The Braves Are a Better Team, Beat Mets 9-3: Confidence = Production = Winning.

After watching last night's 9-3 loss to the Braves (box score) one thing became PAINFULLY clear...The Braves are a VERY VERY GOOD team, and are MUCH BETTER than the Mets.

Here's the thing about the Braves that I think the Mets should consider...

Everyone always says the Mets need better play out of their star players, but where are the Braves stars?  I would say that Heyward, McCann and Chipper Jones (out for the season) are their only real stars.  Yes, Hudson and Hanson are awesome, but not stars.  The big difference between the Mets are Braves is this...

EVERYONE on the Braves can and will hit.  Infante, Prado, Lee, Gonzalez and even Melky Cabrera and Matt Diaz can hit.  Every single person on that team is a serviceable MLB player and at the least a decent hitter.  In the meantime, the Mets have struggled with Barajas, Castillo, Tejada and Francoeur in the line up in some capacity all year. (Although I give Tejada a pass because of his defense, it would be stupid to ignore his lack of hitting thus far.)

So, what's the answer...

Keep developing the young talent.  Because Davis, Thole, Pagan and even Carter are just examples of good young players the Mets can build off of, in a similar way that the Braves have built off Heyward, Prado and McCann.  Add a good pick up (ie Omar Infante), and a guy who knows how to win (ie. Eric Hinske) and the Mets can become next year's Braves.  But first, They need to become more of a team, and letting the young guys play together really builds confidence within the organization.  Maybe the Mets will be as good next year as the Braves are this year, but in order to make that happen they need to rely on the young guys to produce.

The bottom line...

Confidence = Production = Winning.

That crappy song says, I believe the children are our future...

If you're the Mets, you best be taking that advice...That means you too Jerry...

Mets Have Opportunity Tonight to Be Behind Only 5 (or 4) Teams in the NL Wild Card Race: Line Up

Tonight the Mets take on the Marlins at 7:10 a the "Citi".  The Mets will send R.A. Dickey to the hill to take on Josh Johnson of the Marlins.  This will not be an easy task for a Mets offense that outside of two games in Pittsburgh has had a tough time providing run support for Dickey (and Santana).  BUT...

Should the Mets be able to pull of the win tonight, they will leapfrog at least one team in the Wild Card standings, because the Marlins are currently a half-game ahead of the Mets in the WC standings.  And, if things break their way, the Mets may actually be able to jump two teams in the WC standings tonight, as they are only a half game behind the Dodgers as well, who are starting a 3 game series in Milwaukee tonight.

Here's tonight's Mets Line-Up courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Pagan-LF
Beltran-CF
Wright-3B
Davis-1B
Francoeur-RF
Thole-C
Tejada-2B
Dickey-P

Interesting that we're seeing Frenchy in tonight against Johnson instead of Carter, who Manuel mentioned a few days ago would be getting more starts and is a lefty...

Mets Score a Bunch and Win...Wild Idea

It's unbelievable what happens when you score runs, especially when your pitching has been awesome.  Tonight the Mets got another good outing from their starter, tonight it was Pelfrey, except they scored runs and were able to beat the Pirates easily 7-2 (box). 

The only starters in the line up without hits tonight were Tejada and Pelfrey.  Carter, Reyes, Wright, Thole and Davis ALL had good nights at the plate.  That is a nice thing to see, especially when Carter delivers with a homer and two RBI hitting out of the clean up spot tonight. 

Oh, and Pelfrey gave up 2 runs on 6 hits in eight innings of work...

It's amazing how much better this team is when they hit...and play the Pirates.

The Mets go for their first road series win against an NL opponent since freakin' forever, tomorrow when they send Niese to the hill against McDonald.  Come on, let's get that monkey off our back here...

Misch Against Bud Norris Tonight at 8:05: Line Up

Here's tonight's line up courtesy of the Mets on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Castillo-2B
Pagan-CF
Wright-3B
Davis-1B
Francoeur-RF
Carter-LF
Barajas-C
Misch-P

No Beltran, No Tejada, No Thole...

