The Bronx Stop: A Yankees Blog

VIA Marty Noble/MLB.com:

An offseason that had been all about who wasn't on the Mets' roster has executed an about-face and now is distinctive because of who almost certainly will be. Unless Johan Santana flunks a physical this weekend, he soon will become the starting pitcher the Mets desperately had needed, as well as the wealthiest pitcher in the game.

A contract that will secure the latter distinction is in place. The Mets and Santana's representatives struck a deal Friday more than an hour after the original 5 p.m. ET deadline imposed by the league office Tuesday, when the Mets and Twins agreed to an exchange of players that, when completed, will recast projections for the 2008 National League East race and restore the Mets' image as a genuine contender.

Neither the value not the length of the contract is known, but executives in the game had said since early Friday afternoon that they expected Santana to have a contract through 2014 worth $139 million. That figure would reflect annual salaries averaging about $22 million and a signing bonus of about $7 million that would increase the 2008 earnings of the two-time American League Cy Young Award winner to about $20.25 million. The average annual value of the deal would be about $19,587,000.

The contractual agreement leaves the physical examination as the final hurdle before the Mets can link the Super Bowl and Super Tuesday with the addition of a superlative athlete who they hope will lead them in the World Series.

Santana was expected to have his physical this weekend or early next week at the latest.

The contract exceeds the value of the seven-year contract Barry Zito signed with the Giants 13 months ago and the $119 million the Mets agreed to pay Carlos Beltran from 2005-11.