I was fascinated to read on SI.com about Santana’s hard won contract battle. Apparently, earlier in the day he had made his views clear through his agent that he wanted $140 million. The Mets were holding to $135 million.

Santana then flew from Florida to New York to make his stance firm. He arrived, with five minutes left in negotiations, and told them that he wanted $140 million and if they couldn’t offer that, he’d have to pass.

Mets COO, Jeff Wilpon, replied:

“I’ve been in business a long time. That’s a lot of money to walk away from.”

Santana’s response was confident:

“No disrespect to you. But I deserve it. I’ll just go back and pitch and I’ll get it later.

Santana then made reference to Alex Rodriguez, the highest paid player in the game. He then asserted that he’s the best pitcher and he’s not asking for that much.

In the end, Mr. Santana got his wish. The Mets asked for a two hour extension on the negotiation to reach an agreement. Two hours later, while splitting the difference, they agreed to $137.5 million.

Hopefully, for Mets fans, he’ll be just as competitive on the field as he was at the negotiation table. For Mets tickets, feel free to buy online.

The Mets have what Ben Shpigel of the New York Times calls, “the best pitcher in baseball.” The agreement process sounds a bit grueling. It took 72 hours and 90 minutes. The final cost: $137.5 million over 6 years. That is some big cash. But they feel it is worth the price for the former left handed pitcher from the Minnesota Twins.

The Mets first had to aquire the rights to negotiate with him. They made a deal with the Twins, giving them four prospects. The Twins gave them 72 hours to make the deal with Santana. When it appeared that they needed a little more time, they petitioned the Twins for another 2 hours, which they were given.

The haggling that went on to secure this deal was obviously two sided. The Mets wanted to give Santana a five-year deal, but he was demanding six. In the end, he got his way, and he got his extremely generous contract.

The Mets had a strong team this last year that ended prematurely. The hope is that this will put an extra positive spin on a potentially great 2008 season.

Mets tickets should sell well without him. But with a genuine star pitcher, his presence will hopefully pay for itself.