That means Castillo, Barajas and Carter.  I guess the only one of those I'm ok with is Carter.  In case you missed it, I can't stand Castillo or Barajas.

Either way, the Mets need to win tonight, if for no other reason that to show they are better than the 'Stros...

Mets Beat Rockies, Jimenez 1-0 Behind The Real Pelf

Tonight, Mike Pelfrey was in early 2010 form going 7 innings and giving up only 4 hits as the Mets defeated the Rockies, and Ubaldo Jimenez, tonight 1-0 (box score).

The Mets didn't do much at the plate, but when you're pitching is that good, you only need one run to win.  I do think it's interesting to note that the only Mets to get hits tonight were Fernando Martinez, Chris Carter, Josh Thole and Mike Pelfrey...BUT...Reyes drove in the only run of the night with a sac fly.  Also interesting to see how the line up looked without BOTH Beltran and Francoeur in it.

Nice win to get back to .500.  If the Mets continue to play these young guys, and they should/will, games like tonight's will help build character and give the young guys confidence in close games going forward. 

Nice win, fellas.

Young Mets Show Life, But Fall Short in Comeback Effort Against Phils

The Mets got off to an early lead today, then Dickey got shelled, then the Mets fought back to within one, only to lose 6-5 (box score) in today's finale.

Although Dickey had his worst outing of the year for the Mets, and the team lost yet another road series, somehow I was encouraged today.  I think it's because I have officially given up hope of having any shot at a playoff run, barring some miraculous hot streak.  But, I'm not pissed...

Today the young kids looked pretty good.  Tejada is continuing to show that he is a better glove than Castillo, although his hitting is leaving something to be desired.  F-Mart looked pretty decent, nothing to get crazy over, but solid.  And Thole and Carter had some big hits in the Mets comeback.  Overall, it's nice to watch a home grown team leave it ALL on the field.  Had Beltran and Wright not struggled the way they did today things may have turned out better for the Mets today.

The point...

The young kids look like they have pride.  Where some players in the past would have given up once they got down 6-2, this youthful Mets team didn't give up.  Ultimately that will make this team more fun to watch, even if they are only playing for pride.  This is a new thing for Mets fans, seeing a dedication to giving the young kids a shot.

In fact...

According to Howie Rose, while I was listening to "The Fan" in my car, the Mets had the most home grown players in today's starting line up (7), than they have since 1990.

Just found that interesting...

Mets Blanked Again, Having More Trouble Scoring Than a Fat Kid in High School

Last night the Mets were blanked for the third time on this road trip, and lost to the Dodgers 2-0 despite a good effort from Hisanori Takahashi (box score/wrap).

When will enough be enough already?  This road trip has been miserable.  The team is losing, and looking terrible doing it.  On this current road trip the Mets have been shut out three times, not ONCE scoring more than 4 runs in a game.  They've scored 15 runs in their last 8 games...I'm no math major here, but that's less than 2 runs/game.  That isn't going to win anything, anytime, anywhere...

On a night where the line up was without Beltran, Bay and Barajas (which I don't think was a bad thing), the team only managed 5 hits with two of them coming from the often benched Jeff Francoeur.  I don't blame Jerry for shaking things up, in fact, Carter and Frenchy provided the only real offense spark last night.  At one point they put a runner on third base...that was fun.

I guess the bright side, if there has to be one, is that Takahashi didn't get lit again.  That was good.  He went 7 innings giving up 2 runs on 3 hits.  I just hope this doesn't convince management that their rotation is in good shape, because they still need another starter.

Not to get on this train again, BUT, the Mets are 0-4 since Castillo returned...Can you say black cloud?

The Mets try to turn things around tonight in L.A. sending Santana to the hill against Vincente Padilla...

Come on, Mets.

