The Mets have been reeling since the all-star break and their 2012 chances are as bleak as ever. The trade deadline is just 24 hours away and as expected, the Mets have been fairly silent. Nobody expects the team to make a huge move, which is warranted due to the team’s poor play in the past two weeks. However, one move that does make sense to me is acquiring Denard Span. Hear me out on this one.

Span has always had decent plate discipline and speed, and above average defense. He fits the Mets mold and would be welcomed for his ability to bat leadoff. The Mets lack a true leadoff hitter, who can make an impact with speed, which is where Span can make a big difference. He is a 20-25 SB threat, who gets on base enough to score 100 runs on a good team. His best season came in 2009 when he had a slash of .311/.392/.415. He scored 97 R to go along with 23 SB. He’s a solid starting CF that would be under team control for two more years.

Now the question is how the Mets could get him. The Twins are in need of young talent, which is something the Mets can provide. A package including two of Domingo Tapia/Colin McHugh/Matt Den Dekker could get the job done. If the Twins are looking more for a major league bat, then Daniel Murphy makes sense in a trade. The Mets then could demand the Twins to pay some of Span’s contract, which would be a big plus. I envision a lineup where the leadoff man can steal more than 10 bases a year, which is why I feel like Span would be a good fit. A 1-2 punch of Span and Tejada would pose a formidable table setting crew for David Wright and Ike Davis.

What do you think of Denard Span?

Five members of the bullpen seem to be in safe ground for the Mets: Francisco, Parnell, Byrdak, Ramirez and Rauch. As much as fans are calling for Rauch’s head, he’s getting paid a lot of money and he really isn’t as bad as people make him out to be.

Two remaining spots are in the bullpen, which are currently occupied by only Miguel Batista, as the Mets will go to the All-Star break with one less reliever. Collins loves Batista, mostly because of his versatility and experience, but I believe he needs to be cut or sent down and stretched out to become a starter. If one of the five guys goes down, Batista is a formidable replacement. He simply hasn’t been as effective coming out of the pen.

So that leaves two available spots in the bullpen. The first is likely to come outside of the organization, with a short wish list of Matt Capps, Francisco Rodriguez, Huston Street, and Brett Myers. Those four are probably the best relievers that will become available in a few weeks. All four provide invaluable experience at the end of games and could either slide in as a setup man or the closer. Don’t discount the idea of bringing Brian Fuentes in either, who was just DFA’d by the Oakland Athletics. He’s struggled since he signed that huge contract, but he’s a lefty, which would limit the overuse of Tim Byrdak. He doesn’t have to come in and be a late inning reliever, as he can be a situational pitcher.

With all that being said, Jenrry Mejia has a future in the big leagues and it’s only a matter of time before he gets there. After TJ surgery, Mejia started rehab as a starting pitcher and was lights out. He climbed through the system, succeeding at every level; however, there is no need for a starting pitcher, so he was shifted to the bullpen. For some reason, he just stunk after that. Since the move to the bullpen, he has thrown 9 innings with a 10.00 ERA with 5 BB and 5 K. Mejia has been throwing behind in the count a lot, which has forced him to make tough pitches which opponents are mashing. He needs to straighten things out, because his stuff is still dynamic enough to be a major force in the big leagues. He would be a very logical replacement in the bullpen because of his success there a few years back under Jerry Manuel.

I could see the Mets going out and getting a reliever to bolster the ‘pen and bringing up Mejia in the near future if he gets a little more consistent. That would provide the Mets enough support and firepower to compete in the NL East. Getting Fuentes and Mejia could be enough, but look for the Mets to be in the running for Capps, K-Rod, Street and Myers.

I could’ve been a contender…

With the first half of the season is just about in the books, it’s finally time to separate the contenders from the pretenders. There are four teams that I believe are completely out of the playoff picture (Chicago, San Diego, Colorado, and Houston). All four will be sellers in a few weeks, attempting to unload salaries in return for prospects. The remaining 12 teams will be classified into three tiers. The first all have a good chance of winning the pennant this season, the second have a decent chance, while the third are pretenders.

