Beauty Is Skin Deep
We've been speculating for the past few years now that the biggest issue holding the New York Mets back is the name "New York." While I might think the city a hellhole that no sane person would ever want to visit, there is no denying that some find it to be some sort of financial and media capital. Those are distinct assets to a professional sports franchise, but like others also located in the city the Mets have found that being able to spend a lot of money is no guarantee of success. The Mets seem to think that they have to be the Yankees in order to succeed. The current team is a perfect example; the Mets spent a lot more money in the offseason, signing or trading for big stars in Carlos Delgado and Billy Wagner, but have given the roster no depth. Just like the Yankees!
Projected 2006 Lineup:
SS Jose Reyes
3B Carlos Beltran
CF David Wright
1B Carlos Delgado
LF Cliff Floyd
C Paul LoDuca
RF Xavier Nady/Victor Diaz
2B Kaz Matsui
Sure, why not lead off with the guy with the .300 on-base percentage? That always works. Willie Randolph was an outstanding leadoff-type hitter back in his day; I have no idea why he's taking a page out of the 1960's playbook now, leading off with a fast shortstop with no ability to reach first base.
The two through five spots are very good, although this is a rather ominous note. We hope that there is nothing serious here; we've joked about Floyd's long injury history before, but this isn't funny.
Beltran was considered a disappointment in 2005 for having a merely decent year instead of being the next coming of Joe DiMaggio; I expect he'll be healthier and better this year. Wright is one of the games brightest young stars, and Delgado remains a powerful force in the cleanup spot.
The rest is just fair. LoDuca is still the golden child of the L.A. media, but in truth is an overrated player whose total offensive value is wrapped up in his batting average. When I saw that Nady and Diaz were sharing right field, my first thought was that it could be a productive platoon, until I remembered that both hit righthanded. So much for that. To simplify things, let's just say that the Yankees got the better Matsui and leave it at that.
The Mets had better hope for an incredible run of good health, because the best available replacements on this roster are Julio Franco, Endy Chavez, and Chris Woodward. It's a bad thing when your best option off the bench is a guy who was playing when Stonehenge was built. The farm system is attrocious, so any additional help will have to come through trades or the waiver wire.
Projected 2006 Starting Rotation and Bullpen
SP Pedro Martinez
SP Tom Glavine
SP Steve Trachsel
SP Victor Zambranno
SP Aaron Heilman
CL Billy Wagner
RP Duaner Sanchez
RP Jorge Julio
RP Chad Bradford
RP Matt Perisho or Mike Venafro or someone else with a working left arm.
Martinez, Glavine, and Trachsel have two things in common. All three have had good-to-great careers, and all three are now old and fragile. I put the over/under on their combined total starts this year at 80. Any takers? Zambranno has a good chance of being the guy obtained in one of the Mets' worst-ever trades, a field that includes giving up Nolan Ryan (and three others) for Jim Fregosi, and Amos Otis for Joe Foy.
The bullpen should be at least solid, with a strong closer and some decent setup men. The main concern should be the health of the starting rotation; again, there are no good replacements available (not that a Pedro Martinez is easily replaceable anyway).
With another winter spending spree behind them, the Mets are looked upon by many as the favorite to finally unseat the Braves at the top of the NL East. While it could happen, I think that it's more likely that enough regulars will miss enough time to leave the Mets trailing the Braves and fighting for the Wild Card.
Projected 2006 Lineup:
SS Jose Reyes
3B Carlos Beltran
CF David Wright
1B Carlos Delgado
LF Cliff Floyd
C Paul LoDuca
RF Xavier Nady/Victor Diaz
2B Kaz Matsui
Sure, why not lead off with the guy with the .300 on-base percentage? That always works. Willie Randolph was an outstanding leadoff-type hitter back in his day; I have no idea why he's taking a page out of the 1960's playbook now, leading off with a fast shortstop with no ability to reach first base.
The two through five spots are very good, although this is a rather ominous note. We hope that there is nothing serious here; we've joked about Floyd's long injury history before, but this isn't funny.
Beltran was considered a disappointment in 2005 for having a merely decent year instead of being the next coming of Joe DiMaggio; I expect he'll be healthier and better this year. Wright is one of the games brightest young stars, and Delgado remains a powerful force in the cleanup spot.
The rest is just fair. LoDuca is still the golden child of the L.A. media, but in truth is an overrated player whose total offensive value is wrapped up in his batting average. When I saw that Nady and Diaz were sharing right field, my first thought was that it could be a productive platoon, until I remembered that both hit righthanded. So much for that. To simplify things, let's just say that the Yankees got the better Matsui and leave it at that.
The Mets had better hope for an incredible run of good health, because the best available replacements on this roster are Julio Franco, Endy Chavez, and Chris Woodward. It's a bad thing when your best option off the bench is a guy who was playing when Stonehenge was built. The farm system is attrocious, so any additional help will have to come through trades or the waiver wire.
Projected 2006 Starting Rotation and Bullpen
SP Pedro Martinez
SP Tom Glavine
SP Steve Trachsel
SP Victor Zambranno
SP Aaron Heilman
CL Billy Wagner
RP Duaner Sanchez
RP Jorge Julio
RP Chad Bradford
RP Matt Perisho or Mike Venafro or someone else with a working left arm.
Martinez, Glavine, and Trachsel have two things in common. All three have had good-to-great careers, and all three are now old and fragile. I put the over/under on their combined total starts this year at 80. Any takers? Zambranno has a good chance of being the guy obtained in one of the Mets' worst-ever trades, a field that includes giving up Nolan Ryan (and three others) for Jim Fregosi, and Amos Otis for Joe Foy.
The bullpen should be at least solid, with a strong closer and some decent setup men. The main concern should be the health of the starting rotation; again, there are no good replacements available (not that a Pedro Martinez is easily replaceable anyway).
With another winter spending spree behind them, the Mets are looked upon by many as the favorite to finally unseat the Braves at the top of the NL East. While it could happen, I think that it's more likely that enough regulars will miss enough time to leave the Mets trailing the Braves and fighting for the Wild Card.
posted by Jim at
5:57 PM
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