Johan May Not Be Ready for Opener

It's not panic time in Queens just yet, but this most recent news on ace Johan Santana cannot be pleasant for Mets fans. The lefty, who hasn't thrown in game action yet in Spring Training, is currently experiencing tightness in his throwing elbow, and we all know that is never a good thing when it comes to pitchers. Any problems with the elbow tend to be harbingers of bad news. Currently, Santana is probably going to miss at least two more weeks. Scariest, though, is the possibility that he won't be ready to go on Opening Day.

"Everything starts April 6, but if it's going to be me or somebody else, it's tough to say right now," Santana said about Opening Day. "Right now, on paper, I'm supposed to be the one. But we've got to wait - what? - five more weeks to know that."

Obviously, this isn't catastrophic news. He's implying he'll be able to make a turn in the rotation, but maybe not the first game of the season. So he starts, say, game four instead of game one. That's not a big deal.

The problem, to me, is that he's acknowledging he may not be ready to go five weeks from now. Most competitors would say something like, oh, I'll definitely be fine for Opening Day, I'm not worried at all. The fact that a man like Santana is reluctant to say something like this tells me he's worried. If he's worried on Feb. 28, that's not really fun news for the Mets.