As you know, both Ike Davis and Daniel Murphy — the two men expected to man the right side of the infield for the Mets in 2012 — are coming off serious leg injuries. It’s easy to just assume that a season-ending stint on the DL coupled with a long winter layoff will result in 100% health, but that’s not always the case. Some injuries — particularly serious ones — can linger for a year or more.

The players, their agents, and the Mets officials can talk all they want about their injuries being completely healed, but we won’t know for sure until they get on the field in Port St. Lucie. I have no doubt that both Daniel and Ike will be able to suit up, field grounders, and take BP — but, I don’t know whether their injuries will affect their running, hitting mechanics, or mobility / range in the infield. That last factor in particular could be the most important — if both players have limited range as a result of last season’s injuries, how many balls will get through the right side of the infield?

What do you think? Is this a valid concern? Are you more concerned about another aspect of their game being affected? Post your concerns — or lack of — in the comments.

The Blogs have the answer:

• Faith and Fear in Flushing is thinking playoffs after seeing the Giants win the Super B…er…Big Game.  In particular, Greg outlines just how many New York teams have made the playoffs since the Mets last postseason visit.  (The Islanders?  Really?)
• Amazin’ Avenue looks at minor league free agents that left the Mets this offseason.  Hu was that guy?
• Eddie Kranepool Society sums up the restlessness of Mets fans nicely.  The season better start soon, or else we might riot.  Then again, once we see the on-field product, we may be more likely to riot.
• Metstradamus isn’t happy about how the Mets pulled writer Howard Megdal’s credentials, after he wrote a critical book about the Wilpons and their finances.
• Paul’s Random Stuff brings our attention to a bottle of Dom Perignon signed by Bill Buckner.
• MMO reports that the Mets farm system is ranked #22 in MLB.  Optimistic yet?

Well, at least we can look forward to the offseason drama dying down, and the on-field drama ramping up.  Right?  Oh yeah, and more great reads on Mets Today.

For those who just came out of hibernation, last year’s starting shortstop — Jose Reyes — left the team for the warm winds of Miami. It is presumed that youngster Ruben Tejada will step right in and be the Mets’ 2012 shortstop. But is it that cut and dried? Is there a possibility that the Mets break camp with someone else standing next to David Wright on the diamond?

It would seem to be a foregone conclusion that Tejada is the 2012 shortstop, and of the future, for the Mets. We are assuming that he will look at least as good as he did last year, when he filled in ably at short when Reyes was on the DL. At the same time, he was a little erratic at short compared to how confident and natural he looked at second base; that said, do we know for sure which side of 2B Tejada belongs? Might we see him playing both positions in 2012?

Further, what if Tejada looks completely overmatched at shortstop during spring training? Would the Mets start the season with Ronny Cedeno at short, and send Tejada down to AAA for more seasoning at the position? Or would they keep him up with the big club, working him in and out of the lineup until he earns a starting job? I wonder if the former makes more sense; at age 22, Tejada is still very young, and may benefit more by regular reps rather than sporadic starts.

What do you think? If Tejada can’t corral the starting shortstop job, should he be on the 25-man roster or should he be in Buffalo on Opening Day? Post your thoughts in the comments.

Howie's new partner.

The Mets are preparing to sign Josh Lewin to join Howie Rose in the WFAN broadcast booth in 2012.

Lewin was the TV play-by-play voice of the Texas Rangers, until he was let go following the 2010 season.  Rumor has it Nolan Ryan wanted a more serious voice in the play-by-play chair next to analyst (and former Rangers GM) Tom Grieve.

I lived in the Dallas area for a while and caught many a Rangers TV broadcast, and I can verify that Lewin certainly did enjoy bringing some humor to his broadcasts.

Think of Josh as Matt Vasgersian Lite.

