Submitted by Bart, Feb 4, 2008 15:55

I have commented before on the Three phenoms and their historical association with the Mets hopes for their Troika.

All three have to succeed for the team to succeed. The Yankees need more innngs than the three can provide this year if they stay healthy and do as well as expected - which at the moment is a high bar for rookies.

Santana - barring injury guaranteed the Yankees innings and likely a won loss, era, game in control season (pick any stat you want) that none of the youngsters is likley to match.

Santana, a proven number one, would have taken pressure of the two who remained and off Wang (nearly useles on carpet or against patient, powerful teams like the Sawx, Tigers, and Indians you cite), Pettit (PED hangover - delicate elbow), and Mussina (Toast - done - age). Wang has a chnace but he needs a nasty out pitch to get Ks.

Santana would have closed the gap with the Indians,Tigers, ans Sox and would be more likely to make the crucial game difference one series at a time all the way to Sept and beyond.

Santana would give the current offense a chnace before it goes belly up with age -- by the time the kids can control a game (if ever) in the way Snatana can now the offense wil be a shell -- and these very kids wil get traded to fix the offense

SteinCash - may panic by the all star break and trade who knows for what -- but it won't be the qulaity of Sanatana

Restaint -- SteinCah failed to put the best nine on the filed that was available --

We can cheer like heck for the kids but we won't be cheering in October - except for te Giants for another 10 years. Boston, Cleveland, Detroit is that far ahead.

Money is not an issue beyond 2008 - the Yankees wil shed payroll the next 5 years - if the Mets could afford Santana - the Yanks could more easily

As with the egregious whiff on Beltran - the Yanks will waste as much money on a lesser choice -- Zito set the bar last year - Santana was not much less affordable - it won't get cheaper to be World Series competitive

Who thinks the young Steinbrenners wil avoid doing drmatically stupid things trying to get ONe More for George before he cashes out? My mother used to say a "stitch in time..." -- Santana was the stitch

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