Johan Santana’s first start in a Met uniform comes 182 days too late to save them from their 2007 collapse.
But his arrival in 2008 may prevent another collapse happening for at least the next six years.
When Santana, 29, takes the mound for Monday’s Opening Day matchup in Miami, there will be far less pressure than what Tom Glavine faced in last year’s season finale – a game the Mets needed to keep pace with the streaking Phillies, a game Glavine torpedoed in the first inning when he was torched for seven runs.
The Mets responded by trading with the Twins for the best pitcher in the game.
“You just don’t get a pitcher in his prime in a trade,” said SNY analyst and former Met hurler Ron Darling.
“Having a quality effort every night stops you from having long losing streaks, and more importantly it gives you a chance to have a long winning streak.”
The Mets’ lead was seven games with 17 to go over the Phillies. Some of those games were started by woefully inexperienced pitchers (see Phillip Humber) and pitchers who were just woeful (see Dave Williams).
But Santana’s singing has had a domino effect.
“The collateral positives that come from this are exponential,” Darling said. “Now you have a former Cy Young winner in Pedro [Martinez], who I think is going to have a tremendous year, as your No. 2 two and you move Oliver Perez and John Maine as the three and the four spots in the rotation.”
The only rotation spot left has been a no-show battle between Mike Pelfrey and Orlando Hernandez, as both have struggled in spring training. But the optimism procured by signing Santana has made that less of an issue for now. The magnitude of bringing in Santana has even eased the sting of last year’s debacle.
“I think it was the best, well-spent eraser of all-time,” Darling said. “As soon as he was signed, the talk was on Santana and off of last year. It’s really difficult to play in New York City and spend all spring training talking about your failures.
“If you look at Pelfrey struggling and Hernandez trying to get ready – how big a story would that be if they didn’t have Santana?”
Much of the monstrous lead dissolved because of the Mets’ failures against the dregs of the NL East.
“They need to beat up on teams like the Marlins and the Nationals – that’s one of the reasons first place didn’t come to them last year,” Darling said.
“I think when they went home after last season, they should have looked in the mirror and said, ‘What could I have done better in the stretch?’ That’s the thing that they all should have done, and if they did they will come back with a little chip on their shoulder and a little anger.”