Many of his quips are obviously thought about before hand, and can sound artificial – kind of like the banter between anchors of a local newscast.  Most New York sports fans will have trouble warming to this style, especially in contrast to the brutally honest Howie Rose, who is a fan favorite.  He can also be a homer, the kind that not only pumps up his team, but disparages the opposition.

His play-by-play chops are not in question.  When he broadcasts national ballgames for Fox, he tones down the humor, cranks up the objectivity, and calls a solid game – never boring, but rarely over-the-top.  If the Mets and WFAN ask him to stick to this style, he’ll appeal to even the most jaded of Mets fans.  But if he throws in one too many of his patented groaners, the patience of the listeners will wear thin.

Lewin replaces Wayne Hagin, whose vanilla style (which also included some awkward attempts at humor) didn’t appeal to Mets fans.

In addition to baseball, Lewin is also the radio voice of the San Diego Chargers during the NFL season (he’s going to rack up some serious frequent flyer miles in September).  After he lost his play-by-play gig with the Rangers, he became the co-host of a Dallas sports talk radio show.

We already know that Mike Nickeas is the backup catcher to starter Josh Thole. But what happens if either Nickeas or Thole go down with an injury? Who is next in line?

Sure, there are more pressing matters to deal with during spring training, but it’s still a fair question, and one that needs to be answered in the six weeks between mid-February and Opening Day. And I’m not even sure who the Mets have as candidates.

There are two “non-roster” invitees to spring training who are catchers: Lucas May and Rob Johnson. Neither is particularly auspicious. I think the Mets still have Dusty Ryan, who toiled in Buffalo and Binghamton last year. German-born Kai Gronauer is presumably an option. Further down the line are youngsters Francisco Pena and Juan Centeno, two 22-year-olds who are nowhere near ready for prime time.

If you ask me, I don’t have an answer; I have no idea what might separate May from Johnson from Ryan from Gronauer — they’re all unknown quantities to me. But, I imagine someone will show something during spring training to surge ahead as the Mets #3 catcher, ready and waiting in Buffalo.

What do you know about these backstops? Can you clue me in on who might have the inside track, and why?

By all accounts, it appears that the Mets will begin spring training with the plan of Daniel Murphy at second base. We’ve discussEd Murphy and 2B here many times before, and even if you are of the belief that he can play the position adequately, there is still the risk of him hurting himself yet again.

If you’re like me and not convinced that second base is the best place for Murphy, then an audition could open up for Justin Turner, Ronny Cedeno, Jordany Valdespin, Reese Havens, and Josh Satin. Yes, Satin can play second base — perhaps, better than Murphy, though that’s not saying much, is it?

From that group, I like Turner — just as I did this time last year. Ask me in five months and my answer might be Havens, but right now, I think Havens needs more seasoning. As for Valdespin, he appears to have the most raw talent of anyone, but there are still questions about his attitude.

As for Murphy, it’s his job to lose. And that is the question: will Murphy prove to be either so inadequate or so dangerous to himself at second base that he won’t be there on Opening Day? My guess is no — mainly because spring training rarely offers enough of a sample size that can be trusted, and there’s a good chance that Murphy makes it through six weeks without breaking something, while the people in charge see what they want to see.

What say you? Do you think there’s any chance of Murphy NOT proving himself to be the starting second baseman in spring training? If by chance he’s not the Opening Day starter, who do you see usurping him? Answer in the comments.

From 2005 to 2011, Jose Reyes was the Mets’ leadoff batter – when he wasn’t on the disabled list. But when healthy, there was never a question of who should be at the top of the lineup.

When Reyes was injured, there still wasn’t too much of a question as to the #1 hitter – Angel Pagan more or less established himself as the Mets’ “backup” leadoff guy.

Over this past offseason, however, both Reyes and Pagan left, leaving the Mets with a big, gaping hole at what is arguably the most important position in the lineup. Disagree on its importance? Well here’s how I see it: the leadoff batter gets more at-bats than anyone else, ergo he should be your team’s best offensive player in terms of getting on base and scoring. You do want your best player getting the most opportunities to do damage, right?

