When we look back at the 2009 Met season, we will remember it as the year of injuries. The amount of injuries to hit this ballclub before the All Star Break is simply incredible. Met fans, the press, and Gary Cohen are all imploring G.M. Omar Minaya to make some sort of deal. I am against the Mets making a deal. At least right now. The reason is simple, there are just so many holes to be filled, so many questions to be answered, that I don’t see one or even two players making that much of a difference.

On opening day, this team was the class of the National League. Then the injuries came. At almost every position the Mets are using fill-in guys to plug holes.

The starting pitching consists of three number five starters (Hernandez, Nieve & Redding). Remember Redding started the season on the DL. It looks as if Ollie Perez will be back soon. We could debate if the Mets should, or shouldn’t have brought Ollie back, but the bottom line is, you never know what you’re going to get from Ollie when he’s healthy. The John Maine injury has me concerned. This shoulder weakness, or discomfort or whatever has gone on way too long for me. This was not what Omar expected from his starting staff.

Even the most pessimistic Met fan would not have predicted Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran all being on the DL for an extended period of time, at the same time! Its a perfect storm scenario. The Replace Mets, for these three players just don’t measure up. To be honest, Delgado is a future Hall of Famer. Unless something dreadful happens in their careers, the chances are pretty good Reyes and Beltran will make the Hall too. You simply can not dig into your farm system, or trade to replace players of this quality. I have a good feeling about both Beltran and Reyes being back after the All Star break. I have some concerns about Carlos Delgado though. Will he be back in August? In what condition will he be in when he returns (A-Rod is struggling after similar surgery, and A-Rod is younger)? How does Delgado fit into the future of the Mets?

To be fair to the Replace Mets most of them are being asked to do more than was expected of them at the start of the season.

Gary Sheffield, Fernando Tatis and Alex Cora were not brought in here to be everyday players.They were brought in to play once, maybe twice a week. Fernando Martinez was rushed up here. Just watching F-Mart play shows he’s not ready yet. Daniel Murphy was supposed to be a work in progress in left field. He’s now a work in progress at first base. In April nobody ever expected him to be the next Keith Hernandez.

While most Met fans talk about the injuries to the big three, lets not forget that set-up man JJ Putz is out for a while. That has placed Bobby Parnell in a new role he is unaccustomed to.

The current Met team has a lot of guys doing things that were not expected from them at the beginning of the season. Omar’s grand plan for 2009 hit a bump. Before the Mets make a trade, they need to see what happens when Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes come back. If the Mets get hot, if the Mets have a chance, then its time to trade. If the Mets have no chance, they should hang out, and wait to rebuild in the off season.