Mets' Santana Is Highest Paid Pitcher in MLB History
BY DAN MILLER

Johan Santana meets the press at Shea before heading south for spring training. Photo Vinny DuPre

The New York Mets, who failed to win the National League East due to an end-ofseason collapse, opened their pocketbooks to bring Johan Santana, one of the top pitchers of this century, to Queens.

The deal, which will put Santana in a Mets uniform through the 2013 season, cost the Mets $135 million. Santana joins Pedro Martinez, Orlando (El Duque) Hernandez, Oliver Perez and John Maine to round out the five starters currently on the Mets 2008 40-member roster.

In order to pry Santana away from the American League Minnesota Twins, the Mets traded outfielder Carlos Gomez, right hand pitcher Philip Humber and minor league right hand pitchers, Kevin Mulney and Deolis Guerra on February 2.

The Mets called a press conference on Wednesday, February 6 in the Diamond Club at Shea Stadium to introduce Santana to the New York media. Santana, who will be 29 just prior to the start of the 2008 season, leads all pitchers in wins (93) since the 2000 season. He is one of five pitchers to be a unanimously selected Cy Young Award winner (2005 and 2007) and a three-time All-Star (2005-2007). Santana won the Pitching Triple Crown in 2006, leading the AL in wins (19), strikeouts (245) and ERA (2.77).

David Wright told the Gazette, "I'm hoping. I'm excited. There is only a small handful of true aces out there and I think that Johan is at [the] top of that list. You know that every fifth day he is going to go out there and give you seven, eight strong innings. You can't say that about so many guys in this game."

New York Mets General Manager Omar Minaya announced that pitchers and catchers report next week for spring training.