Tier 1:

Washington Nationals: The Nats have the best record in the National League to go along with the best pitching staff. They have allowed approximately 3.5 runs per game this year, which is flat out ridiculous. Look for the Nats to add a bat at the deadline in order to give that aching lineup some help. Jayson Werth has been out pretty much all year with his wrist injury, which has really hurt the offense.

Cincinnati Reds: Joey Votto is putting up surefire MVP numbers, but the Reds pitching staff has been the biggest strength so far this year. Cueto, Arroyo, Leake, Bailey, and Latos have pitched well and stayed healthy, which is a recipe for success. The bullpen, although it has struggled as of late, has been the best in the MLB.

San Francisco Giants: Matt Cain has become the ace of the five headed monster of a rotation. Lincecum has pitched very poorly, but has had some recent success. The Giants need some more help with the lineup, so look for them to be in the market for a big bat.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Whenever you have strong pitching and a couple of star position players, you have a shot to win. The Dodgers lineup is not very good, especially without Matt Kemp, but the MVP candidate will likely return right after the All-Star break. Dee Gordon has struggled to get on base, but his speed does wreak havoc. Kershaw is having another fine year, but the Dodgers need some assistance in the rotation. They could make a push for Cole Hamels if he becomes available.

Tier 2:

Atlanta Braves: The Braves may be the best organization in all of sports. Every single year they seem to be in contention in some form, and this year is no different. Atlanta needs an arm in the rotation, with Brandon Beachy out for the season with TJ surgery. The Braves offense has been very good, led by a resurgent Jason Heyward.

St. Louis Cardinals: Another great organization that puts a solid team out there every night. Mike Matheny’s ballclub were red hot in April, but have since cooled down. Carlos Beltran has been the steal of free agency thus far, as he’s knocked 20 homeruns in the first half of the year. The offense is the fourth best in all of baseball, which is crazy to think when you consider who they lost in the offseason. The Cardinals also need help in the rotation and bullpen, which will be an area they look at near the trade deadline.

Arizona Diamondbacks: The Diamondbacks are coming off a postseason appearance last year and they are finally playing better. They lost Daniel Hudson to injury, Ian Kennedy and Justin Upton have underperformed, but they are still in the thick of things out there in the NL West. They are playing mediocre baseball this year, but I expect them to start tearing it up in the next month or so. This team is young, but way too talented to be playing .500 baseball.

New York Mets: Here comes my bias. I believe this team has a shot, as do most die-hards. Some changes need to be made though, which could come very soon. The Mets need bullpen help desperately, as well as a right handed bat. The Mets could move Daniel Murphy, but I don’t see his value being high enough to garner any significant arms in the bullpen. They Mets might have to move one of their 2^nd or 3^rd tier prospects to get a Huston Street or a Brett Myers. The Mets could also promote some of their prospects, who seem to have futures in the MLB bullpen (Mejia and Familia).

Tier 3:

Miami Marlins: Miami went for a whole new look in the offseason, but the only noise that they’ve made has come out of Ozzie Guillen’s mouth. Heath Bell has been the worst signing of the offseason, while Jose Reyes still hasn’t picked up where he left off last year. This team has talent and could certainly get back into the picture, but I just don’t see how. They are just way too inconsistent.

Philadelphia Phillies: Sellers written all over them. 5 core players are on the wrong side of 30 and making a lot of money. The Phillies need to get healthy and trade some expiring contracts to get back some high-level prospects. It’ll be tough for Philly fans to swallow, but this team desperately needs to shed some of these high salaries this year.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Everybody fell in love with this team last July and then they had one of the worst second halves in all of baseball. Until they have a stopper in the rotation, I just can’t see this team as a legitimate 162 game team.

Miluwakee Brewers: Last but not least, the Brewers. Milwaukee’s pitching has not been pretty outside of Zack Grienke. Shaun Marcum has been just okay, while Randy Wolf and Yovani Gallardo have not pitched particularly well. The Brewers bullpen has not helped them out, while the offense is mediocre at best. Ryan Braun is shutting his “steroid” haters up, but he can’t do it all by himself.

