, even with K-Rod, �You pitch him, you use him. We�ll worry about the other stuff.� That made it easy - just go do your job." Santana, who will throw his first bullpen session of the spring this weekend, also said that he could not think about the vesting option this early in the year. "I have a lot of things to worry about," he said. "Health is one of them. For me, to go through the whole season with no problems and be able to do it, that�s what I am going to be focused on, and that�s what I�m going to be able to do. Whatever happens will happen." Asked about the no-trade clause, Santana said, "There is not much you can do. I�m here right now, and I�m going to be here helping this team. That�s the approach you�re going to have. It�s hard to talk about something that you don�t even know. "When the time comes, we�ll approach it and it might be different. But for now, I�m just focused on getting ready."

I agree. I don't see the value in carefully parsing his words. He says that the Mets will spend competitively? I'm happy to hear it, because it's better than hearing the alternative, but I'll only be convinced that it's true when it happens.

Edgy MD wrote: Congratulations to Ben Grimm. I don't know how the heck he got Jamie Hoffman in 80. Absolute dumb luck.

The only way they can add significant payroll between now and after the World Series would in fact be through a trade, and that's something that's possible. It's probably more likely in July than in March, but it can happen at any point.

TransMonk wrote: I'm surprised there is not an added chapter about how pissed he is about that too. That will probably be in the paperback edition.

No. I would know better than to put an action shot on a 1972 card. This is the 1972 Dickey that I created:

The Mets do not plan to discuss extending manager Terry Collins' contract until the end of the season, when it is due to expire. Good! David Wright could be a Met for life. Wright signed an eight-year, $138 million extension in December. Wow! That's news! Other articles I've read today include Fred's use of the word "zimbo" when describing the real estate market in recent years. "Real estate has gone zimbo." Hopefully the Mets will move away from their recent zimboness. I know we all want Fred to go away, but it appears he's staying.

I prefer to see him as Cal Ripken.

The ghost is a sportswriter from the Cincinnati Post named Lonnie Wheeler.

A Boy Named Seo wrote: New security guard Mike Piazza needs to chill. Like.

metirish wrote: Says Collins on using Parnell: "We keep talking about 2014, [bleep] why not get a head start?" Because it was YOU, Terry, who anointed Francisco as the closer, jackass!

Yeah, I'm not too worked up about it either.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: This sounds like a terrible book by an uninteresting guy. Harsh, but probably true. I don't expect that I'll ever read this one. I used to read all Mets related books, but when Lenny Dykstra "wrote" a book and I couldn't bring myself to read it, it broke the spell for me.

If the Mets had gotten Bourn it might have increased their rather slim chances of being a surprise contender in 2013. Since that didn't happen, the outfield will go back to being what I've been expecting all winter: a kind of laboratory where we see what guys like Baxter, Duda, Nieuwenhuis, and Cowgill can (or can't) do. With luck, one or two of those guys will show that they're good enough to be a part of a future winning team. If not, well, then I guess the Mets will have three outfield openings to fill next year, and hopefully they'll actually do so.

It goes beyond that. This is probably no longer the case, but I remember noticing in the 1980's that whenever the Mets played the Cubs at home, the Yankees would often be in Chicago playing the White Sox. And when the Mets would be at Wrigley the White Sox would be in the Bronx.

I approve of the 15 for d'Arnaud.

Marvin Kaplan! When I saw his name, I thought you were referring to Marvin Kitman, whom I haven't thought about in many years:

He was a great player, and I loved having him on the Mets, but there was and is so much about him to laugh at.

I think that sticking with 3 years, $40 million is a wise play. If he gets away to another team, so be it.

Six hours of fishing every day? Six hours of fishing would be more than enough to last me a lifetime. I can think of few things that I would find more boring.

True dat.

Any word on the dollar amount?

I guess it's good to have them in the mix. Can't hurt, anyway. Maybe one of them will become an offensive version of R.A. Dickey. I doubt that this impacts whether or not they pursue Michael Bourn.