That said, it might make sense for the Mets to have an “unconventional” leadoff hitter — i.e., someone who is not normally thought of as a leadoff guy. Hmm … actually, the Mets will HAVE TO put someone like that up there, since I don’t see anyone on the current 40-man roster who screams “leadoff hitter”.

If we go with the thought that a high-OBP, run-scoring machine should be at the top of the lineup, then we’ll start with the batters who have the potential to put up the highest OBPs:

David Wright
Ike Davis
Lucas Duda
Daniel Murphy
Ruben Tejada
Josh Thole
Jason Bay

We can quibble over the order, but basically, I am guessing that these seven men have the best chance of getting on base at least 35% of the time in 2012 — and I think that a .350 OBP is the minimum required for a leadoff hitter (again, we can quibble on that opinion). Wright is at the top of the list because even in a bad year, he’s going to get on base around 35% of the time. In a typical D-Wright year, it’s going to be closer to 40%. You may be wondering why Bay is on the list at all, after his two horrid seasons as a Met. Because like Wright, Bay has historically thrown up OBPs in the .350 – .400 range; last year was only the second time in his career he was below .340. Sure, he may continue to trend down, but he’s also been .350 or above enough in the past to make me believe there is still potential in that department.

Because getting on base is only half the story — one needs to move himself around the bases to score — let’s rank these seven players by their baserunning skills, with the fastest and smartest at the top:

1. David Wright
2. Jason Bay
3. Josh Thole
4. Ruben Tejada
5. Daniel Murphy
6. Lucas Duda
7. Ike Davis

None of the above players will challenge for a basestealing crown — but that’s OK, a leadoff batter doesn’t necessarily have to steal bases in order to be productive on the basepaths. The problem, however, is that after Bay there is a decent dropoff in terms of foot speed, and after Tejada there is a significant slide in all-around baserunning. Murphy is a hustler but has below-average that likely will be worse after yet another serious leg injury — and, he’s not exactly described as a “smart” runner. Duda and Davis are clodhopping station-to-station guys — which is OK, since they’re both sluggers more suited to the middle of the lineup.

Looking at the overall picture, Wright, Bay, Thole, and Tejada are the best leadoff candidates. However, I’m not sure you want Wright so high up in the order, particularly if you believe he’ll get back to hitting 20-30 HR. This is where it gets tricky, because in Bay, Thole, and Tejada you have huge question marks. Personally, I don’t believe that Thole and Tejada are going to get on base as often as they did last year; I could be wrong, but I believe they both will slip down to around .330 OBP. Even if Thole or Tejada can get on base at a 35% clip, neither is particularly fast; they’re average on the bases at best. As crazy as it sounds, Bay might be a better option — IF he can get back to being a .370 OBP guy. However, that’s a huge “if”, and most believe he’ll keep slipping into oblivion. There’s the other argument that if Bay can be an offensive force again, it makes sense to have him in a run-producing role lower in the lineup.

No matter which way you slice it, there is a big question mark at the top of the lineup. What say you? Who do you think will come out of spring training as the Mets leadoff batter, and why? Explain in the comments.

Last year’s regular centerfielder Angel Pagan was dealt to San Francisco for a package of players that included another centerfielder in Andres Torres. However, I don’t see Torres as an everyday player – rather, as a fourth (some say fifth) outfielder who could see time in a platoon situation. Of course, what I see is not necessarily what the Mets brass and Terry Collins see – maybe they are confident Torres can be “the guy” patrolling the middle of the Mets outfield.

