Wile there was a halfhearted attempt made in trading for Justin Upton or signing free agent Michael Bourn, readers here will remember my warnings that neither situation was to be taken very seriously and was simply intended to provide a fan base that is losing interest with some faint hope.

Incidentally, tonight we’ll find out the name of that 11th overall pick that was deemed untouchable during their pursuit of the bonafide leadoff hitter and gold glove center fielder they so desperately needed. While Bourn is batting .301 with a .346 on-base for the Indians this season, while Mets leadoff hitters are batting a combined .219 this season. Leadoff hitter? What leadoff hitter?

Two weeks ago, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney listed the Mets among seven teams that would be a potential suitor for Andre Ethier, if the Dodgers choose to move him this summer.

“If the Dodgers decide to simply bite down and eat a whole bunch of Ethier’s deal,” he writes. “Then the list of potential suitors will grow and the New York Mets should be in the market for major league outfielders.”

Easier said than done. Money isn’t the only thing that has been holding back the Mets, as they’ve yet to show any willingness to use their surplus of your right-handed pitching prospects to shore up a huge organizational need.

According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, rival executives say the Dodgers will need to absorb at least half of Ethier’s contract, or take back an equally bad contract, if they want to find a trade for their outfielder.

As of today, Ethier is owed about $80 million on the five-year deal he signed less than a year ago — mid-June of last year.

2013: $13.5 million
2014: $15.5 million
2015: $18 million
2016: $18 million
2017: $17.5 million
2018: A $2.5 million buyout on a $17.5 million vesting option.

We’ve been talking about the Mets need to trade from their strength for over a year now. So far, there has been no inclination to do that even though there is no help on the way.

Ethier might be a decent start for the Mets, but they can’t just stop there.

Updated Post 6/4 at 9:10 PM:

ESPN has included the names of the other 20 players believed to potentially be facing MLB discipline, and Mets top-hitting prospect Cesar Puello as well as Ex-Met Fernando Martinez are among those included.

In addition to A-Rod, Braun, Puello and Martinez, Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon, Yasmani Grandal, Nelson Cruz, Francisco Cervelli, Jesus Montero, Jhonny Peralta, Everth Cabrera, Fautini de los Santos, Jordan Norberto have all been named by Quinn as those who MLB will be targeting among others.

Quinn explains that several players are either “identified by code names” or their names appear in “other documents not obtained by ‘Outside the Lines.’”

Original Post 6/4 at 8:19 PM:

Major League Baseball will look to suspend a slew of players in connection with the Miami-based Biogenesis clinic that is at the core of a performance-enhancing drug scandal says T.J. Quinn of ESPN’s “Outside The Lines”.

Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun are said to headline the group that MLB is targeting for what is believed to be for 100-game suspensions. The two names mentioned in the report in A-Rod and Braun are said to be potentially facing such harsh penalties not only due to their accused connection to clinic founder Tony Bosch, but also lying about PED use.

Bosch has agreed to cooperate with MLB’s investigation, and is supposed to be meeting with officials and “naming names” within the week.

Quinn goes on to say that MLB has had documents connection the 20 names to the clinic, however without a sworn statement from Bosch, the papers are nothing more than a “roadmap” and not enough to dish out suspensions. Under “pressure of lawsuit and possible investigation”, Bosch agreed to cooperate and is expected to release more names than the 20 found by MLB.

Quinn states on Twitter and in his ESPN report that announcements of suspensions could come in as soon as two weeks.

Bosch expected to meet MLB officials within the week. Suspensions could follow within two weeks, although most players certain to appeal.

— T.J. Quinn (@TJQuinnESPN) June 4, 2013

Gio Gonzalez is not included because although he had previous connections to Bosch, he only purchased legal substances from the now infamous clinic.

Keep it locked as we will have more on this breaking story as it develops…

Starting Lineup

1. Ruben Tejada, SS
2. Daniel Murphy, 2B
3. David Wright, 3B
4. Lucas Duda, LF
5. John Buck, C
6. Rick Ankiel, CF
7. Ike Davis, 1B
8. Mike Baxter, RF
9. Jonathon Niese, P

Game Notes

According to Mark Simon of ESPN, Shaun Marcum is the third pitcher to have a 12-strikeout, no-walk game in which he got a no-decision this season. The other two are his teammate, Matt Harvey, and Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez.

Ike Davis had a walk and two hits, including the game-winning two-run single in last night’s win. It was Davis’ first hit with a runner in scoring position since April 19, snapping a stretch in which he was 0-for-26 in those situations. The two hits raised his batting average to .158 for the season.

Lucas Duda had three hits last night including a solo home run against Braves starter Julio Teheran in the fourth innings. It was the ninth homer of season for Duda, who now has a 10-game hitting streak and has raised his average to .242 for the season.

Sandy Alderson had high praise for Yankees GM Brian Cashman whose team is in first place and has gotten great contributions from many of his scrapheap signings. ”They’ve continued to play well in spite of their injuries,” Sandy Alderson said. “They’ve gotten tremendous contributions from many of the players whom they acquired late in spring training or early in the season. You have to admire that. It’s shone a different light on the Yankees and the Yankees franchise what Brian Cashman has been able to do there.” Cashman’s hands were tied this offseason as the owners mandated that he reduce payroll. His signings and trade acquisitions are a big reason the Yankees are in first place despite injuries to Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and others.

