Johan Santana. Now there's a name with some weight behind it. In fact, the presence of this name on the New York Mets roster has completely changed my opinion in this week's "Toe to Toe" debate on which team reigns supreme in the Big Apple: the Yankees or the Mets.
Mets General Manager Omar Minaya pretty much summed up the team's new situation perfectly in his brief comments after the deal was finalized: "We've been lacking what we consider a true No. 1 starter," Minaya said on a conference call." It doesn't get much better than Johan Santana."
Perhaps not even the mighty Johan Santana could have saved the Mets from the disgraceful nose dive in which they blew a seven game lead with just 17 games to go. One can safely say, however, that those days are behind the Mets, as I just cannot imagine them collapsing anywhere close to that drastically in the near future -- an assumption that does not require any consideration of Santana.
I'll tell you this, also. I am not a fan of the Girardi hire. Not one bit. If I were a Yankees fan, I would be seriously uncomfortable without the unflappable Torre presiding over the dugout. It's not that I believe Girardi will poorly manage the Yankees from a baseball standpoint; it's more that I do not think that Torre was the problem. Yes, Torre was "offered an extension," but any fan worth his salt can figure out he was essentially shown the door. The Yankees' lack of a World Series title in the past seven seasons is attributable to, in part, the team's inability to carry regular season success into the post-season. In the two instances when they have made a trip to the show over the last seven years, their big bats have been shut down -- a fact that proves no matter how much dough Georgie shells out to get the best names in free agency, it doesn't guarantee a thing come October. The fact that Torre was not the root of the Yankee's troubles over the past seven years, combined with the bad karma created by Girardi's lone managed game of the Yankees being a loss to the Royals, makes the Girardi hire questionable at best.
Anyway, back to the Mets. Santana is the best pitcher Major League Baseball has seen since Pedro Martinez, perhaps even better. He brings the ability to render any hitter in Major League Baseball helpless at any given time and the Mets will be a distinctly different club with him in the rotation. Come playoff time, Game 1, regardless of which series we're talking about, is going to look a lot more favorable than it ever has in the past -- something that will be vital in establishing momentum and an early lead in a playoff series.
If I haven't convinced you with my Santana idolatry or my detailed explanation of why Joe Girardi won't solve the Yankees' problems, consider the talent on the Mets lineup. David Wright was arguably the league's best after last year's all-star break. In addition, I don't expect Reyes to struggle like he did in last season's second half.
So there you have it, folks. Though my focus is undoubtedly on football right now, I hope my casual musings about New York baseball have convinced you that the Mets are the new king of the Apple and that Steinbrenner and Yankee World Series dominance are a thing of the past (at least for now).
