SANTANA: On the hook for three more years.

While it is true the players surrendered didn’t amount to much on the major league level and Santana did have several productive years, one cannot separate the trade from the contract because they are linked. The trade was made because Santana waived his no-trade clause and agreed to a six-year extension.

Translated: There would have been no trade without the contract.

I wrote at the time the Mets overpaid for Santana both in terms of players – not that it matters now – and in money. That has proven to be correct.

The market for Santana was Boston and the Yankees, and the Mets only became involved only after both those backed off because of the Twins’ demands. When the deal was made Omar Minaya admitted Santana came back to them.

In essence, the Mets were bidding against themselves, something Minaya also did in the contracts for Francisco Rodriguez, Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo and several others.

The contract of $137.5 million over six years was excessive for Santana because of the accumulated innings on his arm and he had a previous arm injury. Six years is a gamble for any pitcher at any time because of the fragility of the arm, shoulder and elbow. Too many things can go wrong and the team ends up paying from damaged goods.

I believe, as I did then, the Mets misjudged the market and overpaid for Santana. While he did win for the Mets, he was injured at the end of every season and required surgery. The Mets already paid for one season and received nothing, and it is possible they could be on the hook for three more years.

Any trade is a gamble, but this one the Mets lost. That is, unless Santana makes a full recovery and pitches – and wins – for a pain-free three more years.

Anybody want to take that bet?

What I found most interesting is that every team’s No. 3 starter would qualify as the Mets’ No. 1.

Edwin Jackson is reportedly on his way to Washington, where he’s the projected third starter behind Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez. The Braves’ No. 3 is Tommy Hanson. Miami’s third starter is Ricky Nolasco and Philadelphia’s is Cole Hamels.

The Mets’ projected rotation is Santana, R.A. Dickey, Jon Niese, Mike Pelfrey and Dillon Gee.

It’s all about pitching and this is a grim reminder of the Mets’ status.

BANNER DAY: Back again,

Banner Day will return May 27 to give you an opportunity to express your affection to your favorite players and memories, and yes, also a chance to editorialize on the direction of the team. Undoubtedly, there will be some censorship involved.

With the way things have been going, how can there not be?

However, I like the premise. Beginning at the Polo Grounds in 1963, and from 1964-96 at Shea Stadium, Banner Day was a Mets’ staple. So too, was Old Timers’ Day,

Maybe, the thinking is to do something for a day to spike the attendance, but it is a great day. It was an event cherished by the fans and the players got a kick out of it, also. The idea is for this year, but let’s hope it takes off.

Last night at the 32nd Annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner in New York, Daniel Murphy told reporters that expectations for the Mets this season are to make the playoffs.

“Expectations for us this year are like any other. We expect to go to the playoffs.”

His thoughts on Terry Collins seeing him batting in the leadoff spot:

“I am gonna hit wherever he tells me, I am gonna hit wherever he sees best fit. If I am hitting No. 1 that means I am in the lineup. That’s a good sign for me.”

Murphy reserved his best comment on him raking in 2012 and busting out with Ike Davis:

“I sent Ike Davis a text. I told him I was putting in a request with TC to hit somewhere near him to get some good pitches. That guy is a killer and I want to be near him,” Murphy said. “He kind of laughed and texted back: ‘Let’s go dominate.’ I think we’re ready and excited for the season.”

This guy is sumthin’ else and I’m glad he’s on our side… I’m with 28 too…

The ultimate success is defined by winning the World Series, followed by reaching the playoffs, winning your division, then finishing over .500. Realistically, a lot of things have to break right for the Mets to have a winning season.

But, with all that seemingly out of their reach, what would define a successful season?

I’m narrowing it down to a handful of things:

1) Some resolution, either way, to the Mets’ financial struggles. There’s such a negative feeling permeating this franchise because of the unknown ramifications of the Ponzi scandal. Even a court decision will go through the appeals process, so it won’t happen this summer. But, a little movement one way or another could tell us what direction the franchise is heading. Even if the news is bad, that’s better than not knowing and speculating.

