Mets decline option on Johan Santana
Left-handed pitcher Johan Santana officially became a free agent on Friday after the New York Mets declined his $25 million option for 2014. Instead, the Mets paid him a $5.5 million buyout.
Santana, 34, missed the entire 2013 season following shoulder surgery, and it's unclear whether he will be ready for the start of the 2014 season.
He ended up making $137.5 million in his six years with the Mets.
Santana last pitched in a major-league game on August 17, 2012.
Santana went 11-9 with a 2.98 ERA in 2011. He missed the entire 2011 season because of a shoulder injury, then pitched the first no-hitter in Mets history on May 1, 2012. However, he went just 6-9 with a 4.85 ERA that season.
He underwent a second major shoulder capsule surgery in April 2013.
