Now What?

The Mets have gotten one guy they really wanted in Jason Bay, and that's about it. What remains to be done is to significantly upgrade the rotation, replace Luis Castillo, provide competition for Daniel Murphy, and maybe add a veteran catcher.

When I heard that the Mets got Gary Matthews, Jr. I thought that just maybe, they had traded Luis Castillo for him, and were about to sign Orlando Hudson (or the other Orlando, Cabrera). No such luck. So now what?

What I'd love to see is for the Mets to sign at least two more pitchers, even three. Sheets, Smoltz, and Garland are my top choices, followed by Chien Ming Wang. I'm not sure about Washburn and Bedard being able to handle the pressure of NY fans and media. None of these guys have to get a huge contract at this point, so incentive-laden deals are the way to go. The Mets need a real competition for the starting rotation, unlike the past few years where everyone (that means you, Oliver Perez) was pretty much guaranteed a spot.

I would love to see Jon Niese step up and grab a spot in the rotation, but the Mets need more quality and depth, period.

As for the position players, upgrading second base is the only priority in my mind. Either Orlando Hudson or Orlando Cabrera is a significant enough upgrade to make it worthwhile to eat Castillo's contract and release him. Players making a whole lot more have been released (Sheffield, Byrnes), so what's the problem? It's not like they will have to pay all that much to the ODog and OCab. I read that the Mariners are considering trading Jose Lopez. He would be worth considering, as an immediate power upgrade, without hurting the defense and maybe improving it slightly.

If the Mets sign Sheets and Garland, or Sheets and Smoltz, I might be willing to trade Mike Pelfrey or John Maine for Lopez.

The bottom line is that the Mets still have options that will improve their chances in 2010, but they need to act boldly and intelligently, which is probably too much to ask.


© Judy Kamilhor 2010