By Mike Trovato
As we near the start of a new baseball season, there is plenty of buzz in Flushing, Queens, as New York prepares to say goodbye to Shea Stadium. For 48 years, Shea Stadium has served as a venue for sports, cultural, and entertainment events. Shea is best known for the 1965 Beatles concert, a visit from Pope John Paul II, and of course, being the home of the New York Mets. The Mets will move into newly built Citi Field in 2009, and Shea will become nothing more than a memory. But before the lights go out for the last time, there are a lot of things to get excited about in Shea’s 2008 farewell.
Last September saw the Mets complete one of the most historic collapses in sports history. With a 7-game lead in their division and only 17 games remaining, the Mets fell out of first place and out of the playoffs by going 5-12, recording two separate 5-game losing streaks down the stretch. Jose Reyes, the sparkplug of the offense, batted .205 and stole just 5 bases in September. Mets pitching was the 5th worst in the Majors in both ERA (5.11) and walks allowed (106) during the final month of the season.
The fallout from September placed a cloud of doubt over the Mets clubhouse in the offseason. In hopes of answering these questions, General Manager Omar Minaya orchestrated several key offseason changes that will hopefully get the Mets back on track:
-Johan Santana, SP – In a move that almost made Mets fans forget about 2007’s disastrous ending, the Mets acquired two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana from the Minnesota Twins. The Mets passed on signing cheaper pitchers like Dan Haren and Erik Bedard in hopes of landing Santana. After weeks of negotiating, the Mets agreed to send four prospects
– OF Carlos Gomez, RHP Philip Humber, RHP Kevin Mulvey, and RHP Deolis Guerra – to Minnesota in exchange for the ace, who was seeking a long-term deal.
The Mets complied, signing Johan to a $137.5 million contract over 6 years. The acquisition of Santana, who turns 29 in March, bolsters the Mets’ starting rotation.
With Santana as the number one starter, the transition will take pressure off of the shoulders of aging ace Pedro Martinez, who now moves into the second slot. Promising young starters John Maine and Oliver Perez – both 15 game winners in ’07 – slide to the 3rd and 4th spots, respectively. Veteran Orlando Hernandez will likely land the fifth spot in the rotation, while Mike Pelfrey continues to develop.
– Brian Schneider, C – After declining to sign catcher Johnny Estrada following a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, the Mets traded OF Lastings Milledge to the Washington Nationals for Catcher Brian Schneider and Outfielder Ryan Church. Schneider brings a career .993 fielding percentage to New York, and will replace Paul LoDuca as the Mets’ starting catcher.
– Ryan Church, OF – Church will be given the opportunity to win a starting position in the Mets’ Opening Day lineup. Church was second on the Nationals in extra base hits last season with 59, behind only 3B Ryan Zimmerman, who had 72. Should he beat out Endy Chavez for the starting spot in right field, Shea Stadium’s spacious outfield could be a friendly place for Church to expand upon his 43 doubles from ’07.
The arrival of Santana boosted the Mets’ confidence before the star had even thrown a single pitch in orange and blue.
His presence alone has given the Mets the swagger they had as the 2006 Division Champions. Normally a quiet player, center fielder Carlos Beltran spoke candidly of the impact Santana has already had on the team. “With him now, I have no doubt that we’re going to win our division,” Beltran said. “We are the team to beat.” It is yet to be seen how well the newcomers will adjust to the pressure of playing in the Big Apple. For Johan Santana, however, the transition may be a little bit easier. “I don’t see any problem coming to New York,” remarked second baseman Luis Castillo. “He works hard every day. He just needs to keep doing what he’s doing, and he’ll be fine.” Castillo was teammates with Santana in Minnesota before he was traded to New York last summer. Now they have been reunited in New York.
Another reunion took place this offseason, as starting pitcher Tom Glavine returned to Atlanta where he began his illustrious career. The left-hander, who turns 42 at the end of March, had spent 5 seasons with the Mets, and recorded his 300th career victory in 2007. Also headlining the players not returning from last season are OF Shawn Green and C Paul LoDuca.
In the midst of these losses, however, the Mets will welcome back a familiar face in reliever Duaner Sanchez.
The right-hander was having a career year before dislocating his throwing shoulder in a car accident in July of 2006. After spending all of last season on the disabled list recovering from 2 shoulder surgeries, Sanchez was activated by the Mets in November, and is looking to get back on track this spring. If Sanchez can regain his ’06 form, when he went 5-1 while posting a 2.60 ERA and striking out 44 batters over 55.1 innings, he would provide instant stability to a pitching staff that fell apart down the stretch last season.
With these changes in place, fans undoubtedly have a lot to be excited about, as the Mets are the projected favorites to win the National League East. And what better way for New Yorkers to say goodbye to Shea Stadium – with one final concert performed by Long Island’s own Billy Joel, and possibly, a Mets championship.