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Mets' Santana Feels 'Great'; Ace Close To Throwing Off Mound

NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) -- Injured Mets ace Johan Santana is close to throwing off a mound. That's music to any Mets fan's ears.

"I'm looking forward to that," Santana told the New York Post on Monday. "I feel great. Obviously, I am not in the position where I can compete right now, but I'm right where I should be."

He added: "As the medical staff has said, I'm way ahead of everything. I'm very pleased and happy with how everything is right now."

The two-time Cy Young winner had surgery on his left shoulder in mid-September and isn't expected to return to the rotation until mid-summer.

"I want to be there and help my team," said Santana. "But the reality is I can't and I'm not going to do something stupid that jeopardizes everything that we are trying to accomplish here. I can't think ahead two or three months or whatever. I'm focusing on today."

Santana was 11-9 with a 2.98 ERA in 29 starts last year. This is the third straight offseason that Santana has spent recovering from some surgery.

How much of a difference will Santana make to the Mets? Sound off below...

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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