But if Torres is not the full-time answer in center, then what is? Is it a platoon between Torres and, say, Scott Hairston? Like Pagan, Torres is a switch-hitter who tends to hit better from the left side. If not Hairston, would prospect Kirk Nieuwenhuis have a chance to make the club if he has a hot spring? Alternatively, will we see Jason Bay get reps in center during ST games, with the idea that he’ll be used there in the regular season? It’s not completely crazy, since Bay played the position frequently while in Pittsburgh. And of course, there is still time for the Mets to add a free-agent centerfielder – names such as Rick Ankiel and Kosuke Fukudome are still on the market (has Gary Matthews, Jr., officially retired yet?).

What do you think? Is center field up for audition in the spring? Or is it Andres Torres’ job to lose? Who do you see challenging for the position? How do you think it will shake out? Answer in the comments.

Back in 2009, Parnell was an exciting, young flamethrower seemingly destined to be the closer-in-waiting, taking over ninth innings for the Mets after Francisco Rodriguez finished collecting his pot of gold. But the best laid plans of mice, men, and young flamethrowers often fall astray.

We’ve seen flashes of brilliance from Parnell, but those were intertwined with maddening inconsistency. He can reach triple digits with his fastball, but it’s as straight as an arrow and often left high in the zone. Similarly, his slider has at times looked devastating, but Parnell has yet to master it; for every time he drops it over the outside corner for a swinging strike, five times he’ll bury it in the dirt or leave it flat and floating over the heart of the plate with a “hit me” label. Last year he toyed with a change-up/forkball with mixed results. So what will be his focus this spring training? Will he scrap the slider, and continue developing the change? Or will he work on both? If he does work on two secondary pitches, is six weeks enough time to get handle on either, or is he better off concentrating on one?

Beyond developing secondary stuff, there are questions about his make-up, and whether he can handle the pressure of late-inning situations. Is that something that can be improved? If so, how? More mentoring from a veteran?

For those not counting, Parnell enters his fourth MLB season, and is now age 27, turning 28 in early September. At this point in his career, the word “potential” may or may not apply any more. Sure, there is the theory that hard-throwing pitchers take a little longer to mature, but is there any hard evidence supporting it? Aren’t we still waiting for Jorge Julio, Joselo Diaz, and Marcos Carvajal to find the plate? Did Matt Lindstrom ever really turn into what he was supposed to?

What’s your thought? What can Bobby Parnell do this spring to make you believe he’s ready to step forward as a Major League pitcher? Post in the comments.

With 18 days until pitchers and Molinas report to spring training, let’s focus on question #18 facing the Mets: what batting stance will Jason Bay employ, and will it be conducive to improved performance?

If you remember, Bay’s entrance music should have been the song made famous by Wilson Pickett (or Ted Nugent, depending on your age), as Bay became “The Man of 1,000 Stances”. There was the “worm beater” stance he displayed in early March, followed by the “Jam On It” method used a week later, and then the “hidden dragon, crouching tiger” version sported by St. Paddy’s Day … to describe but a few.

The variations continued during the regular season, as Bay seemed to enter his own personal laboratory every time he came to the plate, experimenting with bat angles, foot placement, and strides like a mad scientist (visions of Gene Wilder as Young Frankenstein come to mind). It’s hard enough to hit the most hellacious stuff on the planet offered by MLB pitchers; it becomes next to impossible when the mind is thinking about hand and foot positioning.

Perhaps related to his inconsistent setup and approach, Bay perpetually looked uncomfortable and lacked confidence through much of 2011 — and his numbers reflected it. So the big question for Bay in 2012 is, will he find a comfortable and effective stance this spring, will he stick with it, and will it help him return to being the feared middle-of-the-order slugger that earned him a $66M payday a few years ago? A positive answer will go a long way toward whether the Mets will be able to dump him in July score enough runs to stay out of the NL East basement.

Wait, what? What’s the worry with Jon Niese, you say? If you remember, Niese suffered an intercostal strain in late August and was placed on the 15-day disabled list — yet never returned.

Granted, September was meaningless and Niese had already begun showing signs of fatigue before suffering the strain in his side; there wasn’t any point in bringing him back even if he was 100% healthy.

