The NL East: New York Mets

Image via Wikipedia

Most of the off-season news concerning the Mets revolved around two things: hiring a new manager and the financial "matters" of the owners.

New GM Sandy Alderson was laid the task of replacing Jerry Manuel after a few sub-par seasons. The Mets have a fair amount of talent, but the results never matched that talent. Alderson brought in Terry Collins. Collins career MLB record (with stints in Houston and Anaheim) is 444-434. That''s not going to grab you especially when you consider he's never taken a team to the playoffs in his six seasons as a skipper.

The financial fiasco surrounding the Wilpon family has been widely covered so I won't delve into that. The last I read/heard, the trustee for Bernie Madoff's clients was attempting to recover a figure around $1 billion. Yes, a cool billion in dough. The Wilpons are in the process of possibly selling 20-25 percent of the franchise and MLB provided the Mets with about $25 million in November. Always about the almighty buck, isn't it?

Now on the the team...

Around the infield, again, there is talent. First baseman Ike Davis proved that he could not only handle big league hitting, but he possesses also can handle a glove as well. Over at the other corner is David Wright who, despite having what was labeled an off year, is steady with the glove and the bat. Jose Reyes, when healthy, is one of the best in the game as a shortstop.

But the position that has become somewhat under fire is second base. Luis Castillo has lost a bit of range and a bit of luster from the three Gold Gloves he owns. His bat has been spotty over the last three seasons. He's lost a bit of his legs on the basepaths as well. The Mets would have like to have gotten some alternative besides Daniel Murphy, too. Mets fans have been less than enamored with the play of both.

All-in-all, not a bad infield though.

The outfield has many question of which one has already been answered. Angel Pagan will play center. Pagan is coming off his best year both in the field and at the plate. Now, the questions arise from the corners in Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran.

Has Bay fully recovered from his concussion? We've seen that the Twins Justin Morneau has only recently be able to take the field. Bay is a little ahead of Morneau, but you do have to worry about his reaction if he has to approach any wall. The bat is pretty much back though. Bay is working on taking the ball to all fields which can make him doubly dangerous. Beltran?

Beltran could prove to be the wild card. He's slated to play right, a position unfamiliar to him. That move is necessary due to Pagan's breakout season of 2010. If his bulky knee can hold up (and so far, it really hasn't this spring), all could be a little better than anticipated.

There is a bit of an issue at catcher as well. The Mets website has Josh Thole as the #1 and Ronny Paulino as the backup. Thole can hit and he's very good behind the dish. Thole also threw out 44% od would be base thefts. But he lacks pop with his bat. In 90 MLB games, he owns 3 HR. You expect a little more than that. The Mets hope he can regain that lost pop. Over his last three seasons in the minors. he hit 25, 29 and 19 HR.

The offense has the ability to score. The gloves aren't so bad either. The pitching staff. That may be a little different.

The starting staff would be in better shape if Johan Santana were ready to roll for 2011. Over the weekend, reports surfaced that Santana could miss all of the '11 season. Doom and gloom would reside over Citi Field if that were to happen. Santana and the Mets have both denied the report and Santana insists that things are going as planned. His return? Your guess is as good as mine. No Santana, no chance of winning.

Mike Pelfrey and Jonathon Niese are nice complimentary pieces to have on any staff. I fully anticipate both to provide at least 12 wins this year. R.A. Dickey had a revival last season in posting an 11-9 record with an excellent 2.84 ERA and 1.187 WHIP. That's a low WHIP for a guy that relies primarily on a knuckleball.

After that, it becomes a matter of recovery (again). Can former Padre Chris Young come back from injury. Can Chris Capuano keep up his recovery from Tommy John surgery that cost him all of 2008, 2009 and part of 2010? Both have thrown well in the spring.

With the date for a Santana return up in the air, the reliance on Young and Capuano seem to become a necessity. In essence, you have Pelfrey, Niese and a lot of questions. And don't even think Oliver Perez is a piece of the puzzle.

Same holds true for the pen. Closer Francisco Rodriguez ended 2010 on a sour note with his "issues" in dealing with the father of his girl friend. If only he could transfer that to the bump in 2011. But the question may be getting to K-Rod. If Perez can fit into his new role of lefty specialist, things will look a tad better. But relying on Manny Acosta, D.J. Carrrasco, Taylor Buchholz and Bobby Parnell may be asking too much.

Acosta, Carrasco and Buchholz all have a couple years under their belts.

I'm not too worried about the offense, a tic worried about the defense and a lot worried about the arms.

In other words, the Mets will score at a decent clip, but they could easily surrender their fair share as well. 81-81 under a new manager looks pretty good right now.

(Update: Second baseman Luis Castillo has informed the Mets that he would like his release according to Pro Rumors. This comes on the heels of a report from yesterday that the Mets did not believe Castillo would be their opening day second baseman.)