Look for Jorge Sosa to be penciled in as the 2^nd go around SP4 until Pedro’s MRI results come in and/or El Duque gets the okay.

                Johan Santana lhp -  6 years/$137.5M (2008-13), plus 2014 club option

08:$19M, 09:$20M, 10:$21M, 11:$22.5M, 12:$24M, 13:$25.5M, 14:$25M club option ($5.5M buyout)

full no-trade clause - $5M deferred annually at 1.25% compound interest (payable June 30 seven years after season in which salary was earned), reducing present-day value of package to $123.1M

award bonuses: $0.5M-$1.5M for Cy Young (varies based on number won), $0.25M each for MVP or World Series MVP, $0.1M each for All Star selection, LCS MVP, post-season MVP, post-season All Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger

2014 club option becomes player option if Santana:

wins Cy Young award from 2008-13 and finishes second or third in the Cy Young vote in one other season

ranks second or third in Cy Young vote in any 3 seasons, 2008-13

is on the active roster for the final 30 days of 2013 season, and:

pitches 215 innings in 2013, or pitches 420 innings in 2012-13, or pitches 630 innings in 2011-13

the party holding the 2014 option must exercise it by Nov. 15, 2013

if 2014 option is Santana's and he declines it, he receives no buyout

perks: hotel suite on road trips, 15-person suite for 2008 home games

Santana to donate $0.25M annually to Mets charity

            
At the head of the class is outfielder Fernando Martinez.  The top prospect in the Mets’ organization according to Baseball America, the 19-year-old Martinez returns to Binghamton after batting .271 during an injury-shortened 2007.  Joining him will be #2 prospect Eddie Kunz, the Mets’ first pick in the 2007 draft.  A righthanded reliever, Kunz helped lead Oregon State University to the last two College World Series championships.

Lefthanded pitcher Jonathon Niese arrives in Binghamton as the Mets’ fourth-best prospect after winning 11 games in each of the last two seasons.  He’ll be joined in the starting rotation by righthander Bobby Parnell (#6) who struck out 74 batters in 88 2/3 innings with Binghamton in ’07 after being called up from High-A St. Lucie in June.  Third baseman Daniel Murphy (#11) rounds out the crop of top prospects.  The lefthanded-hitting slugger finished second in the Florida State League in hits and fourth in RBIs with St. Lucie last season.

                2008 Roster:

Gnats:

                Gnats Roster:

                                IF  Jose Jimenez,  Greg Veloz,  Mathew Bouchard,  Jacob Eigsti,  Richard Lucas, 

                                OF:  Raul Reyes,  Darren Clark,  Dan Stegall,  Richard Pena

                                C:  Francesco Pena,  Tony Maccani,  Jordan Abruzzo       

                                SP:  Scott Moviel,  Nathan Vineyard,  John Stinson,  Julio Polanco,  Angel Calero,  Nick Waechter,  Jacobo Neguillis             

                                RP:  Edgar Ramirez,  Elvin Ramirez,  John Holdzkon,  Jose Bierd,  Emary Frederick,  Maikel Cleto,  Michael Antonini             

K-Port:    

As of 4/1, the following players were not assigned to the top 4 minor league teams and are in the “extended” training complex in St. Lucie, awaiting assignment to either Brooklyn Kingsport, or the GCL Mets:

                IF:  Stefan Welsh, Luis Aguayo, Dan Hernandez, Michael Parker, Ignacio Medrano, Tyler Vaughn, Wilmer Flores, Ernesto Gonzales, Valentin Ramos, Brandon Rickey (may be cut), Juan Legares (on IR), Nicholas Giarraputo, Joaquin Rodriquez,  Zack Lutz (IR)

                Juan Lagares  SS   R   R   6-1   175   3-17-89   Dominican Republic

Juan Mercado, the scout that found Jose Reyes, said in (2006) a Dominican newspaper that 16 year old SS Juan Lagares is better than Jose Reyes at the same age.  Lagares was signed by the Mets in 2006 and assigned to the DSL team, where he played 57 games and hit .255/.339/.412. He was 3rd in the league in triples.