The 2011-2012 offseason had a lot of noise, even though the Mets dropped about $50 million in payroll. Contracts of Jose Reyes, Oliver Perez, Carlos Beltran, Francisco Rodriguez, and Luis Castillo were finally off the books and the Mets saw their payroll shrink to about $91 million. This provided invaluable financial relief to a team that clearly needed to rebuild. The offseason brought in a few notable players, mostly in the bullpen. The Mets traded Angel Pagan for Ramon Ramirez and Andres Torres. Through free agency, they signed Frank Francisco and Jon Rauch. Finally, they added Ronny Cedeno and Omar Quintanilla in order to provide some middle infield depth.

Two and a half months have passed in this season and the Mets somehow are still in the playoff hunt. Led by All-Star Starter candidate R.A. Dickey and Johan Santana, the pitching rotation has taken form, despite the loss of Mike Pelfrey to Tommy John surgery. David Wright is a surefire All-Star as he’s hitting over .350. The Mets lead the MLB in 2-out runs which has fueled this team to improbable heights in the first half of the season. So now the question is, what do the Mets need to do to sustain this success?

Sustainability is not a word you hear much in baseball, but it’s one that is endearing to a General Manager. His goal will always be to field a winning team year after year. The Mets were able to accomplish that for a small stretch between 2006 and 2008, but to put together a team that can be successful for a longer period of time is crucial for a team that needs more revenue. The simple fix would be to go and get star talent, like the Mets did in 2005 with Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran; however, the Mets are not in position where they can add a ton of payroll. The Mets must build through their farm system and fill holes through free agency before they can afford the Albert Pujols’ and Prince Fielder’s of the world.

Sandy Alderson has done a tremendous job of staying patient and intelligent, without putting the future of this franchise in jeopardy. With Mejia, Familia, Wheeler, and Harvey down in AA and AAA, the Mets have four good to great pitching prospects that should be ready to help the Mets in the next two years. After the 2013 season, the Mets will likely recoup $40 million off their payroll (Santana and Bay). This is a HUGE amount of money that will allow the team to offer David Wright, Ike Davis, R.A. Dickey, Lucas Duda, Ruben Tejada, and Josh Thole some formidable offers to remain on the team. The Mets’ are clearly rebuilding, but they are winning. It’s the best of both worlds.

The Mets need bullpen help and that is a position which should come fairly cheap in today’s market. Alderson will not give up any of his Tier 1 or 2 prospects, because he values the farm system as much as any other GM in the MLB. He knows that the chances of the Mets reaching the postseason this year are low, but he does want to make sure that he gives the team a chance. If this team plays meaningful games in September, the stadium will be packed and his Owner will be happy. It’s as simple as that. The only problem is that he wants to keep winning and making a crazy trade with some of his prospects will not make it easier to achieve that goal.

So what should the Mets do this trade deadline? Here is what I think:

• Move Reese Havens for a Reliever – this is somewhat contradictory to what I said Alderson is thinking, but Havens simply has not been the player that the Mets envisioned him to be. He has struggled to stay healthy and he’s hitting .204 as a 25 year old in AA. He’s also taking up a valuable spot on the 40 man roster.
• Move Daniel Murphy to a strict platoon with Ronny Cedeno. This is basically already happening, but Murphy is just in a funk. He hasn’t hit well in a month and it’s time to take a step back and let him get comfortable again. Cedeno has hit better as of late and is a much better defensive player.
• Bring back Manny Acosta – before you scream at the possibility, Acosta has a 1.54 ERA in AAA, with 11 K’s in 11 2/3 innings with 0 BB. He’s doing something right down there and it might be time to give him another chance.
• Give Jason Bay one more opportunity as Full-Time LF- This would create a platoon in CF with Torres and Kirk, but Bay looks to be on his way back from the concussion. He is symptom free and could be back in the next couple weeks, which would be very encouraging for his long-term health. Bay has one thing working for him that others on the team can’t really offer: right handedness. He simply has to be that bat in between Duda and Davis that poses a threat to left-handed pitchers.

These are just a few of my thoughts, what would you do to try and fix this team?