Mets Get Their Man, Johan Santana

USAToday is reporting that the Mets have reached a deal with the Twins to trade for Johan Santana. After months of waiting and waiting, Mets nation breathes a sigh of relief and joy in one breath.

Alleluia.

While details of an extension for Santana are still to be done, the deal includes Carlos Gomez, Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey.

Basically, the Mets have just stolen the best pitcher in baseball for 4 prospects while still keeping their #1 prospect, Fernando Martinez. Unreal.

I can't breathe right now I'm so excited. Unbelievable. Kudos to Omar Minaya for getting the job done. While I'm sad to see Carlos Gomez go, this deal had to be done and I now laugh in the face of all those "experts" who said the Mets didn't have the talent to get a deal done for Johan Santana.

I can now officially place the order for my Johan Santana Mets jersey.

For all the details, visit USAToday.

For a video display of what every Mets fan is feeling right now, click here.

Mets Top 10 Prospect Rankings

JP Schwartz at TopProspectAlert.com has put together his annual top 10 ranking of the Mets minor league prospects. This year the list is full of familiar names as most of them have been tossed around during the Johan Santana trade rumors.

The top prospect is pitcher Deolis Guerra with Fernando Martinez and Carlos Gomez close behind him at #2 & #3. I was a little surprised to see Guerra as the top prospect as I thought Kevin Mulvey, who is ranked #4, would be higher than Guerra.

I also was a little surprised that Martinez was ranked higher than Gomez since Martinez is expected to be another year or two away from being ready for the big leagues, but this list is based on potential and Martinez's potential at this point is through the roof.

Mike Carp, who is ranked #9, will be a name I think Mets fans will hear about more and more in the coming season as potential trade bait or a player who may get some playing time during September call ups.

For the full run down of the top 10 prospects visit TopProspectAlert.com.

What Do the A's Want for Dan Haren?

According to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark, the Oakland Athletics have made it clear what they want from the Mets if they want to get Dan Haren.

According to Stark, Billy Beane has said that it will take Carlos Gomez and top minor league prospect, Fernando Martinez, to secure Dan Haren in a trade.

I found it a little surprising that Beane wouldn't require a pitcher in return since it appears he's wholesaling his entire starting rotation. If the Mets made this deal they'd in essence would give up their entire outfield of youth (Milledge, Gomez, Martinez).

Long term what this means is that they'll need to make a deal next year to replace Moises Alou, and if Ryan Church has a bad season and bats .230 we might need to replace him as well. I'm hopeful about Church, but I'm cautious to give up both Martinez and Gomez. I'd much rather package in a pitcher or two instead of one of them.

If the A's offer is legit it's not an unreasonable one, and you have to ask yourself is it easier to replace young outfielders or a young starting pitcher?

Still there's much left to be decided and we just have to sit and wait for the cards to be dealt.

Who Would You Trade?

No one is untradeable. Ok, Derek Jeter and David Wright are untradeable. But then again the Mets traded Tom Seaver who was the face of this franchise in those horrid early years.

This offseason I am confident the trade rumors will be buzzing like an angry wasps' nest. Names will be dropped like your Dick Vitale at the Final Four. But of all the Mets I believe three names will be mentioned the most this offseason: Carlos Gomez, Fernando Martinez, and Lasting Milledge.

Why? Two words: "youth" & "upside." At this point none of them have really proven what kind of big league talent they will become. Martinez is the equivalent of an 8th grader scouting college basketball scholarships. If he turns out to be good, you got him for a prayer. If he doesn't no sleep lost. Gomez has shown signs of brilliance amidst a streak of immaturity. And Milledge? Well, is he a young Gary Sheffield or a future Bernard Gilkey?

No one has a crystal ball so the real question is who are you willing to trade at this point?

My first inkling is to trade Martinez. The kid's got talent for sure, but he's a good 2-3 years away from even being a regular at the major league level. If a team is willing to give up good, young talent that is already big league tested for a potential wonder boy, that's fine with me. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

That brings me to Carlos Gomez, whom I am enamored with. The way he tracks down fly balls reminds me of Andruw Jones when he feels like playing. The question is if he's just a pinch runner and hired glove, or will he be able to consistently hit some day. Again he's very young, but I don't think we can judge Gomez accurately just yet. He was thrown into the lineup this year straight from Double A last year. His build shows he has the potential for some pop and that kind of speed and glove are a wonderful thing to have in your back pocket.

And then there was Milledge. The often coveted blue chip prospect has now shown baseball what he can do at least for half a season. The kid was our best hitter with runners in scoring position for 3 months and seemed to get on base at just the right time. And I don't know about you but I was surprised at how well he played in the field this year. Milledge made some impressive plays at clutch moments. The kid has potential and unless there's a package for a top pitching prospect like Johann Santana or Josh Beckett, I'd hold onto Milledge.

So there you have it. This novice wants to hold on Milledge & Gomez, and gamble with Martinez. Although none of these guys are untradeable. Starting pitching is a luxury in this league. Just ask Tom Glavine.

The Youthful Outfield

While we are celebrating the recent winning streak, Bleed Orange & Blue looks a little farther into the future as what could be next year, specifically when it comes to the Mets outfield.

The potential starting outfield for the Mets next year could be Gomez, Beltran and Milledge which might be the fastest outfield in the majors. With Milledge and Gomez both getting significant playing time this year it opens up the doors for a potentially great year next year.

I personally love Gomez and just thinking of he and Reyes at the top of the lineup makes me salivate. It's reminiscent of Vince Coleman and Willie McGee at the top of that old Cardinals lineup in the late 80's.

So if you want to take a look into the bright future, click here to read the full post on Bleed Orange & Blue.