How To Fix The Mets

Barroid,

We've also said the Mets need a gritty peripheral player ala Cliff Floyd/Eric Brynes/Orlando Hudson. CC is just a "goin' for it" move that the Mets can make thanks to all the Citi Field revenue.

Juan Rivera would be a good fit for the mets in left field. He has some power and would be a good veteran presence on the team a guy that knows how to win.

With the way the Mets Bullpen has pitched its hard to defend not spending the cash on K-Rod. IDK I mean why the hell not I guess. He's not a great closer. He's good. He's got a ring. He's arguably the second best closer in baseball. I say go get him. I'd like to see this team really go out and revamp this bullpen.

"None of these guys are expendable. You may fill a couple of holes by trading them, but the hole you create by trading them is even more massive."

I get this all the time. It is what I hear everyday. It is this classic way we think as Met fans. Other fan bases probably have the same problem with their good young players. David Wright is a really good player. He is young, marketable, and talented. But there are other good players. And the feeling I get from our fans is that if David Wright is traded, the other team wins the trade. The Mets cannot possibly come out ahead by trading Wright, and I just don't agree with that. There are other good players in this league, and there are certain players I would trade David Wright for, within reason. There aren't many, but he isn't so good he cannot be discussed in a deal. If you could somehow get Ethier and Billingsly, or Matt Cain +, or Ian Kinsler +, it just shouldn't be out of the question.

Also, i forgot to say that Wright has had consistent numbers every year since he came up, Reyes has not. I know anybody is tradeable in baseball but Wright is worth much more to the Mets than Reyes.(on the field and that the turnstiles)

And see, wrightreyes' post represents the thinking of most Met fans. Reyes comes up and pops up in a big spot, it is because he is stupid, immature, lazy, and careless. Wright comes up in an identical spot, strikes out on 3 pitches, 2 sliders 18 inches off the plate, and it is for some justifiable reason like he is just putting too much pressure on himself. He just needs Cliff Floyd here to hold his hand. Give me a break.

-I'm surprised no one thinks the Mets should sign Raul Ibanez. I think he'd be great for the 5-hole and LF. -I'd also like to see the Mets take a chance on Nomar to backup at 3rd and 1st. They could probably get decent value for the two. -Also, there's no way they can trade Castillo and his contract so I'm guessing a platoon at 2nd with Murphy, and Danny eventually getting the larger share. That is of course if Murphy can play the part.
-Keep Delgado, at first and 4.
-Give Ryan Church another chance to play everyday and leave him in RF and to 7.
-Put Beltran in the 2-spot and keep him there.
-Trade Aaron Heilman to Colarado for Seth Smith and Steven Register.
-Utility would be Endy, Murphy, Evans, Smith, and Nomar.
On to pitching...
-Resign Oliver Perez but keep an eye on Derek Lowe.
-The rest of the staff: Pelfrey, Santana, Maine, & Neise.
-I have no idea what to do about the pen other then going after some experince guys like Trever Hoffman, Arthur Rhodes, Brandon Lyon, and/or Juan Cruz.
-The rest of the pitchers: Joe Smith, Bobby Parnell, & Register.

If I was Omar, I would get rid of: Heilman, Schoenewies, Ayala, Feliciano.

I would use Evans, Castillo, and maybe a couple other guys for getting a solid LF or a RP as trade bait, if cant trade castillo just drop him.

I think Duaner should stay, it was his first year back, he wasnt used to throwing 88/89 mph so he got lit up a couple times, he was tied 5th for holds with 21, I also would hold onto smith he has some real potential.

I would love to see Omar sweep up Orlanda Hudson, great defense and good with the bat, to vill the void at 2b.
I know murphy was great this year i would let him be the starting backup/utility player.

Another pick up would be a LF, maybe Eric Byrnes(Via trade) or maybe Manny depending on how much, I dont think he would break up the core.. i think Reyes, Beltran, Wright, Manny, Delgado would be an eletric top 5 batting order, but who knows.

