Taking Aim...

Earlier this week, I optimistically talked about the 2010 Mets taking shape as a group of hard-nosed underdogs getting ready to upset things in the National League. And that means taking aim at the reigning kings of the NL -- our old pals the Philthies.

Since 2007, the Phillies have been the class of the National League, making two consecutive World Series appearances and winning one of them. It was painful to experience as a Mets fan, but it's motivated me to cheer harder and hope the Phillies can start to experience some of the things we've experienced over the past half decade.

The heartache of the 2006 NLCS... the Tom Glavine disaster of 2007... the horror of the 2008 collapse and the tearful closing of Shea Stadium... the injury-plagued 2009 campaign... All the while things were bad for us, they got better for the Phillies. It's about time fortunes are reversed.

After being almost totally healthy for 3 straight years, perhaps it's time for the Phillies (aka the Phuckins) to get bit by the injury bug? How much mileage is on Roy Halladay's arm? How are Raul Ibañez's 37-year old legs? How will Jimmy Rollins fare when a fly gets stuck between the gap in his two front teeth?

All kidding aside, if things start going south for the Phillies, it's the Mets who can benefit. If the Mets can stay healthy, they have a legitimate shot to stay on the Phillies' heels in 2010. I'm not saying the Mets are going to win the NL East in 2010. I still believe the Phillies will win the division this year. But we can pressure them all year long by winning the Wild Card.

What's more, the Phillies have some very difficult decisions to make in the next 2 years. Jayson Werth, who may be the most talented player on the Phillies, will be a free agent in 2011. He'll command a very big contract, and because Ryan Howard will be a free agent in 2012, it's going to be next to impossible for them to lock him up. Werth's absence will create a huge hole in the Phuckins' offense. It's likely Werth will end up in a big market team that's going to be able to spend. (I'm guessing he'll end up a Dodger after Manny's contract expires. Werth can provide the same offense as Manny and he's a better defender.)

Werth leaving next year will make the Phillies much weaker. The Mets core will be intact (I expect Beltran to resign and end his career with the Mets), and they'll have money to spend like they always do. The Mets are going to get better. The Phillies are not.

Here's to hoping the Mets start to really take aim at their NL East rivals in 2010, and then carry that into 2011 and beyond to reclaim the division and the National League once again.

Taking Shape

Spring Training is officially underway, and it seems like the 2010 Mets are in Port St. Lucie in full force. Everybody seems to be motivated less by the failures of 2007 and 2008 and more by the disaster that was 2009. Early reports suggest that most of the returning players are in better physical shape than ever before - David Wright is said to look much stronger, and Ollie Perez and Mike Pelfrey have both shed significant poundage.

It seems that everybody has something to prove in 2010. Whether it's guys returning from injury (Santana, Ollie, Reyes, Maine) or from down years (Wright, K-Rod) or just starting out with the team (Bay, Rod Barajas, Kelvim Escobar), everybody's got a chip on his shoulder. And I couldn't be happier.

Let's get back in the chase and start to dig in right behind The Phillies. Let's give those confidence-oozing scumbags something to fear. Nothing would thrill me more than to see that dirty Hawaiian Shane Victorino peering over his squirrely shoulder, wondering when The Mets will come barrelling over him. (NOTE: It felt really good to write that down. I'm talking really really good.)

Earlier this off-season, I advocated against bringing in Bengie Molina on an expensive 2+ year deal. My advice was to instead sign Rod Barajas. And look where we stand now... Rod Barajas will be the Opening Day catcher for the 2010 New York Mets.

Barajas comes from Toronto, where he has a good deal of experience working with an ace (Roy Halladay) and four guys who need some guidance. Sounds a lot like the Mets situation, doesn't it?

The Mets have in Barajas what they thought they had in Brian Schneider - a backstop with above-average defense who can call a good game. Schneider provided neither, and spent most of his time in New York either on the bench with nagging injuries or flat out on on the DL. Unlike Schneider, Barajas has been relatively healthy for his career and has quite a bit more pop.

With Henry Blanco behind Barajas, some have argued that the Mets may have the best defensive catching tandem in the National League. Blanco is in many ways like Barajas, coming from San Diego and working with an ace (Jake Peavy) and creating an ace (Chris Young). I think Barajas and Blanco can get more out of Pelfrey, Maine and Perez than we've seen to date. And that means good things for The Amazins.

One more note on Blanco... I didn't realize until a few days ago that Blanco was a former teammate of Santana's, and that Johan credits him for his Cy Young season in 2004. Blanco was Minnesota's catcher then. What's even more ironic is that Santana had the same surgery after the 2003 season that he had this past fall. Perhaps the stars are aligned for Johan and the Mets in 2010.

My next blog will be entitled "Taking Aim," and it'll look a lot like the anti-Philly paragraph above.