They tell you to chase your dreams, and Johan Santana isn’t letting go of his hope to pitch in the majors again.
According to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, Santana, who is currently a free agent, hopes to return to the mound sometime during 2016 and is seeking the right fit.
johan is gunning for mid-year comeback. has milestones in mind. has comfort/familiarity in mind. so twins? mets?
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) April 13, 2016
Not sure which milestones Santana has in mind. He’s twelve strikeouts away from 2,000 in his career, which is manageable, but he’s 61 wins away from 200, and it would be a surprise if his twice-repaired shoulder has enough in it to allow him to pick up even half that many. Still, the lefty is only 37 – he seems like he should be much older than that by now – and he’s doing this the love of the game, not the money.
johan still being paid by mets. deferred $ means he makes nearly $6M a year for 4 more years
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) April 13, 2016
He wouldn’t stand a chance of muscling his way into the loaded Mets’ rotation, and even the Twins would have to be pretty desperate to turn to him in the same role, but perhaps he has enough left in him to be a decent lefty reliever for a little while. His last moment of glory was his no-hitter in 2012 – which some have blamed for destroying his shoulder – and the last we heard, he was barely touching 80 on the radar gun. Hey, if this guy can pitch at that velocity, why not Johan?