As for the pitching, we need alot of help, i say dont go after the big guns like burnett, sheets, sabathia, lackey if angels dont pick up his club option, i say go for an alright starter like Lowe, and for closing i say get Fuentes K-rod is to expensive, for reliever's i liked solomon torres stuff this year and for a lefty matchup Damaso Marte.

Who knows if this all was gonna happen most likely none is going to but if i was the Mets GM thats what i would do.

nrmax88, you are the guy that was outwardly vocal about not acquiring Santana for prospects. How is that working for you now??? exactly!! trading Wright would be much worse than the Kazmir debacle. As far as this stupid saying," As Jose goes, so go the Mets", well the Mets havent done too well, so Jose hasnt been going then!! right??? Reyes is much more replaceable than a player like Wright and it will cost you a lot more to sign or trade for another player like Wright. Thats a fact

Although a rookie, you have to admit each at-bat minus his famous bunt attempts vs the Cubbies the kid went up there with a solid approach. An approach that I havent seen from a rookie player in a while. The kid has a solid swing, a real understanding of the strike zone and nothing but potential...and not all may agree but I think the Mets want him out there as an everyday player next year.

Just think if David Wright can put a ball in the outfield after his triple, we would be discussing who makes the playoff roster right now and not nex years team..

nrmax, i love ya. you know your stuff here and on metsblog but i've got to disagree with you wholeheartedly. i'm not the biggest david wright fan but you can not, CAN NOT, trade from the core of the team. they build around them. yes, wright had a bad september but let's remember who we had playing the auxiliary spots during crunch time as well. daniel murphy, ramon martinez, a dejected ryan church with no bench to speak of.

the big hits weren't there yes but there is something to be said for patience and building upon what you have. to be honest, i'd be so bold as to sign manny ramirez to a two year deal at 15 mil per as a stopgap for f-mart. sign k-rod and see if rafal betancourt was available from the tribe.

at that point, let's work in eddie kunz, brian stokes, ricardo rincon, whoever doesn't make it in the fifth spot between parnell and neise, sanchez, smiths, feliciano and let's go to work.

Giants are not trading Cain for anyone over the age of 26.

Evans and Heilman packed up can def get us some middle relief, but a 3-5 starter i feel would have to come with more. I didn't include Delgado b/c ccording to John Heyman the Mets will be picking up his option for next yr...not a crazy credible souce but i'll run with it for now...

Sad part about all this is I can see Aaron Heilman moving to a team like Colorado and being a totally different player. The guy has no ba**s, he could only perform in NY when the game was out of line,and playing somewhere with less pressure can bring out the stuff that we all have been waiting to see on a consistant bassis for a cple of yrs now

And back to the starters, how nice would it be to see the Mets steal a Aj Burnett or CC right underneath Cashman again?

"what happens with Castro tho?"
You either keep him as a backup or package him in a trade.
I would like to get CC but don't need to spend a fortune on him. And even if the Mets pick up Delgados option, they could still package him for the right deal. I wouldn't be surprised if they did trade him. He's not the kind of leader the Mets need. Hell, he didn't like how Willie handled him and he tanked it. Is that a leader?

In terms of a catcher. We should be targeting one of the Tex rangers catchers. Laird, Max Ramirez, Taylor Teagarden and Salty. Other than Laird we could store those guys in aaa for 50% of the season and bring them along slowly for the 2010 season. I believe Heilman/pagan could get us teagarden or laird

Whoever's interested: fill in the blanks for opening day 09'...Im sure it can lead to much debate

1.Reyes 6
2.
3.
4.
6.
7.
8.
9.Santana 1

What i would like to see...
1.Reyes 6
2.O.Hudson/D.Murphy 4
3.Wright 5
4.Beltran 8
5.Delgado 3
6.M. Bradley 7
7.Church 9
8.Schneider 2
9.J. Santana 1

J. Soria C

1.Reyes
2.Beltran
3.Murphy
4.Wright
5.Bradley
6.O. Hudson
7.Brynes
8.Schneider/
9.Santana 1

If they got Doumit, bat him 5 and move everyone else down.

Murphy unless tehy get Doumit.

Interesting... thats an american league lineup and if Byrnes stays healthy, one hell of an outfield,... Lets hope Omar plans to be this active...

