Positions filled: 3B, SS(Health issues), 2B(Potential trade bait), RF, CF, #1 starter(coming off surgery), #4-5 type starters(Need top end types to help Santana), Closer, top lefty set up man(One of the best in the game and vital in this division packed with Lefty threats)
Question Marks:
1- 1B- Can Daniel Murphy be an every day ML 1B with his limited power?
2- #2 starter-Will Mike Pelfrey ever become as good as Mets management thinks he will? Or is he a bottom of the rotation starter.?
3- Health of stars- Is CF Carlos Beltran done after battling knee issues? Will SS Jose Reyes return from his leg injuries?
4- Wright was Wrong- The franchise, 3B David Wright, had a tough season with so many of his teammates missing extended time. He completely lost his power and was not the same player after a August beaning. The Mets can sign Babe Ruth, if Wright is not right, this team goes nowhere.
Improve from Within: The number one thing this team can do to win more games is stay healthy. Reyes is a huge difference maker. Beltran is among the top talents in the game, their is very little Carlos cannot do. I think Murphy is a player and should be given a shot to win 1B full time. Having a Jeff Francoeur in RF for a full season can only help.
Rookies: One of the hidden tragedies from the 2009 campaign were the injuries to young talents such as SP Jonathan Niese and OF Fernando Martinez. The team did not get a long look at either and that stunk. C Josh Thole looked solid in September but it might be too much to ask this youngster to open the season as a #1 back stop.
Budget: Team has approx. 30 million dollars coming off payroll with the contracts of Delgado, JJ Putz and Wagner being the highest numbers. Look for GM Omar Minaya to spend around that dollar amount.
Off season priorities:
1- Power Hitter— Either at 1B or LF, FA market has 2 big bucks RFs available. I think the Mets target one and trade for a SP, then sign a bargain basement type to fill the rotation.
2- Starting pitcher- 2 Top 3 starters, innings eaters who induce ground balls and have a good health history.
3- Veteran C- With Thole close and Omir Santos on the team, they could use a veteran stop gap type. Decent market for these types with names ranging from Pudge Rodriquez to Bengie Molina.
4- LH hitting 1B- To ease the burden on Murphy at 1B and give the Mets insurance if he fails. A key here is the Mets top position prospect, Ike Davis, plays 1st.
5- Bullpen help- Must acquire or sign a 8th inning guy to get to K Rod and also another lefty to help Pedro Feliciano.
6- Super Utility guy- This was suppose to be Alex Cora, but he shockingly got hurt.(LOL) A Mark DeRosa type who can hit and play 4-5 spots effectively is a good thing to have in the NL.
Unanswered Question from 2009: The Citi-Field effect. The Mets hit a major league low 95 homers in the opening season of their new park. How much was the team, ball park or injuries? Beltran and Delgado missed major time and Wright hit an amazingly low 10 homers! In my opinion, the park did have an effect but I saw elite power hitters such as Arizona’s Mark Reynolds, Cardinals Albert Pujols and the Phillies tandem of Ryan Howard and Chase Utley hit tremendous shots. Is this park the new Yankee Stadium? No but great ones will hit no matter where they play. Mike Piazza played 95% of his career at two pitchers parks(Dodger Stadium and Shea Stadium), how did he do? I do believe this club should move more towards defense and speed as well as fly ball type pitchers while using Citi as a weapon, not an excuse. Having Beltran and Reyes back for the 2010 improves these areas immediately. 2 to 3 other moves with gloves and speed in mind would also be welcomed.
What I would do:
1- Sign Matt Holliday- They need an elite big bat and with the Yankees success, they need to show fans they are serious to compete for your entertainment dollar. He also fits this team very well. A good fall back option? Ex Met Mike Cameron.
2- Trade Luis Castillo, sign Orlando Hudson- See the end of my Unanswered questions from 2009 for this explanation. Castillo might have been the Mets MVP in 2009 but he is slow in the field and has some value now. Moving him would clear his bad contract and allow them to sign an upgrade in Hudson.
3- Sign two of these 4 starting pitchers-Jon Garland, Jason Marquis, Joel Pineiro and Randy Wolf. I would prefer Garland and Wolf, a righty & lefty combo who eat innings and rack up quality starts. This team needs reliable starters to back Santana and any combo of these 3 would make sense.
4- The Kids!- I would play Murphy at 1B full time, try to trade for a Jorge Cantu type(stole this from Matthew Cerrone Metsblog.com). I really liked Bobby Parnell when he was in the pen, mostly in a 7th inning role,lets keep him there! I would also avoid long term contracts for anyone who plays 1B(Ike Davis) and C(Josh Thole) where the Mets have 2 stud prospects close to contributing.
5- Sign Bengie Molina or Yorvit Torrealba- Very good bat for a catcher and a veteran receiver. Yorvit is more of an all-around player who has a bad history with the Mets(signed 3 yr deal, then Mets backed off,claiming he failed a physical).
6- Help Pedro! I would sign or trade for another LH set up man to help poor Feliciano out of the pen.
Should be a busy and fun offseason!(What a joke, I don’t have an off-season!)
Be sure to follow the moves at mets.com as well as two sites I read religiously- Matthew Cerrone’s Metsblog and Jon Heyman, a key contributor to both MLB Network and WFAN, at si.com
