Santana Introduced To Met Fans.

Today, Johan Santana emerge from the bowels of Shea Stadium, awkwardly sporting a new jersey over a shirt and tie. He will then pose with the requisite corporate participants, smiling as if he loves press conferences, finally capping what was an overly dramatic ordeal for fans and the team alike.

And then it was over, and the Mets, despite sealing an amazing deal, still enter the spring with some questions. So, let’s do another hypothetical Q&A.

Who is going to be the Mets’ #5 starter?
It’s unreal that the Mets can still have rotation questions after trading for Johan Santana. Right now, the top four are cemented, with Santana, Martinez, Maine and Perez. The five hole will be a spring training decision with Pelfrey, El Duque or even an unnamed free agent to fill the gap.

Many fans are calling for the Mets to continue spending, and sign someone like Livan Hernandez (decent possibility) or Kyle Lohse (not quite as decent). Both of these men would fill the spot admirably, but will also require considerable financial and contractual commitments.
My guess? Duque starts the season, takes his usual mid-summer nap, gets replaced by a rejuvenated Pelfrey and remains in the ‘pen for the duration of his contract.

Are the Mets really the favorites to win the NL East again, now that they have Johan Santana?
In a word, no. In five words, not until they beat Philly. The addition of Johan Santana immediately strengthens the rotation by shifting everyone down a slot, but he can only help them once every five games. And even though he’s making $2478 per hour for the next seven years, common sense says we can't use him any more than originally planned.

The Mets have a much better chance of regaining their position atop the division than they did two weeks ago, but it’s not like Philly and Atlanta haven't improved, either. Nothing is guaranteed.

What is the one move you think the Mets should have made, but didn't?
There are a lot of moves the Mets could - and should - have made, but as we know, trades are more like dominoes than playing cards. If there’s any area that needed to be addressed, it was the right field spot. And Omar did address it by picking up Ryan Church, but one can't help but wonder if some of our trade chips should have gone to obtaining Jason Bay or Xavier Nady.