In a comprehensive article for ESPN.com, the always insightful Jayson Stark lends us his thoughts on:

Most Intriguing Spring Stories, Most Improved Teams, Most Unimproved Teams, Checkbook Champs, Best Free Agent Signings, Worst Free Agent Signings, Best Trades, Best Free Agents $2 million and Under, Best Free Agents Signed to Minor League Contracts, Three Most Outrageous contracts, Most Important Injury Comebacks, Rookies to Watch, Most Unlikely Names on Spring Training Rosters, and Event that Most Summed Up the Baseball Offseason.

Among those categories, the Mets claimed these prizes:

• Santana-mania as the most intriguing spring story in the NL
• Most Improved Team in the NL
• 2nd Place in Checkbook Champs, as they dealt out $196.1 million in their offseason acquisitions.  Only the Yankees spent more, who $396.15 million to the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Latroy Hawkins.
• 1st Place for Best Trade (And no, it wasn’t acquiring Ryan Church and Brian Schneider.  It was for that Santana guy)
• 2nd Place in Most Outrageous Contracts, giving out 6 years to Johan Santana.  Coming in first was A-Rod’s record setting contract with the Yankees.

I really love Jayson Stark and I’m not sure the last time I saw a spring training preview and offseason summary this comprehensive.  If you need to save time, read this one lengthy article and you’re set. 

Only thing I might disagree with him on, is that I thought Pedro should’ve been under the most important injury comebacks category.  Even with Johan his comeback is crucial to the team.

Oh boy, I’m so excited.