Johan Santana Not Throwing Yet; Special Announcement For Dickey on SNY Tonight

The Mets tweeted a couple pictures of Johan Santana and COO Jeff Wilpon out on Coney Island yesterday contributing to the relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Sandy. In addition to watching him help out those in need, he told reporters that he hasn’t started his off-season throwing program yet. Worried by that news? Don’t be; while the Mets were playing out the end of this season, Terry Collins said his southpaw wouldn’t start throwing again until January.

There is certainly no need for concern with Santana, who went on the disabled list on August 22nd with inflammation in his lower back, effectively ending his season. The organization wants to make sure Johan gives his arm and shoulder plenty of time to rest, as the team felt it was fatigue that attributed him to stumble after his June 1st no-hitter, finishing 2012 with a 6-9 record, 4.85 ERA, 1.33 WHIP in 117 innings pitched.

Aug 17, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher

(57) throws in the third inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit:

-US PRESSWIRE

It was a tale of two seasons for Santana; he looked to be an All-Star snub when he put together a 6-5 record and 3.24 ERA to go along with two complete game shutouts in the first half of the season. However, the wheels came off after the mid-summer classic, as it did for most of the Mets on the roster. He endured the worst stretch of his career, losing his last four starts and compiling a 16.33 ERA, 2.51 WHIP, and .423 opponent batting average in 14.1 innings pitched.

Johan is expected to be healthy and ready for the season when he reports to Port St. Lucie in February. Now that he’s another year further from his surgery and has a year of pitching under his belt, he will continue to get stronger. Will he be the Johan that went 16-7 with a league-leading 2.53 ERA in 2008? Nope. Those days are long gone, unfortunately. Unless he has an R.A. Dickey-type season in 2013, the $25.5 million he’ll be earning will not be a bargain by any means. However, I don’t think Santana will continue the downward spiral we saw after his historic no-hitter. The organization would be happy to get 10-15 wins and a mid-3.00 ERA from him, and that’s certainly reachable.

After reporters were done speaking with Johan on Coney Island, they shifted their focus on Jeff Wilpon to hear what he had to say regarding Dickey and third baseman David Wright. There was nothing earth shattering said, as Wilpon maintained the organization’s desire to extend both players. They’re entertaining the idea of dealing Dickey, but solely as a backup plan for right now. So, nothing notable coming from Jeff, which isn’t surprising.

We’ve also heard that New York is interested in bringing back the rehabbing Mike Pelfrey after they non-tender him. This is a good idea, as the Mets would allow him to finish his rehab in a familiar place and work his way back into game-shape, while having him as a backup plan in case their rotation gets decimated again, much like Chris Young did last season. However, they’re contemplating the same procedure in dealing with Andres Torres, which I could do without.

MetsBlog gave us all a reminder about the Food Drive that will be going on at Citi Field from 9am-5pm tomorrow to help donate relief to Hurricane Sandy. Bobby Parnell and Dillon Gee will be on the premises helping out, and there are fans can earn some perks via tickets and merchandise discounts if they donate a certain amount of supplies (although there shouldn’t need to be to motivate people to help).

Also, incase you missed it last night, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi were the first to report a blockbuster trade between the Marlins and Blue Jays, which included the likes of Josh Johnson and former Met, Jose Reyes. The deal is expected to be finalized today.

The BBWAA Cy Young awards are set to be announced tonight on MLB Network at 6:45p EST, and there is some foreshadowing that the Mets know something the fans don’t. There will be a special edition of Mets Hot Stove tomorrow on SNY airing at 6:30p, which will include a live interview with R.A. Dickey beforehand. There will also be appearances from Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, Jerry Koosman, Frank Viola, and Josh Thole.

I can understand bringing Dickey on for an interview whether he wins the award or not, but I doubt SNY would have gone to the trouble of bringing on all these extra guests unless they knew he will be announced the 2012 NL Cy Young winner. Maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I can get real ambitious and think they’ll make an announcement regarding his immediate future with the team as well, but I’m starting to get ahead of myself here.