But still, the fact that he didn’t return in 2011 puts a tiny shred of doubt as spring training opens — a shred that can be easily eliminated after one simple bullpen session. I don’t know enough about the specifics of Niese’s strain, but I know too much about the failure rate of Mets players coming back from injury — setbacks seem to be expected. Hopefully, Niese took enough time off to allow the strain to heal, and went through a proper rehab to prevent the injury from ever happening again. Further, we hope that the injury is completely out of Niese’s mind; if it’s lingering in his thoughts, it could affect his mechanics. Finally, we must hope that he doesn’t injure himself again. Reportedly, it occurred as a result of swinging the bat, not pitching, but still the question must be asked: why? Was he swinging too hard? Were his swing mechanics out of whack so badly that it caused the strain? Whatever it was, has it been corrected?

I’m betting that there is a 99.8% chance that Niese is completely healed and will never have to worry about another intercostal strain — that it was a freak injury and had nothing to do with anything he could have avoided. But there is still that 0.2% sliver of doubt that will be there until he successfully finishes that first bullpen session.

Your thoughts? Do you have any concern whatsoever about Niese’s side? If Niese were unable to start the season, how would the Mets replace him? Answer in the comments.

You know how sometimes you’ll be dating someone and you REALLY like them and you just keep thinking, “dear God, please don’t let him be [DEALBREAKER],” because you know you’ll have to break it off if they’re [a Scientologist/a vegan/a Mets fan/a chewing tobacco enthusiast/an ardent manscaper/an OJ Simspon apologist/a Real Housewives megafan (that one's me -- in the sense that I am one, not in the sense that I can't deal with that)/whatever your particular dealbreaker is] and even though you know you can’t live with someone who is home making scrapbooks of the collected works of Lisa Vanderpump (NOT ME although I totally look for her every time I pass her restaurant — I love her, you guys!), breaking up with them is just going to suck? Because when you find out that they are big fans of crystal meth or whatever, what dies is the awesome person you imagined they were.

Hat tip to my wife (hmm … should I be concerned she may be leaving me? Maybe it’s time to root for [any team other than the Mets] …).

Based on the risky assumption that Santana’s reconstructed shoulder will finally be healthy enough for MLB competition, this is what the projected 5-man rotation looks like for the Mets:

1. Johan Santana
2. R.A. Dickey
3. Jonathon Niese
4. Mike Pelfrey
5. Dillon Gee

You can change the order as you see fit; bottom line is that the above are the five men the Mets hope will take the mound in a five-game period. There are question marks for all five, but let’s focus on Santana. What if his arm isn’t ready? What does the rotation look like then? Something like this:

1. R.A. Dickey
2. Jonathon Niese
3. Mike Pelfrey
4. Dillon Gee
5. Chris Schwinden

Alternatively, you might write in Josh Stinson or Jeremy Hefner into that #5 slot. We saw Stinson very briefly in a few relief appearances last September, and Hefner was released by two different clubs during this past winter before the Mets signed him. Hefner is interesting in that he’s “new” and he showed success at the lower levels of the minors, but his performance in the hitter-happy PCL in 2011 was so-so; just based on the numbers it appears he’s ahead of Stinson and maybe Schwinden as well — though that’s not saying much. Hopefully, though, that means he’s better than the ageless Miguel Batista — who is also around “just in case”.

Here’s a crazy thought: what if Santana isn’t ready, and one of the other projected starters goes down with an injury? It may sound pessimistic but think about it – Pelfrey has been dealing with a chronic shoulder injury for at least two years, Gee’s shoulder has been weak for longer than that, and you never know what kind of freak accident might occur during those PFP drills. I shudder to think what the rotation might look like if two of the projected five don’t survive spring training.

So there it is, question 20 — is Johan Santana ready for MLB competition and what does the rotation look like if he’s not?