Santana Against Livan Tonight, Line Up

Here is tonight's line up courtesy of David Lennon on twitter:

Feliciano-8
Tejada-6
Wright-5
Davis-3
Francoeur-9
Carter-7
Blanco-2
Cora-4
Santana-1


I guess Jose needs another night off.  Hopefully tonight will be the last of that.  Also, it looks like Jerry really wants to keep trying to find ways to get Carter at bats, which I'm fine with, but Bay didn't start on Tuesday either.  Does he really need another night off?  I'm not sure tonight is the best time to sit him.  Also looks like Pagan is getting a little more time to rest, and Barajas has been pretty bad lately, so I like Blanco in there.


Overall...this isn't the normal line up...


But either way...


Let's Go Mets.

Mets Go For Sweep Tonight: Line Up

Tonight the Mets send R.A. Dickey to the hill in an attempt to get a sweep of the Indians.  Standing in their way is potential trade target Jake Westbrook.  This should be interesting...

Here's the line up courtesy of the Mets twitter account:

Reyes-SS
Pagan-CF
Wright-3B
Davis-1B
Francoeur-RF
Carter-DH
Blanco-C
Feliciano-LF
Tejada-2B

Barajas gets the night off, along with Bay who is nursing a "charley-horse".  No Bay, and a hot streak, pushes Francoeur up into the number 5 spot behind Davis tonight.  Blanco and Feliciano find themselves in the line up, along with Carter who remains on DH duty against righties in the AL parks.  Nice to see Tejada in the line up again tonight.  I love watching him turn two...

A win tonight would give the Mets a ton of confidence, along with a 7 game winning streak, heading into a weekend series against the Yankees...

Let's go Mets. 

Niese, Mets Face Indians Tonight at 7: Line Up

Tonight Jon Niese pitches in front of family and friends in Cleveland, as the Mets face the Indians tonight at 7:05.  You can catch his feelings on Metsblog.com, here.

Here's the Mets line up for tonight, compliments of Adam Rubin on twitter:

Reyes-SS
Pagan-CF
Wright-3B
Davis-1B
Bay-LF
Carter-DH
Barajas-C
Francoeur-RF
Tejada-2B

Tejada is back in the line up, which I like, along with Jerry keeping Carter in there.  Hopefully Carter will hit a bit more tonight, and can lock himself up for another start tomorrow, and potentially the Yankee series...

Carter certainly owes the Yankees a bit of payback for them claiming him on waivers and ultimately blocking his trade to the Mets last year. That ended up being important because it took away what would have been some valuable playing time on the major league level with the Mets for Carter last season.  Nothing would be sweeter than seeing Carter get a chance to get a little revenge on the Yankees...

Mets Handle Phils 8-0, I Remain Undefeated

Tonight, the Mets dominated in an 8-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies (box score/wrap) in what seemed like their first "dominating" victory since the first week of the season.  In other news, the Mets remain undefeated in games I have attended.  Soon I plan on a collection jar to send me to any, and all, home games with an option for road games should my luck continue...

Everything went right tonight for the Mets, starting with an outstanding performance from R.A. Dickey who had the Phillies looking foolish all night long.  Dickey went 6 innings, scattering 7 hits and striking out 7 Phils.  It was unreal to see how bad he made certain Philly hitters look...Dickey was extremely impressive tonight.  He then gave way to my third favorite Valdes who worked out of trouble (which he got himself into) in the 7th after two consecutive hits, and then never gave up another hit to earn a good ol' fashioned 3 inning save.  Man, I love those...

At the plate, everyone hit.  Reyes had 3 hits, scored 3 runs, tripled and swiped 2 bags while Bay had two RBI, Francoeur went 2-3 with 2 RBI, Carter had a big pinch-hit RBI single and even Raul Valdes doubled over the head of Jayson Werth in the 8th off of Figueroa.

Overall, this was a fantastic game for the Mets.  They did everything right and it was great to see.  However, tomorrow is a different day...