Mariano Rivera should make his final appearance ever at Citi Field as the Mets take on the Yankees this week. The Mets plan to honor Rivera with a video tribute before the game on Tuesday. Rivera has 20 regular-season saves in 22 chances against the Mets. His 91 percent conversion rate is third-best among the 17 pitchers with at least 20 save chances against the Mets.

Relievers Scott Atchison (disabled list on May 14 with elbow inflammation) and Jeurys Familia (DL on May 9, biceps tendinitis) each pitched one scoreless rehab inning Saturday for High-A St. Lucie. One more for Atchison could get him back to the Mets while Familia likely goes to Triple-A Las Vegas.

Subway Series Game Preview

It’s rivalry week where most teams are playing their Interleague partner. Of course it feels different this year as there is always an interleague series happening and one rivalry pair (Houston/Texas) is no longer interleague so they aren’t playing right now. Anyway, the Mets won last night and look to continue that into a long streak to reverse the direction the team is moving. Tonight Jon Niese takes on the Yankees and Phil Hughes.

Jon Niese is 3-5 over 10 games this season while pitching 54.1 innings and a 4.80 ERA. In his last 13.0 innings of work he has allowed only 2 ER (although thanks to the Mets defense its 5 runs). Last year he faced the Yankees twice where he allowed 4 runs, 2 earned over 13.1 innings while striking out 11 batters. The Yankees have the following numbers against Niese:

Cano 4-9, 2B
Nix 2-4
Boesch 2-2, HR
Hafner 1-2
Wells 2-3

The Mets bats will get a crack at Phil Hughes today who is 2-3 over 9 games this season over 47.1 innings while posting a 5.51 ERA. His last start (6.0 innings, 2 ER) is went much better than the start before that where he allowed 7 ER in 0.2 innings which was on the heels of a 5.2 inning 6 ER game. Last year he allowed 2 ER against the Mets in a 6.2 inning outing. The Mets have the following numbers against Phil:

Buck 2-7, HR
Davis 1-5
Wright 3-9, HR
Murphy 0-5
Byrd 0-3
Ankiel 2-2, HR

Lets Go Mets!

Because of Murphy’s high on-base percentage, batting him leadoff is something I have advocated, and I’m glad Terry Collins was thinking outside the box enough to make the move.

“He gets on base, because he can hit,’’ Collins told ESPN.com. “And, when he’s swinging good, he can get some walks. We’ve got to get some people on ahead of David [Wright]. That’s for sure.’’Notice how Collins didn’t mention getting on base ahead of Ike Davis, but I guess he couldn’t say that with a straight face.

Murphy is the seventh Met to hit leadoff this young season, and of the previous six, is there one who you can note with conviction that will be here next year?

Ruben Tejada (12 times), Jordany Valdespin(10), Mike Baxter (eight), Collin Cowgill (seven),Justin Turner (two) and Kirk Nieuwenhuis (one) have all appeared without much success at the top or the order. Mets leadoff hitters have hit a major league low .179 with a 29^th ranked .238 on-base percentage.

Collins was non-committal on how long he’ll use Murphy leading off, but considering he’s a .300 hitter with a .337 on-base percentage, he doesn’t have better options.

With their leadoff hitters and Davis, the Mets have two slots in the batting order hitting less than .200, and overall they have four positions in their regular lineup hitting below .240.

Collins thought about Murphy hitting first during spring training, but then he had to come up with a center fielder and decide what to do with Tejada. Meanwhile, Murphy, because of his willingness to take a pitch, also seemed suited to hitting second.

“I thought about it in spring training, to be honest, whether or not to lead Murph off,’’ Collins said. “We’ll just see how it goes. It might be something we’ve certainly got to consider as we get deeper into the season, because he can hit.

“He gets on base. If he does that, certainly we’ve got to keep our options open with Murph being the leadoff hitter.’’

Murphy hitting first seems the way to go for now, but slotting him there doesn’t alleviate all of Collins’ concerns. Rick Ankiel can be an answer defensively in center field, but the outfield remains subpar.

The Mets now need a No. 2 hitter, but because Tejada insists on hitting fly balls, he’s not an ideal fit there.

Let’s face it, currently Murphy and Wright are the only hitters in the lineup who are reliable.

Come on, admit it… At one time or another you made a joke about Daniel Murphy at second base since the day he took over the position once Jose Reyes was not re-signed and Ruben Tejada slid over to shortstop.

Was the criticism harsh and often times deserved? Maybe… Maybe not… Ok, yes it was…

But seeing is believing and when I mentioned how much better Murphy has been defensively a couple of weeks ago on Twitter, you all know you’ve seen the dramatic improvement as well. He has been passing the eye test.

So enter ESPN’s resident Mets historian and statistical guru Mark Simon, who wrote an interesting post yesterday about the porous Mets defense overall this season.

Hidden within that gem of an article, I found this:

Daniel Murphy has been the Mets’ most improved defensive player. He was charged with -11 Defensive Runs Saved last season, but is holding steady at a major-league average of zero Defensive Runs Saved through 240 innings in 2013.

The biggest difference for Murphy has been in how he converts the double play. Last season, he converted only 13 of his first 30 attempts (43 percent) as either relay man or pivot man. This season, he’s 24-of-35 (68 percent).

If other Mets could show the improvement that Murphy has, it would go a long way in making them a better team.

Wow, how amazing is that?

I’M FINALLY WITH 28!

Harvey, 24, had his second consecutive scintillating start in a row on Monday evening, holding the Phillies to just one run and three hits over seven innings of work. The righthander struck out nine and now has 19 strikeouts in 14 innings.

The seventh overall pick in the 2010 draft is tearing down long-standing records for pitchers who are breaking into the majors and after 12 starts he even had the great Doctor K himself saying, “I am sitting here watching Matt Harvey… this kid is better than advertised … looking forward to watching him every 5th day.”

One thing I found impressive came from former major leaguer turned ESPN analyst Doug Glanville say, “He has four plus pitches – make that plus, plus pitches. And even if he only has three of them working he’s going to pitch a great game. Even if he has just two of the working, he’s going pitch a good game.”

Manager Terry Collins kind of backed that up after the game, “Obviously he wasn’t real sharp, but he was still very good,” Collins said. “The fact that the change-up has helped him. He threw some very good breaking balls today. He just wasn’t as sharp with the command of his fastball…It just tells you what the quality stuff can do and when you make a pitch you have to make, you get people out.”

Can Matt Harvey become the best pitcher the Mets have developed since – well since – Dwight Gooden?

I’m starting to believe that it’s certainly a possibility. He may be the best pitcher a Mets GM has drafted since Frank Cashen took selected Gooden fifth overall in 1981. That was six general managers and 32 years ago.

Is it too early to make such a claim? Maybe. But I’ll stick to my guns and wait ten years to see if I was right.

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, does a fine job of explaining why the Mets chose not to insure Johan Santana’s contract.

The Mets will be on the hook for the remaining $31 million owed to Johan Santana because they did not insure the contract.  Why?

As premiums have skyrocketed because of escalating salaries and past payouts — such as the bailout when Mo Vaughn was owed $17 million and could not play for the Mets in 2004 — the organization began more often “self-insuring” its larger contracts than seeking outside coverage. In essence, the Mets chose to create a rainy-day fund available so that the organization would not be crippled financially by the loss of a key player due to injury.

It saves potentially a $2 million insurance premium per year to protect a contract, although the amount annually paid to an insurance company naturally decreases as the years on the contract elapse — like you’d pay less to an insurance company on a car as the years go by and the vehicle is worth less.

Across baseball, outside insurance has “declined tremendously,” according to one baseball official.

Santana was self-insured by the Mets, whereas the Mets contracts for Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, Tom Glavine and Mike Piazza’s were insured externally during their Mets days as well. David Wright’s last contract also was insured externally.

You can read the rest of the article including all the details here.

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York writes:

In desperate need of clearing several spots, the Mets have put out word to other teams that they are interested in moving non-core prospects on the 40-man roster.

Among those available via trade: Gonzalez Germen, Darin Gorski, Reese Havens, Juan Lagares, Cesar Puello, Elvin Ramirez and Hansel Robles.

That is based on the assumption that  Omar Quintanilla, Aaron Laffey, Marlon Byrd, LaTroy Hawkins and Scott Atchison have all made the team, and nobody at this point believes they haven’t.

Any prospects cut from the 40-man roster will have to pass through waivers and there could be some casualties.

Also, regarding Puello, Andy Martino reminds us:

Cesar Puello is among Mets possibly at risk to be taken off 40.If that happens, no longer protected by union re: Biogenesis.

— Andy Martino (@MartinoNYDN) March 26, 2013

Well, we all knew this was coming after all those minor league deals we signed this offseason…

With their second, second-round pick (75th overall) in this year’s First Year Player Draft, the Mets selected RHP Teddy Stankiewicz, an 18-year-old pitcher from Fort Worth, Texas. Stankiewicz went 12-2 with a 1.35 ERA this season, having struck out 135 batters in 93 1/3 innings. He was committed to Arkansas, one of the nation’s best baseball programs.

Though disappointed, Arkansas was certain that they were going to lose Stankiewicz, who was the highest signee taken in the draft that was committed to them. “The Fort Worth, Texas native is expected to sign a professional contract”, they said.

On Day Three of the Draft, Mets VP of Player Development and Scouting Paul DePodesta, raved about getting Teddy Stankiewicz who the Mets heavily scouted according to what a source told me. ”He really has excellent ability and command of his stuff,” DePodesta said. “He has some velocity, and a quality breaking pitch to go along with it.”

There were many experts on Draft Day who raved about Stankiewicz, in fact, Jonathan Mayo said he didn’t think the Mets would be able to sign the talented right-hander, who he called a high-ceiling pick who could get drafted a lot higher in the future and everybody knows it. “It was a tremendous pick for the Mets, especially if they could sign him, Mayo said. “He’s a Major League starter in the making.”

Razorback head coach Dave Van Horn was thrilled the Mets couldn’t seal the deal with Stankiewicz, ”Teddy’s fastball usually sits 90-93 with movement and he can really locate,” Horn said. “He’s very polished for his age. We’re hoping to get him to campus and he’ll have a chance to get in the rotation early and be a contributor right away.”