Ski...No way do I want Andrew Jones. He's not the type of player they need right now. We need guys who bust their ass, not lazy players.

The mets definately don't need andruw, but they don't need castillo who's just as lazy either. There is no way omar gets anything of any value for luis, this way at least the mets only have one year of having that roster spot tied up instead of three. I think all of the thoughts of getting byrnes for castillo are pretty far fetched...byrnes is definately a much more desirable commodity. I'd love to have him instead of castillo, but so would every other team in baseball. I think the only shot at getting rid of castillo is to take on just as bad a contract.

Nobody's gonna give up a prospect to get castillo, the only way to get rid of him will be to eat a bad contract.

I completely agree that any player on any team should be expandable with the right package. Blanket statements that "so and so" can't be traded is absurd. Every single player has a finite worth that can be replaced by either another player or combination of players.

That said, I don't believe the Mets need to trade Wright/Reyes/Beltran. The club, for the 2nd year in a row, lost out on the playoffs on the last day of the year. They are right there. A few extra wins is all they need.

Instead of blowing out pieces that are working throw your financial resources at a couple game changing players. Whether that be Sabathia, K-Rod, or another bat like Dunn/Ramirez.

While players like Reyes/Wright/Beltran are hard to replace, financial resources are relatively easy to dig up. The new stadium should allow them to loosen the purse strings a little more. What's an extra $20m/year for a team like the Mets?

mford... Leadership does make a difference in the clubhouse. The Phillies have a solid core of players and has gritty complimentary players. The leaders are Rollins and Utley, but guys who can impose their will on others on the team. Plus it didn't hurt that they had Lidge not blowing any games.
The Mets need a spark, they need a guy who will energize the team and not be jumping all over like Reyes. Guys like Backman, Dykstra, Knight, Hernandez, etc. They played with heart and fire, something that is missing on the current Mets team.

Honestly I dont want to resign Delgado only because next years free agent crop of 1b is mediocre at best. Meaning we should do all we can to sign teixieria. Next years lf crop includes, jason bay, magglio ordonez, xavier nady and matt holliday. I would rather go stop gap in lf this year and sure up 1b for the next 6-8 years with teixeiria.

Mags won't be available. His option vested this year. He's locked in until the 2012 season.

Good chance that Bay gets extended in Boston. Nady is a career LA hitter. Holliday will be available but will cost you $20m plus your draft picks.

All in all I would bet that next years crop won't be all that great.

Lets just bring back John Olerud to play 1st- he'd be pretty cheap... Then in left we can have Bonds platooning with Bernard Gilkey . And Jason Phillips can be just as versatile as Doumit... might as well add him to the bunch... oh yea and for 2nd base we can call up Robbie Alomar, he without a doubt is still better than Luis infield single Castillo :)

Right now, the ONLY guys I would deal Wright for are:

1) Doc Halladay
2) Tim Lincecum
3) A package of Dustin Pedroia and Clay Buchholz

I've heard some other suggestions that I'm on the fence about (Pujols, Kemp & Kershaw, Youkilis, etc.) but the 3 deals I named are the only ones I wouldn't be completely depressed and furious to see on the front page of MLBTR tomorrow.

wrightreyes 1

"As far as this stupid saying," As Jose goes, so go the Mets", well the Mets havent done too well, so Jose hasnt been going then!! right???"

how can you say that the mets have not done well? if you ask me, 89 wins ain't a bad season. not a great season, but a pretty damn good season when you look at it. reyes and wright are so valuable to the team that they'd be stupid to trade them. Jeter and A-Rod over there in the bronx get a total of around 50 million dollars. Reyes and Wright are under 13 million dollars with better offensive statistics. One may argue that jeter provides the intangibles, but honestly i'm not willing to pay 37 million dollars for intangibles.

reyes and wright are not the problem with the team, so why trade them? I think there are key things that need to be addressed in order for the mets to get back to their winning ways.

First: pick up the option for delgado; the guy had a monster second half and is a true leader on the team.

Second: Go after K Rod, Fuentes or Hoffman. Each would benefit the team tremendously.