2) A healthy and productive David Wright is important because he’s the face of the franchise and has been a shell of his All-Star self. If the Mets are to rebuild, they’ll need plenty of young pieces and Wright is the only player capable of bringing in that kind of talent.

3) A strain on the Mets are the contracts of Johan Santana and Jason Bay. If they can be healthy and perform even remotely to their potential, perhaps Sandy Alderson can find a taker. He did so with Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez and their impossible contracts. Maybe he can do it again. Yes, I know we’re talking a long shot here.

4) The Mets have some young talent that offers hope of better days. Jon Niese, Ike Davis, Lucas Duda, Josh Thole and Daniel Murphy aren’t without ability. You can throw Bobby Parnell in with that group, too. Maybe these guys can show us a glimpse of something promising in the future.

5) The Mets desperately need a fast start against the brutal schedule in April and early May to avoid a double-digit deficit before the weather gets warm. If the Mets can play alert, aggressive baseball out of the gate they might draw some people to Citi Field and perhaps curb some of the flood of red ink.

If all of these things happen it won’t guarantee a winning season, much less the playoffs. But, should they happen it might ease the negativity swarming around this franchise and that would be a start.

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, ranked which teams had the best offseason and had the Angels ranked first followed by the Yankees, Rangers, Cardinals and Tigers rounding out the top five. The Mets were ranked 27th.

27. METS – They lost their most exciting player (Reyes) and their best hitter (Beltran), so established players like David Wright and Jason Bay have to bounce back. They dealt Pagan to the Giants for outfielder Andres Torres, and added bullpen pieces in Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch, and Ramon Ramirez. Johan Santana returns from a major shoulder injury, but what are you getting?

Cafardo had the Padres, Athletics and Astros as the only teams ranked worse than the Mets.

The Mets are banking on healthy returns from key players such as Johan Santana and Ike Davis, and comeback seasons from Mike Pelfrey, Jason Bay and David Wright who are each coming off the worst seasons of their careers.

As far as new additions go, they have replaced Frankie Rodriguez and Jason Isringhausen with Frank Francisco and Ramon Ramirez, and Andres Torres will replace Angel Pagan in centerfield and most likely Jose Reyes in the leadoff spot. Jon Rauch was also added to the bullpen, while Ronny Cedeno, Omar Quintanilla and a few other minor league signings will help fill bench roles.

Reliever Taylor Buchholz, who has dealt with anxiety and depression issues throughout his career, plans to skip the 2012 season, agent David Pasti told ESPN New York.

Buchholz signed with Mets last offseason and went on the DL on June 2 with what was announced as shoulder fatigue. But a month later both Buchholz and the Mets jointly announced that he was dealing with the emotional issues. He would miss the rest of the 2011 season.

The Mets granted him free agency even though he was still under team control after the season. Pasti said that if he does decide to play baseball again, it would be with the Mets because of how they handled the situation. “The Mets really cared about him”, the agent said.

Long-time Mets coach Ken Oberkfell, who was let go after spending 2011 as the team’s bench coach, has signed with the Newark Bears. Oberkfell will join the team’s coaching staff, the Can-Am team announced today.

Oberkfell spent a decade with the Mets organization, working his way up through several minor-league levels as a manager until he was named Terry Collins’ bench coach last season.

Andy Martino of the Daily News spoke to two team insiders who told him that the club is looking for a veteran lefthanded bat for the bench, and have Rick Ankiel, Kosuke Fukudome, Raul Ibanez and Johnny Damon in thier sights.

But Martino also adds that Ibanez and Damon are less likely options because they might not be able to get the playing time they are looking for with the Mets.

MLB Network’s Peter Gammons said via twitter that Ankiel would be a good match with the Mets.

SANTANA: Contract weighs down Mets.

In the past three years the Mets entered spring training without realistic hope save wishing they could muster a competitive season to keep their dwindling fan base interested and enthused.

This year included.

It is not healthy when the fans’ biggest hopes are for the owners to sell and not trade their marquee player. The core three of David Wright, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran is down to Wright, and nobody would be surprised if he got off to a fast start and the Mets dealt him in July. Believe me, the vultures are calling.