So what happened, what went wrong?

Did the Mets run out of money or cap room? 

No they didn’t. According to Baseball America’s Jim Callis, the Mets came in under budget by $866K after the signing deadline passed, and they could have spent as high as $1.223 million without incurring any penalty under the new CBA.

Was Teddy Stankiewicz’s demands too exorbitant?

The answer to that is not at all. According to what a family source commented to us last week, the difference between signing Stankiewicz or not came down to $80,000 dollars. The family was merely looking for him to get the slot amount of $680,400, but the Mets were unwilling to go a penny more than $600,040 dollars for their No. 75 overall pick. “The Mets offer was less than slot”, Chris Stankiewicz said. “Even though slot would have gotten it done. It was disappointing because he was very excited about being a a New York Met.” One more thing I think is important to note. The telephone never rang on deadline day (Friday the 13th), the Mets in fact confirmed that there were no last minute offers made to Stankiewicz or any other unsigned selections.

Was this the second round pick from the Marlins that we got for losing Jose Reyes?

Not exactly. The Mets had two second round selections, pick No. 71 which they used to select another Razorback, third baseman Matt Reynolds, and of course pick No. 75 which they used on Stankiewicz. It could have easily been the other way around, and according to comments made by Paul DePodesta, “We loved the Arkansas kids. They have a great program and know talent when they see it.”  In an interview with ESPN’s Adam Rubin, DePodesta offered some consolation saying that the organization will have an extra pick in next year’s draft. The Mets will get the No. 76 pick next year for failing to sign Stankiewicz. Still, when the Mets lost Reyes, it was DePo who was quick to remind us about getting the Marlins’ second round pick (their first round pick was protected) and later added that this year’s draft class was loaded with talent and some exciting pitching prospects. Stankiewicz was the first pitcher the Mets selected in the draft.

That was what I wrote almost nine months ago, and the reason I bring it up is because Keith Law of ESPN caught up with Teddy Stankiewicz this week and said that Stanky has probably set himself up to be selected higher in this year’s draft – courtesy of the Mets.

Stankiewicz pitched in a scrimmage against a lineup of Texas Rangers A-ball kids that included prospects Jorge Alfaro and Jairo Beras, throwing well despite getting zero help from his defense. Stankiewicz pitched from 91-96 mph with fringy command, mostly 92-94 in the first with the range expanding as the outing went on. He showed a curve, slider and change, nothing above-average, with good depth on the slow curveball (70-73 mph) and slight fade on the change, plus what I believe was an attempted cutter at 89.

Stankiewicz stands 6-foot-4 and has a very high leg kick, getting his knee up near his shoulder while extending his leg outward, but then he sacrifices his height as he drops down to drive forward. He takes a long stride toward the plate, although his arm is late relative to his front leg and he doesn’t turn his pitching hand over until pretty late in the delivery. There’s also some head violence in the delivery after the release, not severe but enough that some teams will downgrade him for it. His arm is quick and he’s athletic enough that a good development team could probably tidy up the arm swing enough to send him out as a starter.

I thought some of you might be interested in this recent update…

“Manager Terry Collins has done an admirable job trying to put lipstick on a pig with his job fate hanging the balance, but there are alarming early signs this is going to be an abysmal year for the Mets…”

Rubin goes on to criticize many aspects of this season’s roster, to include the outfield, the bullpen, the bench and to a lesser extent even the team’s starting rotation.  Ultimately, however, it is this declaration that did him no favors in the eyes of those who are upset about the piece:

“I have yet to find a scout who will declare the Mets appreciably better than the Marlins, who underwent their latest fire sale.”

You can call Adam Rubin many things (and most people do), but you can’t call him a homer.  Having worked the Mets beat for the past decade he has covered all the highs and lows of both the Omar Minaya and Sandy Alderson era.  Such experience should leave him well-qualified to give his opinion on the matter.  However his best quality, which, in my opinion, is his availability to the fans as not only the most widely known beat writer, but also one of the most accessible on Twitter, also leaves him square in the bulls-eye of a fanbase scorn.

Rubin’s article claims that Mets “need to look in the mirror,” with regards to how they’ve handle injuries in recent years.  I would contest that many Mets fans need to do the same.  The contents of this very blunt interpretation of the upcoming season doesn’t differ much from the majority of blog posts and tweets that have filled social media over the offseason.  The fact of the matter is that there is a lot of truth in Rubin’s determination that this season’s outfield may be laughable, he is accurate in stating that the rotation could quickly become a concern if Johan Santana and/or Shaun Marcum aren’t ready, and he is dead to rights correct that the Mets will once again field a team with little to no depth at many positions.

As the phrase goes, if you’re a real Mets fan,”Ya Gotta Believe.”  That should be no different this season.  But let’s not completely ignore the facts, especially for the sole reason that those facts are coming from the source you love to hate.

The Mets have issues. You know it. I know it. And you best believe the guy who has been covering the team for the past decade from the locker room knows it.

Rubin, just like his employer at ESPN, often deserves his criticism, but this time isn’t one of them.  The Mets aren’t poised to contend.  Don’t reject that notion just because someone from the inside, who you happen to dislike, sees the same things most of you have been complaining about all winter.

Follow me on Twitter at @RobPatterson83.  If your daring enough, you can also follow Adam at AdamRubinESPN.

Updated by HoJo on 2/24

Pedro Feliciano will be shut down for at least two weeks from baseball activity while he wears a heart monitor while the team doctors continue to monitor could be a potentially serious heart condition,

It’s not exactly clear if Feliciano has a hole in his heart or even if that’s the cause of his irregular heartbeat. The next two weeks will help doctors come to a more exact diagnosis of the problem.

“He has a heart condition that could possibly be very serious,” Terry Collins said. “That’s why while we are waiting for further results. He is not to be on the field.”

Feliciano, 36, was expected to be the second lefthanded reliever in the Mets bullpen this season along with sophomore Josh Edgin. But this situation could open things up for some of the other southpaws in camp like Scott Rice, Robert Carson and Aaron Laffey.

We’re all keeping Pedro in our thoughts and prayers with the hope that this is nothing serious and that he can get back on a mound again as soon as he can.

Original Post 2/23

Mets lefty reliever Pedro Feliciano is being shut down due to heart-related issues, according to Marc Carig of Newsday. Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, says that there is a “small hole” near the outside of Feliciano’s heart, but it does not appear to be life threatening.

The southpaw does not believe the issue to be serious, but as a precaution he will be fitted for a heart monitor. A timetable for his return to baseball-related activities has not been determined at this time.

We will continue to update you as more information is released.

Mark Simon did a piece on ESPN New York yesterday which ranked the top five infields in the team’s history, as well as the top five outfields. His rankings were pretty solid, although he had the 1999 Mets outfield ranked as No. 5 snubbing a very solid 2006 outfield.  Let’s be honest, 2006 was more deserving of the No. 5 spot. Just as a reminder, that 2006 Mets team had Carlos Beltran, Cliff Floyd, Endy Chavez and Xavier Nady.

However, when looking at Simon’s rankings you can only come to one conclusion–the Mets have never been known for dynamite outfields.

Having an outfield ranked as the fifth best in team history that included the likes of Benny Agbayani, Roger Cedeno, an aging Rickey Henderson and Darryl Hamilton, with a sprinkle of Shawon Dunston, is proof positive that the Mets were never known for solid outfields.

It’s funny how some things change over time, but some things stay the same.

The Mets once again find themselves in a position to not only keep the tradition alive, but could quite possibly be putting the worst outfield that they have ever had in their history on the field in 2013.

The Mets have had solid outfielders through the years, but aside from a few teams, never had an outfield worth bragging about. Maybe it’s because the outfielders that they draft never seem to pan out–not since the 1980s anyway. The Mets often find their better outfield talent in the free agent market.

Here are some names of outfielders that the Mets have drafted that turned out to be absolute busts: Lastings Milledge, Jason Tyner, Alfred Shirley, Christopher Roberts and Robert Stratton. All of those picks were first round selections by the Mets, which brings us to the next point.

When looking up and down at the Mets’ first round selections since 1990, less than ten of those picks lived up to their first round pick status. Actually, one could argue that it’s less than five.

Here is the list of Mets first round picks that have made an impact at the major league level: Jeromy Burnitz, Preston Wilson, Scott Kazmir, Philip Humber, Ike Davis and Matt Harvey.

After looking at that list, you will notice that Burnitz, Wilson, Kazmir and Humber were all drafted by the Mets, but spent the majority of their careers with teams other than the Mets. And Humber probably wouldn’t have even made the list if not for throwing a perfect game in 2012. Harvey and Davis have barely spent enough time at the major league level to guarantee them not to be busts (although it certainly looks as if they won’t be).

Why is this important?

This is exactly why the Mets should not let a first round pick come between themselves, and getting an impact player like Michael Bourn to play in the outfield. It boils down to the simple fact that these first round draft picks that are treated like a bottle of water in the desert, turn out to be more of a bust than a boom the majority of the time.

Giving up the pick isn’t the end of the world. The Mets will be able to save the money that they would potentially be wasting by paying a first round draft pick millions of dollars before he ever steps foot on a professional baseball field. They can do that, and then improve the outfield at the same time. That’s smart.

Now the question is are the Mets willing to pay the price for a player that they can build their outfield around? Or is this just Sandy playing the part of One-Eyed Willie from the Goonies with another one of his tricks? Either way, the Mets shouldn’t let the loss of the first round pick get in their way. Maybe it’s time to start changing history.

ESPN’s Jim Bowden presented five potential trades for David Wright if the Mets are unable to work out an extension, stating that the negotiations so far have been “slow and grinding.”

Hold up for a minute.

Let’s all be a little bit more patient with all this. The World Series ended less than four days ago.

Of course, there’s also a sense of urgency when negotiating with a star player. But before we fly off the deep end, at least the team has somewhat begun contract negotiations – unlike last year at this time with Jose Reyes.

If the Mets do decide to trade Wright this offseason, they would need to be blown out of the water by a potential package, which would have to include at least two-three Major League ready players or prospects.

This wouldn’t be the type of trade in which the Mets get a handful of promising low-level prospects who have the potential to pan out. You can’t trade the face of your franchise for prospect potential.

The players the Mets would receive would have to be significant contributors to the 2013 roster or, at the very least, be on the horizon for 2014.

Looking at Bowden’s proposed trades, some of them would be interesting. The Mets of course would look to acquire a young third baseman to replace Wright as well as either an outfielder or starting pitcher.

Boston’s Will Middlebrooks or Kansas City’s Mike Moustakos could fill in immediately. Of course, these guys aren’t David Wright but potentially develop into a similar-type player.

And imagine if the Diamondbacks would be willing to part with Trevor Bauer. Bauer, Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler in the same rotation…that could be scary.

Peter Bourjos would have an immediate impact in the Mets decimated outfield, and he’s expendable with the emergence of Mike Trout.

But of all the teams Bowden listed, it would really be a stretch for a deal to be made. The Angels are in search of pitching as are the Royals. It would be strange for the D’backs to commit to Wright long-term when they’re looking to trade Justin Upton. And the Rangers have Adrian Beltre locked up at third.

The Red Sox would make the most sense, especially since they cleared payroll with the summer’s blockbuster trade with the Dodgers. They also could use a new beginning after a terrible season.

The majority of Mets fans want to keep Wright, but if a trade is the only option, the team better get several quality players back in return.

During last night’s ESPN telecast of the Mets victory over the Braves, the announcers mentioned that the Mets have several “building blocks” but also several “question marks.”

At this point, the question marks far outweigh the building blocks, which is why the team has had moments of mediocrity this season.

There is still a month and half to play, but barring a miracle, the Mets would be wise to start turning their focus to next season.

I’ve compiled a breakdown of who fits the bill of a “building block” and who fits into the category of “question marks.”

BUILDING BLOCKS

David Wright: Yes, he’s in a bit of a cold streak, but even with that streak, he’s still hitting .320. The Mets must lock him up this offseason to a long-term deal. It would be painful watching him suit up for another team if a deal can’t be worked out. If the Sandy Alderson regime is remembered for doing anything, it better be renewing Wright’s contract.

R.A. Dickey: It’s strange to classify a 37-year-old as a building block, but Dickey fits the bill. He’s a legitimate Cy Young contender this year. He may have an occasionally poor start, but he’s been consistent, which is exactly what the Mets need.

Ruben Tejada: Both offensively and defensively, Tejada has been a diamond in the rough. He’s definitely a player the Mets will look to build around.

Ike Davis: Forget the slow start for a minute. Ike has great power potential and is still growing as a player. Hopefully, experiencing his early season slump will motivate him to never allow himself to go through that kind of stretch again.

Jon Niese: Not only is Niese locked up to a contract anyway, but he’s also begun to show his potential. He’ll put together a string of great starts and then look lost in other starts. He needs to be consistent like Dickey, and he’ll be a mainstay in the rotation.

Daniel Murphy: Murph has really silenced the critics who said he would be a butcher defensively. He’s been a solid fielder — not necessarily a Gold Glover, but a more than capable defender. Despite a midseason slump, he’s swinging the bat like the Murphy we know. Definitely a building block, but more of a role player.

Jordany Valdespin: The only way we are going to see what he can do is to see him everyday. Frankly, I’d like to see more of him in center field. He has the tools, but he now just needs the drive.

Lucas Duda: For some reason, I have a good feeling about Duda. He probably felt somewhat embarrassed being sent down after being with the big club for a year. Even if he turns into an Adam Dunn-type player, that wouldn’t be so bad, would it? Dunn strikes out a ton and hits for a low average, but he consistently hits home runs, drives in runs and draws walks.

Matt Harvey: A few very good starts from the youngster, but of course he gets no run support. He’ll likely be the fourth or fifth starter for next season.

Dillon Gee: Hoping for a swift recovery for Gee. He has turned himself into a capable back-of-the-rotation option.

Mike Baxter and Josh Edgin: I’d love to see these two guys with the team next year. Baxter is a solid fourth outfielder/pinch hitting option, and other than a few poor outings, Edgin has been a reliable reliever.

This is actually a significant amount of building blocks. Of course, many are nice role players, but you still need them to form a team. Now onto the question marks.

QUESTION MARKS

Johan Santana: Did the no-hitter negatively affect him? Probably not, but of course everybody points to that 134-pitch performance as the reason for his ineffectiveness. Maybe with Dickey stepping up this year, much of the pressure will be off Santana to be the staff ace. Still, the Mets need Santana to be consistently effective. They’re paying him a lot of money right now to be a sub-.500 pitcher. Big question mark.

Jason Bay: It’s looking like Bay is going to be on the roster next season, Mets fans, so get used to it. Maybe he’ll figure it out, maybe he won’t, but he’ll be given every chance to success (or fail). Maybe a Bay/Baxter platoon in left field, or even a Bay/Valdespin platoon would work. There has to be some sort of cutoff point though for Bay. If he’s hitting .150 by the All-Star break next year, it really is time to cut ties — and even that timeframe is being generous.

Bobby Parnell: Consistency, consistency, consistency. Parnell has the stuff to be a closer in this league, but he lacks consistency, which has been his downfall this season. The Mets will need him to be one of their main contributors next year out of the bullpen, so hopefully he can figure out how to be consistent.

The rest of the bullpen: Once again, expect much turnover in the Mets bullpen. I wouldn’t mind seeing Frank Francisco back, but not as the closer. Maybe through the trade, the Mets can bring in a legitimate closer. Don’t know who, but if money is again going to be tight, trades may be the only option. Maybe we’ll see Jenrry Mejia in next year’s bullpen. Even Manny Acosta has looked decent since being recalled. But again, the bullpen is a major question mark for this team.

Catcher: It’s time the Mets got some offensive production from the catcher’s position. It would be one thing is Josh Thole was leading the league in throwing out runners, but he isn’t. Here’s another spot where maybe a trade comes into play.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis: Kirk had the inside track to being the 2013 Mets starting center fielder, but then he fell flat. His strikeout pace was ridiculous. Like Duda, maybe getting sent down will light a fire under him for next season. He’s hurt now, so spring training will be big for him. He’s fantastic defensively, but he needs to get his swing in order.

Zack Wheeler: Only put on the question mark list since it will be a much-debated question about how the Mets will utilize him. It’s super unlikely that he makes a start this September. Maybe the Mets bring him up midseason next year like they did with Harvey this year. If there is a competition for the fifth starter, he’ll likely be in it. Best bet though, start the season in the minors. If the team isn’t going to be significantly improved, there’s no point in rushing Wheeler.

So there you have it. At a quick glance, it seems there are more building blocks that questions marks. The problem is that the magnitude of the question marks (Santana, Bay, bullpen) far outweighs that of the building blocks.

Patience might be the only answer to deal with the question marks.

Here’s what Adam Rubin of EspnNewYork reported on Davis:

[blackbirdpie id="89474175135260672"]

According to SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt this is what he had to say on Davis:

[blackbirdpie id="89171076910813184"]

And finally, Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated who pointed it that this work will help the Mets and Davis determine whether season ending surgery can be avoided or not:

[blackbirdpie id="89449027363545088"]

Going forward this may not mean much at all, but this will certainly be a positive factor on deciding whether or not the 2^nd year talent will need season ending ankle surgery or not.

This could be the first step in a line a few steps in getting the services of Davis back at some point in 2011. If the Mets can continue to remain in the National League’s Wildcard race somehow, someway, imagine the lineup the Mets could throw out there every day down the stretch.

Combined with a return of a healthy David Wright and Jose Reyes, the Mets would no doubt boast one of the National League’s most feared lineups.

A lineup that would consist of leadoff man Jose Reyes, Angel Pagan, Carlos Beltran, Ike Davis, David Wright and Jason Bay would certainly be as formidable as any in the game, something the Mets environed early on in the season.

In just 36 games played this year, Davis is batting .302 with seven home runs and 25 RBI. Those seven home runs are still second on the team, despite Davis being out nearly two months.

Here’s just a small part of today’s review…

August marked only the third time in the last 20 seasons that the Mets had a calendar month in which they averaged fewer than three-runs-per-game. The other two: August of 1991, which marked the beginning of the end of the Mets run of success that spanned the previous seven seasons, and September, 2003, the end of a disastrous season in which little went right.

The Mets didn’t have a player reach the 10-RBI mark for the month this season until Angel Pagan did on August’s next-to-last day. They hit below .235 for the second straight month, finishing with a slashline of .233/.303/.329. At least they’re not the 1963 Mets, who went sub-.235 in four straight months.

Any way you spin the numbers, they’re pretty grim (we joked last week with someone that R.A. Dickey, now 4-for-12 with runners in scoring position this season, might be the most dangerous hitter on the team).

There were some positives that the Mets could take out of August, and Simon points them out as well. If ESPN New York isn’t already a part of your daily Mets routine on the web, it should be.

He did not specify where he would be going other than that he would still be covering the Mets in some form.

Today, Pich communicated with Rubin via email and was told that he will be joining ESPNNewYork.com, which will go online in about two weeks.

Over the past couple of years, Rubin has been noted for his incredible analysis of the New York Mets organization. Last year, Rubin made headlines for getting into a very public spat with General Manager Omar Minaya during a press conference.

Rubin has always been supportive of the Mets blogging community and has done interviews with Mets Merized Online on numerous occasions.

Best of luck to Adam on the next chapter of his career!

Jenrry Mejia #23

Wilmer Flores #41

Ike Davis #64 - Davis’ mediocre debut in 2008 turned out to be a red herring, as he finished his first full season in 2009 in Double-A and isn’t far from reaching the majors. He has raw power, especially dead pull power, and showed that he can murder a fastball and lay off a lot of pitches out of the zone against right-handed pitchers. On the downside, Davis doesn’t hit left-handed pitching at all, and even against right-handers struggles to recognize off-speed stuff. He’s a reasonably good athlete who can handle first base and actually has a plus arm — he was 92-94 mph as a reliever in college — although that’s less relevant at the position. A full year in Double-A/Triple-A to work on pitch recognition and on improving his approach against left-handers is probably critical for his future as an everyday player, but he has a chance to be an above-average one if he can shed the “platoon player” tag with more reps.

Fernando Martinez #73 - Martinez has one of the biggest drops of anyone on this list (from last year’s list), but I’m not down on Martinez’s offensive potential — the ball still comes off his bat incredibly well, comparable to Starlin Castro, who sits in the Top 25 of this list because of that skill — and I could have left Martinez in the Top 25 and justified it. The problems with “F-Mart,” aside from the fact that Mets fans decided to give him a nickname more appropriate for a farm-equipment discount store, aren’t about baseball skills. He continues to have trouble staying healthy, and there’s a real risk of Chris Snelling disease here, with lack of playing time limiting his development; he’s never had more than 400 plate appearances in any season, and even including winter ball this offseason, when he was just back from knee surgery, he had fewer than 300 PAs in ‘09. Martinez has also had his work ethic and conditioning called into question, including a visible lack of effort more than once at the big league level last year. Very few players can coast to major league stardom on talent alone, and Martinez needs to grow up — he’s still just 21 years old — to turn himself into an elite corner-outfield bat. (It looks like Martinez has exactly 45 days on the Mets’ active roster, which would make him eligible for the Rookie of the Year award in 2010, as well as for this list. If he had just one more day on the active roster, he’d no longer be eligible.)

Law also lists his version of the top ten prospects in the Mets organization, which he ranked #15 overall last week.

1.Jenrry Mejia
2.Wilmer Flores
3.Ike Davis
4.Fernando Martinez
5.Brad Holt
6.Jon Niese
7.Josh Thole
8.Reese Havens
9.Jefry Marte
10.Juan Urbina

Unlike the recently released MLB Top 50 Prospects which featured no Mets prospects, Law has both Mejia and Flores among in his first fifty picks. I’m a bit surprised though, that both Jeurys Familia and Ruben Tejada were left off his organizational top ten.

Their season hasn’t just been a disappointment. It’s been a Freddy Krueger movie. But at least there’s one good thing those fast-sinking New York Mets can say about their 2009 horror show: It’s almost over.

The trouble with that, though, is this: As soon as this lost season is over, it will be time to contemplate a question almost equally scary: Then what?

Today, Peter Gammons throws his weight into the ring with a piece that offers a not so dire outlook and in fact a more realistic approach to fixing the Mets than the Stark article did, in my opinion.

Gammons begins by offering a little advice which suggests the Mets should start using their SNY financial clout to select the best players rather than the most signable players in the June Draft. And then he suggests that the Mets stop worrying so much about what the Yankees are doing.

As for his fixes…

1. One quality starting pitcher. Santana should be back. As we saw with Mike Pelfrey on Sunday, it is there. Jonathon Niese looks to be a quality back-end guy, as does Bobby Parnell. So go try to sign a front-end pitcher. John Lackey wants close to CC Sabathia cash, which may be tough to do with the Santana contract. They can do what Colorado did, find a Jason Marquis; in this case, it could be to accept Bronson Arroyo’s contract … there are ways, and the bullpen should be fine. Maybe Brad Holt and/or Jenrry Mejia can help by June. A big key is sitting down with Scott Boras and forcing Oliver Perez to get serious about his future.

2. Catcher. They may be tempted to take a short-term solution like Jason Varitek, but more likely they will make a deal for a younger catcher like Arizona’s Chris Snyder, the Angels’ Jeff Mathis, Colorado’s Chris Iannetta or Cleveland’s Kelly Shoppach.

3. One corner bat. Even with Carlos Delgado’s contract off the books, going above $15 million for Jason Bay or Matt Holliday and taking on a free-agent pitching contract may be tough for the Wilpons right now. So they will have to be creative, using Daniel Murphy at first or in left. Jeff Francoeur may continue to make strides and deserves every opportunity.

He also adds that with Holt, Mejia, first baseman Ike Davis (.905 OPS between Single-A and Double-A), Fernando Martinez, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Ruben Tejada (who led the Eastern League in chances and double plays) knocking at the door, the farm system is nowhere near as bad as has been colored.

First, let me commend ESPN for adding some balance to what could only be described as a less than positive piece last week that was tough to read at times. Even though many of the points made were good ones, lets face it, it was a hatchet job. This Gammons article kind of levels the playing field and offers some hope for the 2010 season, where last week there was none.

Thanks Peter!

But after a car accident in 1991 in which Dykstra was driving drunk and nearly killed himself and teammate Darren Daulton is when things started to unravel, or at least when consequences started following Lenny’s actions.  Years later, the consequences are growing more serious, as Dykstra has recently been portrayed as a lying, cheating, backstabbing, sorry excuse for a human being–yes, really, all of those things.  After facing a lawsuit in 2005 from a business partner, Dykstra became known in the business world as an expert stock picker and was even interviewed on CNBC.

But sadly, 2009 has been the year when the world has struck back at Dykstra, and it’s been striking back with a vengeance.  His wife, Terri, filed for divorce in April, shortly after an article ran in GQ that detailed one person’s experience of having Dykstra as an employer.  That horrific story led to more investigating, and ESPN reported in April that Dykstra was indeed the subject of more than 20 lawsuits since 2007.  Last week the Daily News ran a story about how Dykstra was dodging creditors, and how he was stealing pieces of his own property to sell in order to raise income.

To which all of this has to make us wonder, how much are we not reading?  And how unbelievable this is that one person can be such a wrecking crew to the lives and wallets of those around him—the same way he used to be a one-man wrecking crew to opposing teams and outfield fences.  It’s probably safe to say the guy is beyond hope, but we should probably all hope he winds up in prison to stop the proverbial bleeding, and to keep Dykstra from continuing to mess up anyone else’s life, or his own.