Third: If murphy can make the transition to second base, then look to move castillo for byrnes if possible. or just flat out release castillo, he's useless.

Fourth: Go after some key bullpen arms. Feliciano can stay as a lefty specialist, Joe Smith as a righty specialist, Brian Stokes as a long reliever. Dump duaner or heilman, and put the other as a 6th or 7th inning guy. Go after an experienced bullpen arm such as darren oliver or latroy hawkins. Keep luis ayala as your setup man or closer depending on getting K Rod or not.

Fifth: Make a run at Randy Wolf, Derek Lowe or Sergio Mitre for the fifth starter. C.C. is amazing and i'd love for him to be a Met, but lets think realistically, why spend 20 million dollars on a starting pitcher when you can get K Rod and a solid starting pitcher?

2009 Proposed lineup-
Reyes
Murphy
Wright
Delgado
Beltran
Church
Byrnes
Schneider/Castro
Pitcher's spot

Bench:
Damion Easley
Fernando Tatis
Nick Evans
Marlon Anderson

Rotation:
Santana
Perez
Maine
Pelfrey
Lowe/Mitre/Wolf

Bullpen:
Stokes
K Rod
Heilman/Sanchez
Darren Oliver
Joe Smith
Feliciano
Luis Ayala

There you go, the next championship team for the New York Mets.

I agree its a tweaking. there's no need to overhaul an 89 win ballclub.

and the rotation is not in order. pelfrey is more reliable than john maine to me.

"

Right now, the ONLY guys I would deal Wright for are:

1) Doc Halladay
2) Tim Lincecum
3) A package of Dustin Pedroia and Clay Buchholz

I've heard some other suggestions that I'm on the fence about (Pujols, Kemp & Kershaw, Youkilis, etc.) but the 3 deals I named are the only ones I wouldn't be completely depressed and furious to see on the front page of MLBTR tomorrow."

Oh come on..

What about to the Brewers for Braun and Fielder?

Price and Longoria? (This would I would do immediately. Longoria is a similar player already and has one of the most team friendly contracts I've ever seen. And then you have Price, a lefty ace under control for the next seven years.)

Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson?

here is a realistic idea.
pick up delgados option and try and work out a trade to get a couple of high end prospects for him.use a combination of these prospects and/or some of our own and get holliday to play lf. let murphy/evans platoon at 1st. trade castillo eating most of contract of course. sign o hudson to play 2nd. sign fuentes as your closer. k rod is too expensive. only keep j smith, stokes feliciano and maybe sanchez, 2nd year removed from surgery and hes cheap. maybe try for marte.
sin helms, tatis for bench

"nrmax, i love ya. you know your stuff here and on metsblog but i've got to disagree with you wholeheartedly. i'm not the biggest david wright fan but you can not, CAN NOT, trade from the core of the team. they build around them. yes, wright had a bad september but let's remember who we had playing the auxiliary spots during crunch time as well. daniel murphy, ramon martinez, a dejected ryan church with no bench to speak of.

the big hits weren't there yes but there is something to be said for patience and building upon what you have. to be honest, i'd be so bold as to sign manny ramirez to a two year deal at 15 mil per as a stopgap for f-mart. sign k-rod and see if rafal betancourt was available from the tribe.

at that point, let's work in eddie kunz, brian stokes, ricardo rincon, whoever doesn't make it in the fifth spot between parnell and neise, sanchez, smiths, feliciano and let's go to work."

Thank you :). Appreciate it. I don't think we have to trade Wright, but I would atleast quietly shop and see whatsup. There are just a handful of situations where I would move him, but if a situation pops up where you could get a guy like Pujols, or some other elite talent(s), you may have to pull the trigger. You might as well see what other teams are willing to give up.

And with all the things the Mets have to do this winter, why the hell would they add a catcher. There is nothing wrong with Schneider and Castro. Especially Schneider. But then again, people see .260 BA for Schneider and just assume he stinks because most people don't realize that the value of a catcher does not lie in his bat.

"Price and Longoria? (This would I would do immediately. Longoria is a similar player already and has one of the most team friendly contracts I've ever seen. And then you have Price, a lefty ace under control for the next seven years.)"

