To paraphrase Samoa Joe

The champs are here!

The Mets clinched the NLeast last night with a 4-0 shutout win over Florida. And I have to hand it to pitcher Steve Trachsel. There were a lot of Met fans, me included, that said we didn't want this guy anywhere near the postseason roster. And he came through against a very good young lineup last nght with 6.1 innings, no runs, 3 hits, 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts. That's Jose Reyes (who apparently stole Duaner Sanchez' goggles) and David Wright up top.

Now the big question is how will they handle that postseason rotation. I guess it all depends on the opponent, but I think I'd want Pedro, Glavine, and El Duque. Now here's the thing. Trachsel will likely get the start in Game 4 of the division series. If we are up 2-1 and playing the Dodgers, I want John Maine pitching. I'll tell you why. Maine has done a very good job this year, his one problem is he gives up too many home runs. And the Dodgers have hit the fewest homers of any team in the National League.

As for the roster, which is 25 players, I figure these spots are given. I'm assuming they will go with 14 posiiton players and 11 pitchers.

LoDuca
Delgado
Valentin
Reyes
Wright
Franco
Woodward
Floyd
Beltran
Green
Chavez
Backup catcher (Castro, if he can recover from his knee surgery)

That's 12. They will likely add either Tucker and Milledge. Anderson Hernandez just doesn't hit enough nor does Ricky Ledee. At least Hernandez has speed and can play good infield defense. They could add another ctacher, but I don't see that happening either. Lastings makes the most sense because of his use as an outfielder (despite his struggles at the major league level, he is still better than Shawn Green defensively right now), his speed, and he is the best extra bat they can carry. With the Mets' struggles against lefties, they need right handed bats.

Pedro
Glavine
Duque
Trachsel
Wagner
Feliciano
Heilman
Mota
Bradford

That's 9 who are locks or close to locks. I believe Darren Oliver will make it since he's been such a good swing man out of the pen. And the Mets will want at least one lefty in the bullpen besides Pedro Feliciano. Then there's John Maine, Roberto Hernandez, Oliver Perez, Heath Bell, Royce Ring for one spot. I would prefer Maine, but something tells me they're going with Hernandez. Perez is still a little too inconsistent, though I like him in the long term and Bell has really disappointed while Ring hasn't had enough time to work in the majors.