From WaxPax

With the Mets philosphy of looking from within the organiaztion to field a contender here’s what our 2010 opening day line-up will look like:

CF John from the advance ticket sales office
SS The Ball Boy
1B Joe the loading dock foreman
RF Charles the big Dude who works security
LF The tall guy from the grounds crew
3B Mike the visiting Clubhouse attendant
2B Mr. Met
C The Beer Man
P Tom the back-up score board operator

And the response from metsman77

Joe the loading dock man has a herniated disk and was forced into retirement. The tall guy from the grounds crew pulled hammy the other night well walking up his stairs in his NY city apartment. He then proceeded to fall down the stairs and tore every ligament in his right knee. Reports from the hospital say that he will be in a cast for 2 months.

When asked for confirmation Omar said,

“the tall guy did have a accident at home and is spending the night at the hospital. At this point he is day to day.”

Reporter: But isn’t he in a cast for 2 months?

Omar: Well yes, that’s just a technicality, our trainers declared he is day to day.”

Thanks guys, for making me laugh and putting the season into perspective.

Perez has never shown that he is worth $12 million per year.  He’s been awful this year, as he has been the last three years, yet the Mets think he deserves another shot.  This is after they said that the 2-3-4-5 starting pitchers needed to prove themselves worthy of keeping their starting positions this past week.  The only reason that can be used for keeping him one more start is that Perez has pitched well against the Phillies in his career.

The most boggling thing about this is that the Mets are surprised by Perez’ performance so far this year.  Perez is doing what he’s been doing his whole career.  He is a mediocre pitcher, at best, a disaster, at worst.

Oliver Perez gave up 4+ earned runs in 12 of his last 34 starts in 2008.  Perez is far too inconsistent to have been rewarded with a multi-year contract.  He lacks the basic fundamentals to put together more than one quality start in a row.

The erratic outings of Perez will only hurt the Mets’ bullpen down the stretch.  They will be worn out from trying to save and cover his mistakes all season long.

The Mets made the mistake of keeping Perez, John Maine, and Mike Pelfrey and they are going to pay for it over the course of the season.  Hopefully, the latter two can get their acts together, but Perez is on such thin ice that he just needs to go somewhere, anywhere else except for the pitching mound.

What it comes down to is that, as a pitcher, you are paid to give your team a good chance at winning the game.  The Mets’ 2-3-4-5 pitchers haven’t been doing that.  Perez is singled out partly because of his enormous salary to talent ratio and partly because of his inability to be consistent.

Really?  I love my Mets.  I really do, but, seriously, the Yankees go this one right, again.

I was a bit leery when rumors surfaced that the Mets offered 5 years, $78.5 million with an option for a sixth year. Five years is a long time for a pitcher and a lot of money to be on the hook for if something should happen to him, especially when the Mets felt that Zito was not a #1 starter. They’re not the only ones. Most sports writers think this signing makes the Giants look ridiculous and that it could be one of the worst signings ever.

The Mets are also getting flak over not signing Freddy Garcia and allowing him to go to a division rival (Philadelphia Phillies). While Garcia is good, and it would have been great to have him on the team, the Phillies acquired him via a trade that cost them their top prospects. The Mets had to consider whether trading their top prospects (Milledge, Pelfry, and Humber) were worth it. Obviously, Omar Minaya didn’t think so and passed on the trade. While I have never been a fan of Milledge, packaging the other two would not have been an option I would choose.

Jason Jennings and Brandon McCarthy were also acquired via trades that cost top prospects. While all three are good pitchers, they are not superstars and not big, impact pitchers that the Mets need. Sometimes, the best move is not to make a move and Omar Minaya is known for not making trades for the sake of making trades.

There should have been a large indication that Zito didn’t want to leave the West Coast because he was forcing teams to come and see him instead of visiting cities he would be playing in. Yes, Zito has been durable, reliable, and a solid pitcher over the course of his career. But he certainly wasn’t worth the money he is now getting. The Giants will regret this signing in a few years.

The mistake I see that Minaya has made is to pass up on Jeff Suppan. However, the Mets were so concerned at that point with Zito that they let Suppan slip through their fingers and sign elsewhere.

I’m happy the Mets didn’t sign Zito. He would have been getting paid more than Carlos Beltran. He is not worth that. Beltran is a man you build a team around, which the Mets have clearly shown over the last two years. Zito is a piece of a playoff puzzle. I don’t think Zito is up to the task of being the key player on a team. Zito clearly went for the money over championships. Good for him. But good for the Mets for not overpaying.

The Mets still need a couple of solid pitchers. There are back of the rotation guys such as Danny Haren, Jon Garland or Javier Vázquez. Bartolo Colon could be an option. Brad Penny is an impact pitcher but he has had injuries so there would be a huge risk if a move such as this were to happen. Obviously, if Dontrelle Willis became available, the Mets would pursue him. He’d be a great fit but the Marlins have always been reluctant to even entertain the idea of letting Willis go.

I don’t see Heilman in the rotation. He’s going to stay in the pen and Minaya is probably going to let a few of the young guys have a shot at getting a starting position. Whatever happens, Minaya is going to surprise us. He did last year. I think I’ll wait until Spring Training before I panic over the rotation. A lot can happen in the next two months.

David Wright celebrates with a bottle of champagne and a cigar on the field at Shea Stadium with a sign from a fan.
I can’t wait for the playoffs to start now!

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens).