Mets' Santana is undecided on baseball classic after surgery

New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana said it's unclear whether he'll play in the World Baseball Classic in March after recovering from knee surgery.

"I would love to play, but I've got to show up in spring training and see how everything is with my knee," Santana, from Venezuela, told reporters on a conference call today. "As of right now, everything is on schedule, I feel good, but that is a medical decision."

The two-time Cy Young Award winner had surgery Oct. 1 to repair a torn meniscus after injuring his left knee before his final start of the Major League Baseball season. He said he's spent a lot of time riding a stationary bicycle and will meet with team trainers in a week to assess his progress.

"I've been doing everything the way I've done it in the past," he said of his offseason workout regimen. "I would say that this year, I've been doing it a little bit more, because I have to worry about my knee."

The 29-year-old left-hander hasn't thrown a baseball since the surgery and expects to begin playing catch and long toss sometime next week.

Mets pitchers, catchers and injured players may report to St. Lucie, Florida, for the start of spring training on Feb. 14. Venezuela, which was a win shy of reaching the final round in the inaugural Classic in 2006, opens this year's tournament March 7 versus Italy.

Santana, who won Cy Young Awards in 2004 and 2006 as the best pitcher in his league, went 16-7 last year in his first season with the Mets, posting a 2.53 earned run average.

New York signed Santana to a then-record six-year, $137.5 million contract in February. That has since been topped by the seven-year, $161 million deal between the New York Yankees and CC Sabathia.

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