I think he meant within reason. Like, obviously I trade David Wright to Cle for Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee, and Matt LaPorta. Obviously I trade him to the Cubs for Aramis Ramirez and Geovany Soto. But within reason, there are not that many situations where he could be traded where both sides are happy, or atleast, where the Mets are happy. I actually suggested a Wright for Price and Longoria deal in late April or early May and I think most people shot it down. I imagine that the value of those 2 has only grown since then.

Where is John Rocker, the Mets should sign him. Lol.

Just too add to the Wright vs Reyes argument.

In 2008, Jose Reyes and David Wright were tied for runs created with 119(somewhat ironically, so was Beltran).

Hanley Ramirez lead SS with 124 RC. Then came Reyes with 119. The drop off after goes down to Jimmy Rollins, at 95, Stephen Drew at 94, and Cristian Guzman at 90. Then came Jeter, Peralta, M. Young, and Orlando Cabrera at 88,86,84, and 80 respectively.

In 2007, Reyes was 4th with 106 RC. He was behind Hanley Ramirez (surprise, surprise), Jimmy Rollins (career year), and Derek Jeter, who looks like he is on the decline. Michael Young and Carlos Guillen (no longer capable of playing SS) came in behind Reyes, with a pretty big drop off after that. How about 2006. Jose Reyes was 2nd in the league to Derek Jeter with 125 RC to DJ's 138. After Reyes was Rafael Furcal, with 119, Mike Young with 116, Jimmy Rollins with 114, Hanley with 108, and Carlos Guillen and Miguel Tejada coming in behind Hanley.

Notice a trend? Hanley, Reyes, and Jimmy Rollins are the only 3 to remain atop that list, the rest are either in decline, or cannot play SS anymore.

Now, lets look at 3B. In 2008, David Wright lead all 3B in RC by a pretty wide margin with 119, followed by Aramis Ramirez, Chipper Jones, Troy Glaus, and Alex Rodriguez. Jorge Cantu and Melvin Mora behind those guys with 95 and 93 RC.

In 2007, David Wright was second in RC to A-Rod, although Wright was much more productive last year, with 136 RC to A-Rods 160. Miguel Cabrera, Chipper Jones, Mike Lowell, and Garret Atkins checked in with 135, 117, 105, and 100.

What I am getting at is, while both are incredibly valuable, there are a lot more runs created from 3B then there are from SS every year. They are both among the top 3 in creating runs at their position, but 3B creates more runs then SS does on average, and also, Jose Reyes' biggest competitor at RC for the SS spot is Hanley Ramirez, who likely won't be playing SS for much longer. When you factor in that Reyes is a much better defender, and much better baserunner, playing at a more valuable position, he is just more valuable, from a pure baseball standpoint.

Aaron Heilman--"He is constantly abused and still constantly takes the ball. Never makes excuses. Sometimes relieves have bad years. There is no reason whatsoever to move him right now."

Yes, Aaron Heilman had 2-3 good years with the Mets, and he takes the ball whenever given to him--but how long are Mets fans supposed to wait this guy out???
I applaud the guy for supposedly playing hurt all yr long, but sorry im a NY fan and im not going to sit here and watch 2 out walks lead to 2 run homeruns every time this guy comes into the game...I would love to see the 06' Heilman, but if this guys head aint straight are we supposed to just sit here and be patient? Have Jay Horowitz put a message on the scoreboard saying "Please dont boo Aaron Heilman- he might be offended and blow his next appearance."

nrmax- trust me bro i understand everything you are saying, Mets fans get a lil ridiculouis when it comes to the boo'ng... but some guys just aint meant for NY.

I am a big Eric Byrnes fan, and you obviously have to make a trade with him involving Luis Castillo. However, if we are getting the 20 HR, 50 SB, 8 triple 2007 Byrnes, fantastic. If we are getting any other year Byrnes (and especially the '08, hurt Byrnes) we are not upgrading much. He has a lot of grit and all of those factors that aren't on the stat sheet, but I don't know how much that factors in if he is hurt.

