Johan Santana - done for the year?

The Mets are 16.5 games out of first in the N.L. East and 14 games behind in the N.L. wildcard race.

Mets ace Johan Santana, who's being scratched from his Tuesday start, has elbow soreness.

Just as two plus two adds up to four, those two factors add up to making it time to shut down Santana for the year as Tim Smith of the NY Daily News argues.

"I'm terribly concerned, no question about it," [Mets manager] Jerry Manuel said Monday. "He's been pitching probably since the break (with soreness), but not to the level of discomfort he has now."

In Santana's place, the Mets will start Nelson Figueroa Tuesday.

"I know that he's a gamer and he wants to be out there with his teammates and fight through all the adversity that this team has had to go through," said [Mets reliever] Billy Wagner (who just returned from Tommy John surgery). "But I think if he tries to push it, and possibly injures himself worse, he's talking about his career. He's not talking about just one season."

On the season, Santana is 13-9 with an ERA of 3.13 and 146 strikeouts.

Sox claim Billy Wagner off waivers

The Red Sox have claimed Billy Wagner off waivers. Now the Sox have until 1 p.m. on Tuesday to work out a deal with the Mets, per John Tomase of the Boston Herald.

If the Mets and Red Sox don't work out a trade, the Mets could do a salary dump and let the Red Sox have Wagner. If that happens, the Red Sox would owe Wagner $2.6 million for this year and have an $8 million option for next year with a $1 million buyout.

If the Mets pull Wagner off waivers, they won't be able to trade him this year.

As Tomase points out, Wagner would likely be a Type A free agent, which means the Mets would be compensated with two first-round draft picks. That makes it unlikely that the Mets let the Red Sox have him without getting something in return.

According to Peter Botte of the NY Daily News, Wagner said Friday about the possibility of pitching for Boston: "That's news to me, buddy. You know what, I haven't heard anything, so I can't speculate anything."

And he's available to pitch tonight (game's currently in 8th inning) according to manager Jerry Manuel: “As far as I know, I haven’t gotten anything to say to not pitch him and today is his scheduled day for work, so if that opportunity presents itself, unless I get something different, I will definitely put him in the game.”

Wagner, who had Tommy John surgery last September, pitched a perfect, two-strikeout eighth inning against the Braves on Thursday. And he hit 96 mph on the radar gun.

The Hot Corner, 8/19

The Cardinals have signed John Smoltz, who was released by the Red Sox.

Of starting pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched, the Brewers' starters have three of the top 15 pitchers in highest slugging percentage allowed as pointed out by Brew Crew Ball.

Babes Loves Baseball has compiled a list (in honor of Brett Favre, who unretired yesterday) of ten baseball players who should never un-retire.

Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee threw a two-hitter against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Reds have called up Drew Stubbs, the former number one pick in 2006.

The Mets have placed Billy Wagner on waivers, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.

The Indians have recalled Matt LaPorta and he will mostly play first base.

Jered Weaver pitched a seven-hit shutout as the Angels beat the Indians 3-0.

Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti doesn't expect Matt Cain, whose fastball to David Wright's head landing Wright on the DL, to pitch with fear on Thursday.

Nats sign Strasburg to four-year deal

The Washington Nationals have signed Stephen Strasburg, the top overall pick in this year's amateur draft, to a four-year deal worth $15.1 million, according to Ben Goessling of The Washington Times.

The record-setting deal was signed with only a minute to spare before the Monday midnight deadline.

"We are proud to have him in the organization, and we're very happy to add him to a growing list of young, upsided right-handed starters," acting general manager Mike Rizzo said. "It's a big day for the Washington Nationals. It's a big day for the fans of Washington, D.C. And it's a big day for the city of Washington."

The previous record deal was given to Mark Prior when the Cubs signed him to a $10.5 million deal in 2001.

Rizzo wouldn't discuss a possible September call up for Strasburg saying, "We're not going to go into that right now." But if he is called up, it'll be the first time the top overall pick plays in the majors in the same year in which they were drafted since 1989.

Strasburg was nearly unhittable at San Diego State where he struck out 195 batters in 109 innings last year. He went 10-1 with an ERA of 1.32.

David Wright heading to 15-day DL, may be done for year

After getting hit in the head by a 93-mph fastball from Giants pitcher Matt Cain in yesterday's game, Mets third baseman David Wright, who spent the night in the hospital, had a CT scan, which was negative, according to Roger Rubin of the NY Daily News.

Wright, who suffered a concussion, has since been released from the hospital.

The Mets have placed Wright on the 15-day disabled list and it's possible that he could miss the remainder of the season. "It's going to depend on the tests," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "If there's any question, it's a possibility."

“David wanted to take a chance to go out and play, but we decided to take it away from him and DL him based on the recommendation of our doctors who consulted with a specialist,” [general manager Omar] Minaya said, per the Associated Press.

With Wright being placed on the DL, the Mets have called up Andy Green from Triple-A Buffalo.

On the season, Wright was hitting .324 with eight home runs and 55 runs batted in. He also had 24 stolen bases.