PORT ST. LUCIE — Matt Harvey became that much more valuable. The same goes for Zack Wheeler.
The bottom line, following the terrible news last night that Johan Santana is done as a Met and is facing a second shoulder surgery, is that it’s all about growing your own for major league teams — especially the Mets, who never will go down the $137.5 million Santana Road again with free agents or players who are traded for and given huge contracts.
Santana, 34, was cooked from the start of spring training. That first Mets no-hitter he threw last June 1 against the Cardinals at Citi Field was his last hurrah. He was basically done from that point on and had an 8.27 ERA the rest of the way.
The lefty gave Mets fans an unforgettable thrill, but the price of 134 pitches that night combined with the wear and tear of his rebuilt shoulder was too much to bear. Then this spring, a struggling Santana threw an “I’ll show you” bullpen session and that was the end of the line.
You could see from the day he showed up in camp Santana was not throwing well.
“The ball just isn’t coming out right,’’ one high-ranking Mets official said Wednesday when asked about Santana. And 24 hours later, the news came out that Santana is finished as a Met.
There are no guarantees in baseball, especially after 2,059 2/3 innings, when it comes to pitching shoulders. As sad as the news was for Santana, this injury will force the Mets to move on in their quest of building a pitching staff. This accelerates the process.
Everyone connected with the Mets feels bad for Santana. You could tell in general manager Sandy Alderson’s voice when he said the words, “Johan has a probable re-tear of the anterior capsule in his left shoulder.’’
But this is more proof the Mets had better get their stuff together when it comes to their young pitchers. Alderson was asked last night if this changes the plans in any way with Wheeler, who will be in Triple-A Las Vegas, and gave this intelligent response: “We will bring him up when he is ready. No immediate need will impact that.’’
Don’t rush the arms, but when they are ready, get them here.
While the Mets went to Viera, Fla., yesterday to lose to the Nationals, I stayed behind to keep tabs on David Wright, who played in a minor league game. In the clubhouse, Santana’s chair was placed neatly in front of his locker and did not move all day. I started inquiring about Santana and the Mets and his agent were mum until Alderson’s press conference, when it was announced Santana was in New York, getting the bad news and coping with it.
Just down from Santana’s locker is Harvey’s locker.
Harvey will pitch today against the Cardinals in the Mets’ final spring home game. The big right-hander is looking forward to breaking camp and getting to begin the season with the Mets. He is the same type of competitor Santana is and that is invaluable.
In some ways, the Mets already have moved on from Santana. He made history pitching that wonderful no-hitter, but now he is history. That’s the cold truth of this harsh game.
Harvey, Wheeler and Jon Niese are the Mets’ pitching future. Their arms will form the base of any Mets success in upcoming years.
Here are the numbers on Santana: For $137.5 million, the Mets got 109 starts and a 46-34 record with a 3.18 ERA and that no-hitter. He pitched 717 innings, striking out 607 batters. He will make $31 million this year. He will not throw a pitch for the Mets.
Santana always gave his best. In the end, though, you rarely get what you pay for in the world of baseball when it comes to free-agent pitchers.
The Mets and their fans have their Santana memories, but it’s time to move on and make the most of those young, healthy arms.