New ace Santana passes his first test in Florida

The Mets' first official workout for pitchers and catchers yesterday belonged to Johan Santana, who opened with a morning news conference, threw a bullpen session for the team's braintrust and then signed autographs for a few minutes on his way to the clubhouse.

As expected, all eyes were on the $137.5-million man, including those of owner Fred Wilpon, who watched him fire away to catcher Brian Schneider. When asked how he felt being viewed as the missing piece to a Mets championship, Santana shrugged. "They were looking for improvement," the two-time Cy Young winner said, "and they got some improvement." Continue