My plan for the 2009 Mets involves getting rid of Carlos Delgado, because I don't know if I could witness the same four players again in '09. They've been involved in too much negativity with these last two years together, and whether or not you are putting the best players out there you have to take another route when all else fails. The last two years have been extremely rough on the Mets and their fans, and I honestly think signing and trading Delgado would be the easiest way to break up the core. I'm not trading Reyes or Wright (they are TOO young and too much of a bargain money-wise) and Carlos Beltran's deal is pretty much restricting any trade involving him. Plus, I appreciate Delgado's 10 30-homer seasons and he is a borderline hall-of-famer if he gets to 500, but history tells us that he has to take a downward trend sooner or later. He will be 37 in June, and I know he is a great hitter, but could he continue this in '09?

You wont get a star player in return for wright or reyes.. you will get young players though that look like they might be stars..

I would say a package of nick blackburn/glen perkins/denard span, brian buscher, boof bonser, and jesse crain for wright or reyes would be good on both sides.

Oh yeah, my team...

I wrote an essay on this but I erased it b/c I couldn't explain every move that I'd make. Any questions or complaints, feel free:

Lineup
1) Reyes - SS
2) Orlando Hudson - 2B (Castillo-esque deal)
3) Wright - 3B
4) Adam Dunn - LF (4/$60m, and if Murphy fails at first you could put him there. Dunn and Murphy could potentially be interchangeable between first and left. This is a .400 OBP lefty in the middle of this lineup that replaces Delgado's power numbers)
5) Beltran - CF
6) Church - RF
7) Murphy - 1B - I personally don't think he could handle playing second - his defense is poor. Plus, who knows if he is Shane Spencer or he will be a good major leaguer? Remind yourself he wasn't a very highly touted prospect originally.
8) Schneider - C

Bench
1B - Sean Casey (to platoon with Murphy - great guy to have on the bench. He's a winner.)
UTIL - Mark Loretta (plays first, second, third, and short - any questions?)
UTIL - Damion Easley
C - Ramon Castro
RF - Endy Chavez
Also, resign Fernando Tatis as insurance.

STARTERS
1) Johan Santana
2) John Maine
3) Mike Pelfrey
4) Oliver Perez (if Perez is priced out, I'm signing Derek Lowe like most of the guys on here. But seriously, is Derek Lowe going to be expensive too given his great year?)
5) Jonathon Niese (give the kid a shot as a #5 starter)
Also, sign Odalis Perez to a small deal as insurance.

RELIEVERS (oh boy...)
1) Brian Stokes (as a long guy/spot starter if needed)
2) Luis Ayala (as a 7th inning guy and NOTHING MORE. He was effective in this role with Washington - leave be. He's not a closer!)
3) Pedro Feliciano (I think he would be effective as a second lefty out of the 'pen. He was in 86 games last year - being overworked was his problem... or so I think.)
4) Joe Smith (he'll only get better)
5) Will Ohman (main LOOGY out of the 'pen - 2 years, $8 million)
6) Juan Cruz (oh man, a POWER 8th inning reliever for the Mets - is this too good to be true? I'm throwing 3 years, $14 million at him - he's a Marmol/Dotel type reliever and he'd be great on this team)
and the closer...
7) JJ Putz or Huston Street. I'm trading Aaron Heilman, Nick Evans, and Bobby Parnell for either one of these guys. Both guys had injury-prone '07 years but they've been effective before in this league. I can't sign Fuentes or K-Rod because $10 million is being paid to Billy Wagner next year. That is a huge blow in terms of picking up a big reliever in free agency.

BACK-UP PLANS: Duaner Sanchez and Juan Rincon (minor league deal). And don't forget about Eddie Kunz!!!

One thing I have to say is that compensatory draft picks are a big deal in this league right now and even though I'd like to sign everyone and their mother it would be tough. That's what the Yankees did in previous years and that's why they are in such bad draft positioning.

Also, I'd get rid of Castillo and Schoeneweis for whatever it takes. We'll also have to eat contracts there, which is unfortunate.