Tomorrow the Mets send Takahashi to the hill in game 2 of the series against Joe Blanton.  Considering how the Phillies fared against Dickey tonight, a crafty pitcher like Takahashi might be able to duplicate the performance, especially considering how well he threw against the Yankees Friday night.  At the least the Mets put themselves in a good position after game 1 of this series...

Santana vs. Medlen Tonight at 7:10: Here's the Mets Starting Line Up

According to Metsblog Barajas has a stomach virus...so...

The line up has changed since Burkhardt's tweet, because Rubin had a different line up, and this is the one it ended up being:

Jose Reyes, SS
Everyday, 2B
Chris Carter, LF
David Wright, 3B
Ike Davis, 1B
Angel Pagan, CF
Jeff Francoeur, RF
Henry Blanco, C
Johan Santana, P




So here's tonight's Mets line up courtesy of Kevin Burkhardt's twitter account:

Reyes SS
Cashstealo 2B
Carter LF
Wright 3B
Davis 1B
Barajas C
Pagan CF
Francoeur RF
Santana P

Interesting line up.  Bay gets the night off and Jerry finds a way to make sure Carter stays in the line up.  I'm not wild about Jerry's neverending desire for the line up to alternate lefty/righty/lefty, etc.  But I do like the way it shuffled Frenchy down to 8.  He may be struggling, but that's a name you don't mind seeing in the eighth hole if for no other reason than potential.  

Regardless, I like the line up.  Not so sure about Carter's ability in left, but I guess we'll find out....

Sending Down Mejia To Be A Starter: Genius Idea, Wish We'd Thought of It Before...

In a post on Metsblog, citing information from Adam Rubin on ESPNNewYork, it looks like Mejia will be sent down to the minors to get stretched out in order to become part of the Mets rotation later this year.  According to Rubin, Mejia will be sent down when R.A. Dickey is called up Wednesday to start for Oliver Perez.

This is the stuff I don't get about the Mets.  I get that they were concerned about the bullpen to start the year, but it still made MORE sense to send him down to triple-A as a starter to begin the season, because at this point he might be ready to be called up to replace Perez instead of Dickey.  I'm happy they've made the decision that this should be done, I just wish it was done in Spring Training.  At least the Mets are recognizing some of their mistakes and are making moves to fix them.  I guess the theory here is "better late than never", and even at that it's not that late.

While Mejia has been good in the 'pen for the Mets, he's just too good to not at least TRY in the rotation.  Worst-case-scenario he struggles as a starter and he can be brought back as a reliever, because it takes little-to-no time to transition from starter to reliever especially when you've done it before.

Either way, this is a good move, a little late...but good.  Maybe Ricco is gaining some leverage in the front office because I see these types of moves (Mejia to minors, Davis and Carter called up, etc.) as things the Mets would not have done last year until it was too late.  I'm not sure who it is that's pushing for these moves but it's a good change in philosophy for the team and organization.  But like I've said before, I think some more moves can be made...

Pelfrey Very Good in Mets 3-2 Win in Atlanta

The Mets really needed the win tonight, and Mike Pelfrey delivered a quality outing to lead the team to a 3-2 win over the Braves tonight (wrap/box score).

Tonight the story for the Mets was pitching.  Mike Pelfrey threw a solid 7 and 2/3 innings tonight giving up only 2 runs on 7 hits while striking out 3.  Pelfrey left the game in the eighth leaving Feliciano with a runner on second with two outs, and Heyward up.  Pedro Feliciano then gave up a tough hit to Jason Heyward which Wright made a great play to keep in the infield (I'm ignoring for now his dangerous throw to first which could have been disastrous).  Feliciano then walked Chipper Jones, in an unintentional intentional manner.  But with the bases loaded Feliciano stepped up and struck out McCann to end the threat in the eighth.  K-Rod then let things get a little hairy in the ninth, but not too bad, before closing the door on the Braves by striking out Nate McClouth to end the game.