Discuss …

Take it away, Blogs:

• Rising Apple relays the news that Taylor Buchholz will sit out the 2012 season, while he continues his battle with severe depression.  We at Mets Today wish him the best of luck.
• Mack’s Mets has an analysis of the new Mets’ infielder, Omar Quintanilla.
• Tedquarters says the Mets may be unironically pursuing OF Rick Ankiel.  Well, it wouldn’t be the first time Ankiel helps the Mets.
• Amazin’ Avenue goes into more detail about Ankiel’s meltdown against the Mets, plus all the beautiful video.
• Adam Rubin reports that the Orioles have signed former Mets great, Ronny Paulino.
• Mets Police shows off some pictures of the items on Citi Field’s new Delta Marketplace menu.

The Super Bowl can only mean one thing: baseball season is just around the corner.  And Mets Today has you covered like Corey Webster.

Not so fast. One of the keys to the Wilpons’ losing control of the team will be a further decline in attendance. Declining attendance is usually connected to a poor on-field performance. A poor on-field performance means one of two things: either a rash of devastating injuries or the reality that the new “core” of Duda, Davis, Tejada, etc. isn’t very good. If the latter is indeed the case, then the team is in for a long stay in the basement.

The last time ownership changed here was after the 1979 season when a perfect storm of poor play, financial woes and front office blunders dragged the franchise to hell. Already down and out for three seasons, the Mets struggled for nearly four more years after the Wilpon-Doubleday group took over, going through three managers in the process. It wasn’t until the end of the 1983 season and the arrival of Ron Darling, Darryl Strawberry and Keith Hernandez that things began to look up.

It’s a conundrum. I think everyone wants the Wilpons gone, but to hasten their demise, the team has to be awful. If they are awful however it means a total rebuilding (just two players from the 1980 team, Mookie Wilson and Wally Backman lasted to 1986) and several more years of 5th place finishes. If they play better and hover around .500, the Wilpons may just decide to try and hold on, which means more teetering on the edge of financial ruin, etc. etc.

One wonders if the Wilpons couldn’t benefit by hiring a spokesman to handle all of their media contacts. I can’t help but think that at 74, Fred may no longer be up to the task of dealing with the press. His New Yorker interview last spring angered and alienated both fans and players. His recent words after the owners meetings reassured us that his family is “holding up well” (well, that’s a relief) and that he hopes the fans will “give the Mets a try” (as if the team is a brand of snack food).Hard to gauge, but I’d be willing to bet that every time Fred opens his mouth, he costs the Mets 10,000 tickets sold. Where is Jay Horowitz while all this is going on? Perhaps it’s time for a younger, hipper, more believable mouthpiece and one with no current ties to the Wilpons to intervene.

Matt Harvey, Jeurys Familia and Zach Wheeler are the Mets next great hope. Just ask Baseball America, hey they’re never wrong—right, Fernando? My hope is that Sandy Alderson is quietly shopping them around, just to see what they could get in return. Let’s face it; probably none of these guys is the next Stephen Strasburg. About the only thing more dangerous than trading away young pitchers is depending on them to develop into franchise-saving stars—right, Pulse?

So Scott Boras found his “stupid owner” in Detroit, eh? On paper that Tiger batting order looks terrific but in the field…well let’s just say that they are going to have to score a lot of runs! Remember the Howard Johnson in center or Daniel Murphy in left experiments? How did they work out? It probably also means that we can cross off Detroit from the list of possible destinations for David Wright this summer.

David Einhorn got a hefty fine from the U.K’s finance regulator for insider trading. First Bernie Madoff and now Einhorn. The Wilpons can sure pick’em.

