Hey J-Roll…you want to make that 95 wins?

Last winter, the littlest guy on the team made the biggest prediction: the Phillies would win the division. Thanks to a historic Mets collapse in September and consistent Phillies play, it came true. Now, after being swept by the Rockies in their first playoff appearance since 1993, J-Roll is anticipating October baseball again. He’s not being shy either. “We’ll win probably 100 games . . . 100 games will get us to the playoffs,” said the reigning MVP earlier this winter. The prediction raised some eyebrows, but given his prediction’s success last year coupled with his most valuable player award, nobody really argued. But 100 wins might be a little harder to get now for one big reason: the New York Mets acquired multiple Cy-Young winner Johan Santana from the Twins today. Oh boy.

So, what are the Mets getting in this trade, in which they gave up 4 prospects (and what are Phillies fans cringing at)? Well, a quick glance at a few articles circulating numerous sites can give you a bit of an idea of what Santana brings:

At Shea Stadium, Santana has a paltry 0.70 ERA

Since 2003, Santana has brought home 2 Cy-Young awards

Since 2003, Santana has 82 wins - best in baseball

Since 2003, Santana has a 2.92 ERA - best in baseball

Since 2003, Santana has 1,152 K’s - also, the best in baseball

In 2007, Santana had one of his worst years. 15-13 /3.33 ERA /.225 opp BA / 235 K - 52 BB / 219.0 IP

Oh yeah, and a gold glove last year too.

Those aren’t typos, in a down year for Johan Santana, he had a better  ERA than every single Phillies starter (Hamels comes closest with a 3.39). He pitched more innings than any Phillie, had more strikeouts than any Phillie, and had more wins than everyone but Hamels (both had 15). Now, we all know the Phillies pitching staff isn’t exactly..uh..’good’, but still, that’s pretty darn impressive.

So, where does Santana fit in with the Mets rotation? Well assuming he’s the number 1, here’s the possible Mets 5-man rotation:

Johan Santana (15-13, 3.33)

Pedro Martinez (3-1, 2.57)

John Maine (15-10, 3.91)

Oliver Perez (15-10, 3.56)

Orlando Hernandez (9-5, 3.72)

So  you have 2 future Hall of Famers in Santana and Pedro, a young ace in Maine, and 2 potentially very good pitchers in Perez and Hernandez. If you add all of the 5 ERA’s together, you get Adam Eaton’s ERA (just kidding…sort of).

Everyone in baseball knows what Santana brings to the game. He gives you at least 7 innings almost every start. He strikes you out, doesn’t walk anybody, and fields his position with great ease. So, after being the first team in MLB history to lose a 7 game lead with 17 games left to play (the infamous collapse last year), this news might ease the pain just a bit.

“If it’s true, obviously, you’re getting arguably the best pitcher in the game,” said all-star 3B David Wright. “For our younger pitchers to develop under a guy like Pedro, a guy like Johan, you can’t ask for any better situation” (ESPN)

This trade has not been finalized…yet. It’s almost set in stone and according to various reports should become official pending a positive physical of Santana and an extension agreement to his contract. That could happen very soon this week. So, the Mets pitching staff basically “traded” Glavine’s spot for one of, if not the best pitcher, in the entire league. What’s that mean for the Mets? Good starting pitching obviously. He brings a tremendous 1-2, even 1-2-3 punch with Pedro and Maine. His one weakness which was exposed last year more than ever was the home run ball, so we’ll have to see how that plays out (hopefully Burrell can continue his Met Killing with some long balls up at Shea). But even with the home runs given up, the Mets bolster their staff with a premier player; you don’t get that option every day. However, their bullpen is still suspect, and if you remember, was a huge reason that 7 game lead slipped away from them last year.

So, Phils fans, buckle up and get ready for another completely unpredictable season of Phillies baseball. The Phils and Mets rivalry gets started pretty early: try April 8, 9, and 10 up in New York. Oh and April 8th?: the Mets home opener. These teams play each other 19 times in 2008 as division opponents always do. Last year stirred the pot; this teams don’t like each other at all. If Santana, or when Santana gets dealt to New York, it should make for some pretty exciting games.