At the plate the Mets heroes were Barajas, Carter and Jose Reyes.  Carter scored a run and drove in the game winning run, and has made it hard for Jerry to keep him out of the line up.  Reyes, who was driven in by Carter late in the game to give the Mets a 3-1 lead, did something I haven't seen him do much of this season...create a run.  Reyes swiped third base off of Lowe, which helped him score on the slow roller from Carter.  The other hero of the night at the plate was Rod Barajas, who is somehow hitting .273 on the season.  I am still in shock from how good this guy has been.  His OBP is still awful, but with the way he's been driving the ball I don't care.  I'll say it now...I WAS WRONG ON BARAJAS.  The guy is hitting and really giving the Mets a little something extra.  He drove in two runs tonight on a double and went 2-3 in helping the Mets snap the 5-game skid.  As of right now, Omar was right, Barajas seems to be a better move than Molina...you win this one Omar.  Fortunately I still have GMJ, the second baseman and Perez to complain about...

Tomorrow the Mets try to build off this win, and go for the mini-sweep against the Braves with Santana on the mound against Kris Medlen.  Should be fun...

Carter Plays Hero as Mets Put Up 6 Run Eighth to Comeback on Nats

Very rarely are things as storybook as they were today for the Mets and Chris Carter.  Just one day after being brought up to replace Frank Catalanotto on the roster, not only was Chris Carter put in a situation to help the Mets win the game, but he capitalized.  With runners on first and second with one out, Chris Carter stepped up to the plate against Tyler Clippard and doubled down the right field line to give the Mets a lead they wouldn't relinquish.  The Mets went on to win tonight 8-6 (box score/gameday) in what was the team's biggest comeback of the year.  What a game.

I could talk about Niese's poor start, Barajas' huge double in the eighth, Pagan's single in the inning but instead I'm going to focus on three huge hits tonight for the Mets.  The first hit was a pinch hit from GMJ, which was good to see for a few reasons.  Maybe seeing Catalanotto get dumped gave GMJ a swift kick in the rear, either way it was nice to see the team get a pinch hit...but that was only the tip of the iceberg.

The next biggest hit was an unbelievably well executed bunt single from Alex Cora in the eighth inning which put Cora on base as the eventual game winning run.  Which leads me to the huge pinch hit double that Chris Carter had.  It couldn't have worked out better for Carter or the Mets.  Carter got his chance to be a hero and took it.  Although I wish Carter had been up from the beginning of the season it's nice to see the organization make a move towards being younger, and relying more on young talent than older veterans. 

Also not to be overlooked is Ike Davis' undying love for falling into the Mets bench while catching foul balls.  He did it again tonight...this time to end the game.

It's hard not to like this team more and more each day...I am an Acosta, a second baseman and a GMJ away from being completely in love with this team, and that's something I haven't felt for the Mets since 2006. 

Tomorrow the Mets go for the series win sending Pelfrey to the hill to face Craig Stammen for the Nats at 1:10...Should be fun.

While I Was Recapping...

So, while I was recapping tonight's game, a miracle happened. The Mets made their team better...

The Mets designated Frank Catalanotto for assignment and called up Chris Carter, according to Adam Rubin on twitter.  It's about time this move happened.  Carter was hitting the crap out of the ball in triple-A and Cat couldn't hit crap.  This was an overdue move.  And not to pile on Catalanotto, but he looked uncomfortable and overmatched at the plate, which are qualities I'm not looking for in pinch hitters.  I thought he was supposed to be a late inning lefty bat off the bench, turned out he was left handed but often decided not to use his bat.  I don't think Carter will have this problem.  If anything Carter might be a little too aggressive at the plate, but at this point anything is better than what the Mets bench was looking like.

This is a fantastic move by the front office, I'm just annoyed it took this long to happen.  It should pay some nice dividends as having an ACTUAL threat off the bench should benefit the team.  Basically, anything is better than marching GMJ and Cat to the plate in the late innings of games.  I'm sure Cat was a nice guy in the clubhouse, but this is a performance job and he didn't perform.  I hope Cat lands on his feet, but I'm happy the Mets improved their team tonight...Very happy. 

