Read: How the Santana Deal Happened
In the Bergen Record, Bob Klapisch writes what he believes to be the definitive story on how the Mets ended up getting Johan Santana from the Twins.
By the way, according to Klapisch, the Mets owe a big-fat thank you to the Yankees for stepping aside at the last minute, as he writes about yesterday…
“The Twins called the Yankees and admitted surrender: Phil Hughes was no longer a prerequisite…Instead, the Twins asked for Ian Kennedy, Melky Cabrera and a top prospect. Would the Yankees still be interested, Smith wondered? The Yankees considered the idea, but only briefly and not seriously…The Twins had waited too long…The Red Sox, in lock step with the Yankees, had essentially backed out, too…That left the Mets, who after hearing from Smith didn’t allow themselves to be bluffed.”
…didn’t this same story essentially get written after the Mets signed Pedro Martinez (because the Red Sox passed), and after the Mets got Carlos Beltran (because the Yankees passed)…frankly, i’m not even sure why it matters…
…it’s really amazing to me, though, that even when the Mets do something great, the best they can do is a back-handed compliment from the mainstream press…
For more on Brian Cashman’s generous, wonderful gift to the Mets, check out the New York Post, Daily News and Newsday, in which Ken Davidoff and David Lennon write…
“According to one person familiar with the situation, the talks heated up Monday night and Guerra was not added until yesterday…once Guerra 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.”
…fortunately…man, you can say that again…
…seriously, had the Mets lost out on santana, especially to the Yankees, then had to sign lohse, there would have been no need to knock down Shea Stadium with a wrecking ball because Mets fans may have done it on their own…