In scanning the Mets’ roster, if you look ahead to next year, there is a handful of players I can realistically see coming back for spring training 2013. The list begins with Jason Bay and Johan Santana, both because they have contracts that make them nearly impossible to trade. In Santana’s case, add the injury element.

Not included is Wright because the odds favor a trade. He’s the Met who can bring the most young talent in return, despite being a young talent himself.

Young and cheap is the Mets’ refrain to give us a list of Jon Niese, Dillon Gee, Josh Thole, Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada and Lucas Duda. Perhaps Andres Torres if he has a good year.

Niese and Dillon Gee are the only young starters in the current rotation with hope of being productive. Mike Pelfrey? Please. His is a make-or-break season. If he doesn’t progress to show signs of 2010, there’s no reason to bring him back. He is closer to becoming another Oliver Perez than being the answer.

The bullpen is a mix-and-match set of castoffs, hardly a group a progressive team builds around. I was optimistic about Bobby Parnell, but he’s like Pelfrey with a foot already out the door.

This is the time of year for optimism and enthusiasm for the summer ahead. Every team is the same heading into February. But, that’s just fantasy theory. The Mets aren’t on equal footing with Washington, let alone Atlanta or Philadelphia.

In reality, the Mets cut payroll to where they can’t add enough talent to compete in their division. In reality, Pelfrey and Wright are the only holdovers from the 2006 team that came within a strike of the World Series.

That’s stark reality.

I previously wrote the Mets are paring costs in preparation for sale. This is their only hope to remain cost efficient because ticket sales are down, and with little hope of being competitive, the forecast is for an increasingly empty Citi Field.

When the Wilpon’s financial problems surfaced and Sandy Alderson was brought in as caretaker, we knew this would be a long process, and with it years from resolution we’re not even in the homestretch.

ANKIEL: Help at a reasonable price.

Vlad Guerrero is strictly a DH type, J.D. Drew is heading toward retirement and Magglio Ordonez is an injury question. All three would want more than the Mets are willing to pay, regardless.

Rick Ankiel is still available.

Ankiel, who made $1.5 million last year for Washington is within the Mets’ budget. Ankiel hit 25 homers for the 2008 Cardinals, but hasn’t come close to those numbers since, although he hit nine last season.

Ankiel isn’t a player to build around, but he does offer something of value to the Mets in three capacities: 1) as a left-handed bat, 2) an exceptional defensive replacement, and 3) as a back-up center fielder to Andres Torres.

Yeah, I can hear the groans already about Ankiel, but the truth is he can contribute in several areas at a reasonable price, and for the Mets that’s about the best they can hope for these days.

Yeah, and I remember all those World Series the Yankees would win after signing Randy Johnson, Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez. At last count, the Yankees won only one Series with Rodriguez and none with the other two.

The Tigers are the latest team to be seduced by agent Scott Boras.

Detroit said it would move Cabrera to third base, which he prefers, but in truth he’s a defensive liability at third and if his mind were clear about it, he’s best suited to be a designated hitter. Fact is, so is Fielder.

All this makes me wonder what the over/under is on the number of years it will be before the Tigers regret signing Fielder for the princely sum of $214 million over the next nine years. I’m guessing four years.

His body type suggests he’s susceptible to getting out of shape or breaking down physically. I don’t know enough about Fielder’s emotional make-up to say he won’t work hard to stay in shape, but history dictates he could get complacent and possibly break down. It also dictates, and strongly, that the deeper the Tigers get into this contract the more the money will become a burden.

Look at the scorecard: Alex Rodriguez with the Rangers and Yankees; Manny Ramirez with Boston; Ryan Howard with the Phillies; Jayson Werth with Washington; Carlos Beltran with the Mets; Barry Zito with San Francisco; and Giambi with the Yankees.

There are dozens more.

Whether it be the money, lack of production, injuries, testing positive for steroids, or in Ramirez’s case, being a boor and quitting on his team, every one of those teams wished they could dump the contract.

The Tigers are going for it this year. They’d better make it because this won’t be a happy marriage.