Alright Ike's Coming, So Let's Be Real...

According to Matt Cerrone of Metsblog, which relayed the info from SNY's Brad Cuomo account on twitter, Ike Davis will be called up today.

It has been brought to my attention that I have been accused of "wavering" on my stance with the Ike call-up situation, but please allow me to clarify... 

I wanted (still want) to see Chris Carter get a chance before Ike, because in my opinion, Ike could probably use some more seasoning before bringing him up to the bigs and Carter deserves a shot.  Also, I am slightly concerned about what the Mets will do when Daniel Murphy is ready to return from the DL.  If the Mets are bringing up Ike as a stopgap until Murphy is healthy, then this move is flat-out moronic.  However, if they're willing to commit to Ike, unless he struggles big time, then I'm fine with it.

To me, giving Carter a chance would have made the most sense because of the flexibility, until Murphy could return, and how if Carter were to perform well it would afford the team the option to keep both Carter and Murphy, especially considering Carter's ability to play other positions along with first base.  Couple those arguments with the fact that this kid has almost never been given a shot to succeed, there's no doubt in my mind that Carter would be hungry and would perform well.

Since that isn't the case and Ike is on his way up...I'm on board with this too.  Mainly because I think Ike is the team's best option at first base, given the realities of the situation (with Carter etc.).

So...

Mets fans here we go.  This move should be the start of something.  It should be the beginning of the organizations realization that maybe, just maybe, it's time for a youth movement.  This applies to both players and management.  Let Ike play, bring up Carter too, maybe F-Mart, Gee and Tejada at some point.  The team's future should be given a shot.  They can't be much worse than the team that's been out there for the first two weeks...

And while we're at it, lose Jerry and Omar.  Hand over jobs to Backman and Ricco.  Change the direction of the team and organization and bring HOPE to the fans.  Trying to float with this team that is clearly not as talented as other teams in the NL is a recipe for breeding more contempt within an already agitated fan base.

Ike will hold fans off for a bit.  But it's not enough.  I think Evan Roberts summed it up best, as Cerrone quotes him on Metsblog, "Mets fans would rather lose with Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada and Fernando Martinez, than lose with Fernando Tatis, Luis Castillo and Gary Matthews Jr." (Note the only reason I used the second baseman's name was for the quotes sake)  Also, my feeling is the first three Roberts mentioned are actually better than the second three.  So why not do it?

My one request is that fans temper expectations.  Ike Davis will eventually be good, it just may not happen right away.  Regardless it'll be exciting tonight should he crack the line-up, and I think it'll be fun at CitiField.  Man am I happy I have tickets...

It's Time For Ike, For Real

Alright, it's time.  According to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com, here, the Mets are promoting Ike Davis.  Guess, I picked a good game to head out to CitiField for the first time this year.

In the article Rubin says, "Mets officials have resolved to promote heralded prospect Ike Davis to Citi Field this week, team sources told ESPNNewYork.com."

Ok, so I guess Carter gets bypassed again.  Sorry Chris.  One day Carter will get a shot and he will mash, the problem is when will he get that shot.  I would have liked to see Carter get a shot, but I think the team would have to believe that Ike is better overall.  So, I can't really complain...

In fact, I like Ike being promoted because, in my mind, he's a better option at 1B than anything else the Mets have at this point.  It's nice to see the team making a move here, but I think there needs to be a commitment to Davis now.  I don't want to see Ike struggle and then get sent down when Murphy returns.  To me, this move should be permanent and Davis should be given every opportunity to learn up at the major league level.  This needs to be a youth movement, not an appeasement move...

Tomorrow will be fun.  I hope Ike gets the start...

Roster Cuts, and Why These Moves Are Terrible

Metsblog reported yesterday that the Mets made some cuts after last night's game in St. Petersburg against the Rays, here.  According to Cerrone, Chris Carter, Nelson Figueroa, Kiko Calero, Bobby Parnell, Russ Adams and Elmer Dessens will not make the opening day roster.