I may not get to Citi Field at all this season, but I do plan on several trips to Coca-Cola Park, home of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. The Buffalo Bisons are coming in for three separate stands, so I hope to get a glimpse of some future Mets, right here in Allentown. Coca-Cola Park is a beautiful place to take in a game, not a bad seat in the house, with a friendly staff and reasonably priced tickets and food. Think about this for a moment: a minor league community with a reputation as an industrial wasteland (thanks again, Billy Joel) one that hadn’t hosted a professional baseball game in nearly 40 years, was able to build a great stadium literally from a patch of weeds. The Iron Pigs, despite a poor record, have set minor league attendance records each year since their inaugural season in 2009. Meanwhile, there is another stadium that also opened in 2009 about 100 miles to the northeast that is unloved by the fans, has poor sight lines, charges exorbitant rates for food and celebrates someone else’s heritage. What went wrong?

And finally, if you expect that the Mets will “go big” in this June’s draft and spend lots of money on premiere talent, I have a bridge in New York I’d like to sell you. I do have this rich old guy with a Brooklyn fetish interested but if you make me a strong offer…

I’m not surprised that Obie didn’t return to the Mets in some capacity, but I am surprised he didn’t catch on with another MLB organization — he seems to be highly respected by most in the game. But who knows, maybe he wanted to stay in the tri-state area and couldn’t figure out another way to do so.

This news suggests another question: if you live in the NY/NJ area, will you be more inclined to go to a Newark Bears game than a Mets game this year? If so, why? Answer in the comments.

Today’s question is: how will Ike Davis perform after his ankle injury, and what happens if he has yet another setback — who will play first base?

Remember, there was talk of Davis needing microfracture surgery last summer, but by September it was decided that his ankle could heal without it. I’m not going to suggest it was the wrong decision, but I am also not going to take for granted that Davis will be 100% healthy when he reports to Port St. Lucie in a few weeks. Your memory, Adam Rubin, and Matthew Callan of Amazin’ Avenue know better than to trust anything from the Mets that is medically related.

Personally, my fingers are crossed that Davis comes back without any issues whatsoever, and I’m hoping for the best. But, one has to believe that there will be some kind of downgrade in performance — at the very least, more limited mobility in the field and/or decrease in Ike’s already slow running speed. If that’s the worst of his problems, it won’t be a big deal, since a slugging first baseman doesn’t need to run fast and doesn’t need to have Ozzie Smith -like range in the field. However, the feet do play a role in hitting, so we’ll have to keep an eye on Ike’s swing mechanics.

Now, what about the worst-case scenario — that Ike has a setback and needs to miss some or all of the 2012 season? Who then becomes the Mets first baseman? Does Daniel Murphy get pulled out of the second base experiment for the third straight year? If so, who takes over at 2B — Justin Turner, Ronny Cedeno, or someone else? What if Ike’s setback is only temporary — does it make sense to move Murphy there, only to move him back to 2B, and in turn miss crucial development time? Or does it make more sense to move Lucas Duda to 1B — which then creates a hole in right field?

There it is, question #21 … discuss …

Hat tip to MetsToday visitor “Harry”, who pointed out to me a recent blog post by Adam Rubin on ESPN-NY, detailing the Mets’ plan to cut more than $50M in salary from last year. From the post:

After general manager Sandy Alderson revealed the organization lost $70 million last year, the Mets appear poised to have the biggest one-year payroll drop in MLB history — roughly $52 million. That would surpass the former record: $48.4 million by the Texas Rangers from 2003 to 2004, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

The Marlins from 2005 to 2006 had the biggest reduction by percentage, trimming nearly 75 percent of their payroll, but the total was $45.4 million.

The Mets’ payroll, which stood at roughly $143 million last season, is expected to swoon to less than $91 million this Opening Day.

So there you go — at least we can look forward to the Mets doing something newsworthy this year.

Franco as Team Captain

Today, the Mets announced that John Franco will be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame this season.

