Intriguing Teams of 2010 - Not

“It’s sad, so sad. What a sad, sad situation, and it’s getting more and more absurd.” –Bernie Taupin

Meet the Mets. By far not one of the most intriguing teams of 2010, unless you’d pay money to read a train wreck’s box score. This simply derails the annual Met query.

For sure, the Mets have a power core at #1 starter, shortstop and third base, two outfield slots and closer. If healthy, Santana, Reyes, Wright, Beltran, Bay and KRod are a sextet of All-Stars, but if healthy, my great-great grandfather would be 150. For the Mets, the page is mostly blank after that, and the problem with the stars and scrubs approach to team construction was vividly displayed last year when most of the stars turned into white dwarfs and black holes.

Worse, the prospects for those six are iffy this year. Reyes and Beltran begin the year on the DL. Age and arthritis add a layer of doubt to Beltran’s recovery as a balky thyroid does to Reyes’s return. Wright’s 2009 Ichiro imitation is a mystery, and while I expect his power to bounce back, it’s only because that’s what great players do, not because there’s some objective data suggesting last season was an aberration.

Beyond that, Met fans should invest in Bayer. The rest of the squad is an Oldtimers Game waiting to happen, combined with youngsters whose upside is a Major League paycheck. If your idea of a great catching tandem is a 29-year-old with a .290 OBP, and a 39-year-old with a .292 OBP, then you’ll love Omir Santos and Henry Blanco.

And you’ll positively erupt with glee over the non-Santana section of the pitching rotation, which is to say, 80% of Met starts. Last year’s version of Isringhausen and Pulsipher – Mike Pelfrey and John Maine – kept the metaphor vibrant with injuries and ineffectiveness. After that, what? Oliver Perez? The guy needs GPS to find home plate. Convert reliever Kelvim Escobar to the rotation? He’ll be pitching for the Disabled List to start the year. Rookie Jon Niese? The 6’4” lefty showed flashes in five starts last year, but relying on him would constitute wishing, not knowing.
 
Citi Field will mask some of that defensive ineptitude with its pitcher-friendly confines, but it won't make any difference in the standings. Flushing's best will have to contend with Philly's Murderers' Row and Atlanta's depth on the hill, not to mention that enigmatic Miami squad that stays in the hunt every year on a Motel 6 budget.

The Mets can claim the title Least Value Per Dollar Spent unless the Cubs begin their 2010 hibernation in July, but that’s the only thing for which this sad outfit is likely to contend. As the song says, Met fans, “sorry seems to be the hardest word.”

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