Mets Rumors: Santana, Financial Overview, Second Catcher, Reality

Here's the latest on the Mets, with reports from Adam Rubin of ESPN that suggest the team could be facing a future without Johan Santana sooner than they thought, an in-depth look at finances and a look at finding a second catcher over at Amazin' Avenue, and a harsh nugget of truth from Buster Olney:

• Winter meetings buzz about Santana - Mets Blog - ESPN New York
  "So, Mets fans, hold your breath during spring training. A Santana-less rotation, rather than just a diminished Santana, could be downright scary. Right now it would be R.A. Dickey, Jon Niese, Mike Pelfrey, Dillon Gee and a mystery. The candidates could include right-hander Jeremy Hefner and left-hander Garrett Olson, both of whom were recently acquired."
• An In-Depth Look at the Mets' Finances - Amazin' Avenue
  "Right now, the Mets are running serious losses annually -- even including their profit share from SNY. There's no easy way for them to get enough cash to run the team, unless the Wilpons keep putting money in (if they can), and the current plan has a $240 million price tag attached to it, due 2017. They could sell a lot of their SNY stake, but that'd be a very painful sale -- and perhaps one fatal to the Wilpons' efforts to maintain their ownership of the team."

• Finding a Second Catcher for the Mets - Amazin' Avenue
  "With the non-tender of Ronny Paulino, there's a bit of a question regarding who the Mets will use as their second catcher next season. It's not unheard of for a player to re-sign with a team after a non-tender, but given the relatively low salary Paulino would have earned in arbitration, it doesn't seem like he'll be back with the Mets."
• Twitter / @Buster_ESPN: If you gave the Mets' bras ...
  "If you gave the Mets' brass truth serum, they would tell you the next real chance for them to contend would come in 2014, perhaps."

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