The long-time Mets closer compiled 424 saves in his career, good for fourth all-time.  276 of those came as a New York Met.  Unlike the man for whom he was traded, Randy Myers, Franco didn’t fit the power-pitcher mold.  He instead relied on a changeup that moved away from a right-handed hitter, much like a screwball.  Most batters found it too tempting to lay off, especially when they were behind in the count.  Because of this pitch, and his lack of a notable slider or curve, he was often more effective against righties than lefties.

During his career in Queens (which lasted from 1990 to 2004), Franco was generally a solid closer, despite his disturbing penchant for loading the bases before recording the third out of the ninth inning.

In 1999, Franco abdicated the closer’s role to Armando Benitez after a trip to the DL.  From then on, Franco transformed himself into reliable setup man.

The defining Mets moment for the St. John’s graduate came during the 2000 NLDS versus the San Francisco Giants.

In Game 2 in San Francisco, The Mets went into the bottom of the ninth with a 4-1 lead.  However, Benitez allowed 3 runs to blow the save and send the game into extra innings.  The Mets answered, scoring a run in the top of the tenth to take a 5-4 lead.

After allowing a leadoff single, manager Bobby Valentine brought Franco in to relieve Benitez.  Two outs later, Barry Bonds stepped to the plate with a chance to win the game with a long ball.  Franco and Bonds battled, and the count reached 3-and-2.  On the payoff pitch, Franco grazed the inside corner with a changeup to strike Bonds out, and end the game.  Bonds couldn’t believe it, and the momentum of the series had swung the Mets way.

Now, 12 years later, Franco will attain Mets immortality on June 3.  He wasn’t always perfect, but he was better than you remember.  He was a team leader and a true Met.

As reported in various outlets, the Mets had been keeping a close eye on Francis, perhaps fearing he might pickpocket an employee. In any case, I’m a little sad they weren’t able to bring him into the fold — anyone with the guts to wear a Vancouver Canucks hat around Denver has to have some moxie and would add interest to the team.

OK in all seriousness … with Francis off the table, there aren’t many starting pitchers left on the market who the Mets can consider for depth. They do have to sign at least one more arm, don’t they? Here’s who I believe is still available, likely fits into the Mets’ financial plan, and might be willing to sign a minor-league deal with the club, in no particular order whatsoever:

Kyle Davies
Zach Duke
Ross Ohlendorf
Clay Hensley
Scott Kazmir
Sergio Mitre
Micah Owings

I’m sure I’ve missed someone, just as I’m sure one or more of the above have already been signed and I wasn’t sent the press release. Either way it’s not an inspiring group.

No, Jon Garland, Roy Oswalt, nor Edwin Jackson are on the list, as I just don’t see the Mets affording any of them. Livan Hernandez is not there, either, since he seems to be considering retirement; also, he might still be ticked about being released by the Wilpons in 2009 just prior to his performance bonus kicking in. If you want to consider Rich Harden, Chris Young, Brandon Webb, Ben Sheets, Mark Prior, Wayne Garland, Steve Busby, David Clyde, or some other guy who was a great pitcher for a brief period and then blew his arm out go right ahead — but, to me it doesn’t make much sense to go down that road again, when what the Mets need right now is someone with the potential to remain healthy in the event one of their projected five starters breaks down. I just don’t see the point in signing a disaster as your disaster plan. In fact, Kazmir and Mitre are teetering on the edge in terms of potential reliability.

Tim Wakefield is still a free agent, and it would be really cool to have two knuckleballers on the staff, but I’m just not seeing it become reality. Word on the street is Wake will retire if Boston doesn’t re-sign him.

Owings is intriguing, both as an arm and as a fourth outfielder. But is he still available after going 8-0 with a 3.57 ERA last year? I haven’t heard anything about him this winter.

I keep looking at these seven names and thinking I must be missing someone, because it seemed to be only a few days ago that there were two dozen healthy starting pitchers looking for work. Help me out — who am I missing? Who would you consider? Do you think the Mets still need to sign a starter for depth or am I all wrong on this? Answer in the comments.