Last Met Standing Goes Down

Check out Lolita’s blog below and you’ll notice that pretty much the only Met NOT to go on the DL this year (other than maybe Cory Sullivan) has been Johan Santana.

And outside of David Wright, Santana is the player the Mets can LEAST afford to have injured.

Today, that’s exactly the news they got.

Johan has pain in his throwing elbow…will miss his scheduled start tomorrow night…and might need season-ending surgery.

Forget this season. If I’m running the Mets, this one is a no-brainer: SHUT SANTANA DOWN FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON.

That’s obvious. He’s done this year. Even if he felt so much as a tickle anywhere on his left arm I’m pulling the plug on his ’08.

Hindsight is 20/20, but what were the Mets thinking putting him on the mound after the All Star break. It was then that Johan admitted he was feeling pain and decided to pitch through it.

By mid-July it was obvious this was a lost season. They probably should have shelved Santana then. But that’s water under the bridge.

Let’s talk about the here and now.

The Mets have the franchise invested in that left arm and they must go above and beyond to make sure it stays healthy.

It’ll be a psychological blow to the team and the fan base if Johan goes under the knife in these next few days, but if they take their medicine now, the Mets will hopefully avoid further problems in the future.

But if Santana’s arm troubles extend into any portion of next season - say his rehab doesn’t go well and he has to sit until mid-May – I GUARANTEE next season will be a loser, too.

Mets: get him healthy. Be uber-cautious. I know it’s obvious, but the future of the franchise rests on Johan Santana’s left arm.

Matt Estreich for The Huddle