The fallout from these moves bother me more than the moves themselves.  Here's my beef:

This most likely means Mejia will make the 'pen, which really bothers me because I think it will stunt his development as a starter. 

Ruben Tejada will now make the opening day roster, and then will be sent down within a week...stupid.

There is the potential of the Mets carrying three lefties in the 'pen, Takahashi, Valdez and Feliciano.  This is annoying because it's my understanding that if they all were to make the 'pen that Valdez would be the specialist while Takahashi is probably the long man, and Feliciano would split set-up duties, possibly with Mejia.  But if you're bringing the rookie north with you, wouldn't it be because you think he will ACTUALLY have an impact, as the set-up man.  Not just to say he was brought up.

And finally, the first base situation.  Now that Carter is out, which makes absolutely no sense to me, it seems like we're looking at a Tatis/Jacobs platoon.  That's awful.  Tatis is the worst.  Can't they go get Lowell now or something.  Anything to get Tatis out of a starting role. 

Carter and Figueroa got jobbed.  They both played well enough in the spring to make the team.  It's crap that they both didn't but worse that Carter didn't.  He was the best offensive force, arguably, the Mets had all spring.

That's my beef and I'm sticking to it...

My Reaction to Omar on WFAN

Earlier today, Omar Minaya was a guest of Mike Francessa's on WFAN.  In this interview, which Matt Cerrone did a recap of here, Omar talked about a few of the burning questions as we head toward opening day, and the final roster cuts.

The first thing I want to talk about is Omar being willing to go with what he has at first base in Murphy's absence.  This means, to me, that Jacobs will be the guy and Tatis will be the back-up, unless Chris Carter makes the team, which Cerrone seems to feel won't happen (I agree).  I hope that's not the case but tend to agree that Catalanotto will probably fill the last bench spot. 

Okay, so I have no real problem going with Jacobs over Carter or Davis, mainly because I don't think Davis is ready and Carter isn't a full-time first baseman.  What I do have a problem with is this feeling that Catalanotto will make the bench over Carter.  I think Carter is a better hitter, and is almost as versatile as Catalanotto in the field, but not as good a fielder overall.  However, I think the logic that the Mets needed a lefty power bat off the bench should not have changed when Murphy went down.  Don't they still need a lefty power bat off the bench?  It's pretty obvious that Carter has more power of the two bench-bat options.

And the thing that bothers me the most is this idea that because people don't have options they will make the team.  I thought the Mets would want to put the most talent out on the field, not just make sure they don't lose guys on minor league deals just because of a fear of depth.  I guess that's just me...

And as far as the line-up without Murphy, I think the team now has more pop at first base.  It's just funny to me how the same people wondering why we had Murphy at the top of the depth chart are now the same complaining about the line-up without him.  It just makes no sense to me...

Another thing that I want to talk about is Omar's breakdown of the bullpen, as not having one set-up man.  I think this is more Omar staying behind Manuel because all we (bloggers and media) do is jump all over them when they're not on the same page.  I would have to assume that we're looking at either Mejia or Feliciano as the primary set-up guys.  If this isn't the case then Mejia should be at Binghamton learning to become a starter, anything less than that is a waste of this kid's talent.  I still think that at the end of the day Pedro Feliciano will be the one doing most of the heavy lifting in the eighth inning.

The last thing I want to touch on is Omar saying that Tejada will play, should he make the team.  I like that a lot, but when we they find time?  With Reyes returning 5 games into the season, I really don't see when Tejada gets any playing time.  Maybe this means that Catalanotto and Carter will make the team to start, and Cat will be the back-up at second for the first 5 games.  I know that's a risk, but a move can always be made if something happens to Cora or Castillo.  I also like the feeling that Tejada will be the second baseman of the future.  Well he's hit so far this spring, and can definitely work on his fielding, but regardless he looks good.

I'm just getting  tired of talking about the make-up of the team here.  Let's just get to it and play a game already...