31 January 2008
Again, the deal will happen. The Mets just swindled the Twins, took advantage of their rookie GM's incompetence by dealing them a package that probably wouldn't be good enough for Joe Blanton, and they're not going to let the deal be derailed just because Johan Santana wants to be paid more than Barry Zito.
But just a tiny uh-oh anyway, with an alarming headline from the Worldwide Leader: "
Sources: Mets likely won't reach deal with Santana until Friday, if at all." It turns out the Mets don't want to put themselves on the hook for the best pitcher in baseball (about whom more and more people are raising whispers of arm trouble) for more than 5 years, while his agents want 6. The backup plan, reports Jayson Stark? Kyle Lohse. Really.
Also, the Mets
picked up Ruddy Lugo, Julio Lugo's
underachieving brother. We'll see how that works out.
