This offseason has been one of doubt, turmoil, and pessimism for all of us who love the New York Mets. The Wilpons may owe 1 billion dollars due to the Bernie Madoff fraud, leaving the team with almost no money to make any moves. The biggest players the Mets acquired were probably Chris Young, Willie Harris, and Scott Hairston. And with the team's level of play continuing to deteriorate over the last three years, the fans have spoken by choosing to stay away from CitiField. As of today, the Mets have sold just 600,000 tickets.
However, they have an experienced new GM in Sandy Alderson who hired the fiery Terry Collins as the team's new manager. Collins has not managed since 2002, but I think his aggressive temperament will be a welcome change from Art Howe, Willie Randolph, and Jerry Manuel, all of whom displayed passive personalities.
Starting pitching
The biggest blow is Johan Santana rehabbing from a torn capsule in his shoulder. He is not expected to return to the Mets until July and in all fairness, this is such a unique injury that I would not be surprised to see him not take the mound once this year if the Mets happen to fall out of the race early on.
So Mike Pelfrey has been appointed the No. 1 starter, by default. He showed signs of brilliance last season, but went through a few stretches where he looked completely disheveled. He's really more of a No. 3.
Jon Niese is a talented young lefty who could emerge as the team's top pitcher. He did tire in the second half of last season, so I think he will be physically and mentally prepared to start 30 games this year.
R.A. Dickey, what can you say that hasn't already been said? The knuckleballer emerged from obscurity to become a star at 36 years of age. He won't take the league by surprise this year, but with his unique harder knuckler, I think he can improve on his 11 wins from last season.
As for Chris Young, the former All-Star in San Diego, I am very intrigued. He has dealt with a rash of injuries over the last three years, allowing the Mets to sign him for cheap. He pitched to a 1.50 ERA in spring training, so that's very encouraging. I have to wonder how long he will hold up.
And Chris Capuano didn't pitch in 2008 or 2009, but at least he was very solid before that. I don't know what to really expect, but he, like Young, has posted respectable March numbers. Then again, that is merely March.
With Dillon Gee, Pat Misch, and Jenrry Mejia waiting in the minors, this staff is not great, but it is deep. The problem is Florida, Atlanta, and especially Philadelphia all feature at least one legitimate
ace starting pitcher.
Bullpen
Closer Frankie Rodriguez hasn't allowed a run all spring. One catch: he a clause where he will make $17.5 million if he finishes 55 games. Anyone with a brain knows the Mets will do anything to keep him from making that money.
Bobby Parnell will get the first shot at pitching the eighth inning. He has an overpowering fastball, but has never really been able to command a secondary pitch, the slider. If he can do that, the Mets will feature a potent 1-2 punch.
Tim Byrdak replaces Pedro Feliciano as the lefty specialist. He beat out four other guys, let's see how he does against the Ryan Howards, the Jason Heywards, and the Brian McCanns.
Taylor Buchholz could probably challenge Parnell for the setup role if he is fully healthy and commanding that terrific curveball. He has pitched effectively this spring.
Blaine Boyer is an ex-Brave who came to camp with a minor-league deal and won a spot. At 29, he can still throw hard, I can see him grabbing a prominent role.
Pedro Beato, a Brooklyn native, was acquired in the Rule 5 draft from Baltimore. I imagine he'll start out pitching in the 6th and 7th innings in low-pressure spots and that will determine whether he gets more meaningful work or disappears completely.
D.J. Carrasco appears to have the long relief role, but his ERA is over 5 this spring. Not too excited over him, let's see what he does.
I think Jason Isringhausen will definitely see some time if one of the latter three falter. Taylor Tankersley and Mike O'Connor are two lefties who will pitch in Triple-A along with Japanese righty Ryota Igarashi, who I hope to never see anywhere near a Mets uniform ever again. This bullpen could emerge as a great strength for the Mets, it's just that so many of these guys are unknowns.
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