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Mets get Santana without giving up Reyes

BY DAVID LENNON AND KEN DAVIDOFF | david.lennon@newsday.com; ken.davidoff@newsday.com

January 30, 2008

The Mets can't change history, but they certainly made it easier for everyone to forget the unfortunate events of last September by agreeing to terms yesterday on a trade for Johan Santana, who could be atop the rotation as early as today if a contract extension can be completed that quickly.

After weeks of lagging behind the Yankees and Red Sox in a three-team race for Santana, the Mets got their opening this month when the American League East rivals seemed to lose interest. Despite the mounting pressure to improve his club, general manager Omar Minaya stood firm on a package of prospects that never included the one player the Twins most wanted: Jose Reyes.

Minnesota GM Bill Smith relented yesterday and accepted outfielder Carlos Gomez along with a trio of pitchers: Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra. The deal is contingent on the Mets and Santana hammering out a contract extension in 72 hours, and team officials will meet today with Santana's agent, Peter Greenberg.

That is the last obstacle for Santana to officially waive his no-trade clause. Each player also must pass a physical.

Santana, a pending free agent who is due $13.25 million this season, reportedly is seeking a seven-year deal worth $140 million. The Mets lost out on Barry Zito last winter when they refused to go beyond five years and the club's decision-makers initially said they had no plans to do so with Santana.

But that policy may have to loosen now that the Mets are on the verge of locking up the two-time Cy Young Award winner, who turns 29 in March. Team officials were optimistic last night that a deal would be worked out.

Minaya would rather give Santana a higher annual salary for fewer years, but it's likely the Mets will compromise and give him a six-year deal with vesting options based on innings pitched. It should help that the Mets have a good relationship with Greenberg, who also represents Reyes and Endy Chavez.

The Mets were tight-lipped last night about the trade. But according to one person familiar with the situation, the talks heated up Monday night and Guerra was not added until yesterday. The Twins liked Gomez and Mulvey, and once Guerra - the club's top-rated pitching prospect - was included, the Mets told the Twins it was their "best and final" offer.

If Minnesota had balked again, the Mets were prepared to walk away from Santana, with one team official describing Plan B as Kyle Lohse and Plan C as Livan Hernandez. Fortunately for the Mets, it didn't come down to that.

Minaya did not address Santana specifically when asked about the three-time All-Star before last night's Baseball Assistance Team dinner at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square.

"The bottom line is we're going to continue to look for ways to improve our club," Minaya said, "whether it's through the free-agent market or by talking to other clubs."

Was the GM optimistic he could get something done?

"I always try to be optimistic," Minaya said, "about how we're going in our efforts."

Getting Santana is a coup for the Mets, whose biggest offseason move had been trading Lastings Milledge to the Nationals for outfielder Ryan Church and catcher Brian Schneider. Otherwise, Minaya had done nothing to improve a starting rotation that left too much responsibility on the surgically repaired shoulder of Pedro Martinez.

But after flirting with the idea of signing Lohse or Hernandez over the weekend, the Mets remained patient as Santana became more restless. With less than three weeks until spring training, Minaya used the ticking clock to his advantage. For his Twins counterpart, Bill Smith, it was more like a time bomb.

With just a handful of teams able to pay Santana, and only three willing to do so, the Twins' GM was stuck with few options from the outset. He appeared to be on the brink of accepting a Red Sox package headlined by pitcher Jon Lester during the winter meetings in Nashville seven weeks ago, but opted to wait for an improved offer that never materialized. The Yankees were prepared to send Phil Hughes and Melky Cabrera to Minnesota, but lost patience with Smith and withdrew earlier this month.

That left the Mets.

"If it's true," David Wright said yesterday, "you're getting arguably the best pitcher in the game."

Catch a rising star

The best players the Mets have traded for: