There will be no October baseball being played in New York this year making Mets Fans uncomfortably numb for a second straight season, but lets not jump the gun and start making wholesale changes for there are many bright spots starting with the “core” and ending with the rotation. Our 1-6 hitters are as good as any in the game and are all locked up for next year and Santana, Pelfrey, and Maine are all coming back to anchor our rotation.

With Martinez, El Duque, and Alou coming of the books there is going to be a lot of money to spend(approximately 32 mil/yr). Omar I’m begging you, and I know I was wrong about Zito, Pleazzzzzz go out and get us K-Rod, Sabathia, and Cristian Guzman as some new headliners(approximately 45 mil/yr) while adding two top-flight set-up-guys in the pen.

The Mets, being in an extremely advantageous position, especially considering the city in which they play, have an opportunity to keep the payroll down because guys like Maine, Pelfrey, Church, Murphy, Neise, Parnell, Kuntz, Evans, Easley, Tatis, Castro, will make a grand total of 10 million dollars next year while playing a vital role on our Amazin team thus allowing Omar and Co. to go out and get K-Rod, Sabathia, 2 upscale set-up-guys and either Guzman or Furcal to play second base. These major free agents would not be available otherwise due to the obvious fiscal restraints.

Lets take a look at the potential team the Mets could field next year and the approximate cost.

LINEUP: 1) Guzman/Furcal 2) Reyes 3) Beltran 4) Delgado 5) Wright 6) Murphy 7) Church .8) Castro/Schneider

BENCH: 1) Chavez 2) Easley 3) Tatis 4) Evans

ROTATION: 1) Santana 2) Sabathia/Perez 3) Pelfrey 4) Maine 5) Neise

BULLPEN: 1) K-Rod 2) Fuentes/Sheril 3) Maine or another top-flight RH set up guy 4) Parnell/Kuntz/ Felicano/Ayala/Stokes

Toot-A-Lue, Go With God, And Don’t Take Any Wooden Nickels: 1) Showenweiss 2) Sanchez 3) Heilman 4) Felicano 5) Castillo………Maybe we can try to raise their stock in spring training with absolutely no thought of bringing them back. Of the five guys I would be willing to let Aaron earn a shot at the rotation or bring Feliciano back for a speciality role, but it would be one or the other, not both, as they’ve played a role in our demise in each of the last 2-years and Heilman’s been bumming out for three years going back to game 7, in 2006.

With 42 million coming of the books, and Wagner’s 10 million 09′ dollars covered by insurance??, minus eating about 75% of Castillo’s and Showenweiss’ contract, frees up about 46 million in salary. Adding K-Rod, Sabathia, Fuentes, Guzman, and a top flight set up guy is going to cost at the absolute most 63 million a year raising our 2009 payroll from 140 million to approximately 154 and change plus another 2 mil in luxury tax(due to the fact that the Mets built a new ballpark the luxury tax is considerably less) making this potential roster a banging 160 mil.

Absolutely Not: Manny or Texiera. The cost will prohibit any chance at solidifying our pitching staff, so no matter how many 1st, 2nd, 3rd……GW-RBI’s they collect by the 6th, 7th …….they will surly be erased thus giving us what we’ve had over the last 325 games.

megamets notes:

Lets Go Mets

Ya Gotta Believe

In The Amazin Amazin Amazin Mets