In March 2007, Lagares got his first taste of prospect-hype when this was written about him on the MiLB web site:  “Remember the name Juan Lagares, a 17-year-old shortstop the Mets signed out of the Dominican Republic. It has yet to be determined where he will start the season, but he had a strong Instructional League in the fall and, according to Minaya, "does things ahead of what Jose Reyes was doing [at that age]." Lagares hit .255 in 57 Dominican Summer League games last year and collected eight triples and 12 stolen bases. "He's very talented," vice president of player development Tony Bernazard said. "He's going to be special."

Lagares got off to a rough start in 2007 for Savannah, especially defensively, and was optioned back to extended spring training in early May. He returned on 5/12/07 and immediately was slotted back in the starting lineup, but eventually wound up on the IR list through the end of the season (.210/.262/.317 in 281 at bats). Legares was born in Constanza, Puerto Rico. In September 2007, Baseball America ranked Lagares as 16th in the SAL in ‘speed score’.

From a local newspaper on draft day:

                Oklahoma right-handed pitcher Brad Burns was the sixth and final Sooner taken in the 2007 MLB Draft on Friday. Burns was selected 813th overall in the 26th round by the New York Mets. The organization also drafted the junior back in 2004 in the 37th round following his high school career at Lookeba-Sickles. The Gracemont, Okla., native has 22 career starts under his belt at Oklahoma, including seven in 2007. Overall, Burns made 16 appearances this season and finshed with a 1-1 record and a 5.75 ERA. He earned his first career victory in 2007 on April 11 against Dallas Baptist after tossing a five-hit shutout with eight strikeouts across 5 2/3 innings.

From another local newspaper:

                North Haven’s Jason Lavorgna, a junior RHP at Eastern Connecticut State, was halfway through pregame batting practice in Newport, R.I., when he got the call that the Mets had selected him in the 35th round.  "It pretty much lifted me off my feet," said Lavorgna, whose Danbury Westerners team of the New England Collegiate Baseball League played a game last night. A lifelong Yankees fan, Lavorgna said he became the biggest Mets fan in the world around 4 p.m. Friday. The UMass transfer was 4-1 with a 1.14 ERA in 25 games in helping ECSU to the Division III World Series this spring. He plans to forgo his final season at ECSU to sign with the Mets today.

Less than a week after an excited Jason LaVorgna told the Norwich Bulletin he was, "Ready to get shipped," the Eastern Connecticut State University pitcher signed a contract with the New York Mets. LaVorgna was selected 1,078th overall in the 35th round of the Major League Baseball Draft last Friday. "I'm happy for him," ECSU coach Bill Holowaty said. "He wanted to sign and he wanted to have a chance to play professional baseball and you don't get that opportunity in his situation often." LaVorgna, who started making the transition from outfielder to pitcher last season with the Warriors, doesn't have a lot of miles on his arm and Holowaty thinks that has worked to his advantage. "He's a sleeper," Holowaty said. "He wanted it and he worked very hard for it ... He's a darn good risk."

The Mets drafted LaVorgna in the 35th round of the 2007 draft. He was signed and sent to Kingsport for the 2007 season. He managed to pitch in 14 relief appearances and posted stats of 0-4, 8.72,2.03 20 Ks 21.1 IP.

Joel Lovera   2B   R   R   6-0   180   12-9-86   Santiago, D.R.

Lovera began his professional career in 2006 with the DSL Mets, batting .170/.237/.193 in 88 at bats. He probably ended his professional career in 2007 for the DSL Mets, batting .182/.213/.295 in 88 at bats.

                1984   -  For the first time in ten years, the Mets lose on Opening Day bowing to the Reds, 8-1.

                2003  -   Todd Zeile homers in first at-bat as a Yankee becoming the only major leaguer to hit a home run for ten different teams. In addition to homering with the Yanks, the infielder has also gone deep for the Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies, Orioles, Dodgers, Marlins, Rangers, Mets, and Rockies.

And lastly:

                Former New England Patriots offensive lineman Kenyatta Jones, who is now an Arena Football player, was arrested early Monday morning and charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, obstruction and trespassing, the St. Petersburg Times reports.

Tampa police spokeswoman Janelle McGregor answers: "Jones was standing on the dance floor at the Blue Martini nightclub when he attempted to urinate on the dance floor."