This plan does leave Fernando Martinez open to take over a spot on this team (or maybe in right if Church gets hurt), since Dunn and Murphy could be alternated between first and left if all else fails.

Obviously Delgado doesn't fit into this plan and I don't know where compensation for him would fit in here, but he is my lame duck in this equation as I said in my previous post. The culture of this team has to change and even though I love Delgado that is the chance I take on shaking up this team.

Oh ya and think about my Defence. Our defence was at the top fo the elage last year. Look at out outfield...... Does it get better??? Oh yes. tatis is gonna be abargain for what he is worth. ad he can be the difference between a ring and not. If lets say Holliday or Beltran(making sick plays) or church(gets a concussion) Is out for a 3-4 week span. Then you got Tatis and in a month span. ou wont really see the difference. And hes the ebst right handed bat off the bench in MLB.

Matt Holliday will come nowhere near queens for that group of players... I'd love to see the mets spend the buck on a Milton Bradley.

Lineup
1) Reyes - SS
2) Orlando Hudson - 2B (Castillo-esque deal)
3) Wright - 3B
4) Adam Dunn - LF (4/$60m, and if Murphy fails at first you could put him there. Dunn and Murphy could potentially be interchangeable between first and left. This is a .400 OBP lefty in the middle of this lineup that replaces Delgado's power numbers)
5) Beltran - CF
6) Church - RF
7) Murphy - 1B - I personally don't think he could handle playing second - his defense is poor. Plus, who knows if he is Shane Spencer or he will be a good major leaguer? Remind yourself he wasn't a very highly touted prospect originally.
8) Schneider - C

Bench
1B - Sean Casey (to platoon with Murphy - great guy to have on the bench. He's a winner.)
UTIL - Mark Loretta (plays first, second, third, and short - any questions?)
UTIL - Damion Easley
C - Ramon Castro
RF - Endy Chavez
Also, resign Fernando Tatis as insurance.

STARTERS
1) Johan Santana
2) John Maine
3) Mike Pelfrey
4) Oliver Perez (if Perez is priced out, I'm signing Derek Lowe like most of the guys on here. But seriously, is Derek Lowe going to be expensive too given his great year?)
5) Jonathon Niese (give the kid a shot as a #5 starter)
Also, sign Odalis Perez to a small deal as insurance.

I actually don't mind this lineup. I would put Beltran at 2 which is where he was with Houston and he was huge there. I really like Casey on the bench. He's the kind of guy you want on the team.

Only reason(other than his crazy 2nd half #'s) i bring back Delgado is bc we may have help internally for the next couple of yr's at 1b with Valentino Pascucci. Dude put up pretty good #'s this year and had his name in many call up romors back in may/june when Delgado was struggling.

Or am I totally off with that option?

I think the only reason you heard so much about Val was because we basically mortgaged our farm system for Johan. He did put up good numbers but Mike Carp was also hitting well for a while. Its hard to tell who would really be useful in the majors.

Yeah you are pretty off. Val Pascucci is a 29-year old AAA player, not even a viable alternative for the bench. He was with the Expos as a bench player years ago - that ought to tell you how his major league career has gone. If anything Mike Carp is the possible alternative and he isn't even one - he's a minor leaguer as well who can't get above AA ball.

The Mets have absolutely no alternatives at first base. Adam Dunn would serve that role very well for years to come after '09. He's only 29 years old.

I like that lineup a lot too, but I would also want to spend more on general utility guys like Felipe Lopez, Jerry Hairston Jr., Juan Uribe. I think its very important to get someone to back up Reyes at short and give him some time off and I like these gritty guys a lot - that's how teams like the Angels always stay competitive. I would also think about getting rid of Easley and Chavez and going after a couple of these other guys. Something's gotta change here, definitely

IKE DAVIS...True, I forgot bout him.

And how old is Fernando Tatis? if i were to have told you he will be our everyday LF in the month of September this time last year you would find out where I lived and personally come smack my ass... So lets not get crazy over the idea of a 29 yr old Val Pascucci being a possible option since he's had one bad stint up..

Dawnrider, you are so delusional and out of your mind I am surprised nobody has had you put in an institution yet.