He has always been a crowd favorite and Met fans remember that he scored the winning run in the pivotal Game 5 of the 1986 NLCS. So, If Jerry Manuel missteps, could Wally Backman be the Mets manager in waiting?

Jeff Wilpon made it abundantly clear that both Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel need to "step up their game" and for the most part, Omar's report card will not be written until his off-season moves could be fully evaluated. But Jerry Manuel could be a different story--if the Mets get off to a rocky start, he could be replaced and unless the Mets want to ante up for the high-priced Bobby Valentine, Backman could be the guy that would provide the type of fiery field manager many feel the team needs--and at a fraction of the price that Bobby V would cost.

The hiring of Wally Backman could put added pressure on the Met skipper to perform or else and if that is the case, expect Manuel to manage the team with a larger sense of urgency than he did in 2009. In addition, the health of players like Reyes and Beltran will be very important to the Mets embattled manager.

This much is crystal clear--April 2010 could be the most important month of the season for Jerry Manuel in terms of communicating to his players, and getting the most out of his team. And if the early 2010 Mets look similar to the 2009 team, the new manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones could be heading for the Van Wyck Expressway where he will enter stage left at the CitiField exit.

Read comments or leave a comment

Now that all is said and done in the 2009 season, many observers have looked at the Mets as a team with offensive deficiencies fueled by a rash of injuries and so they must add a multitude of thumpers but if the truth be told, the starting pitching betrayed the Mets and that it where the team's makeover for 2010 should start.

If we learned anything from the 2009 post-season, it is starting pitching is king and of course, it helps to have a lock down closer as well. The Twins had no ace and got swept, the Angels had 1 to the Yankees 2 and got bounced, the Dodgers were relying on guys like Randy Wolf and Vincente Padilla to be aces and lost in the NLCS. It also helps in the regular season as 2 aces curtail long losing streaks and give you huge pitching matchup edges in those must win series against divisional rivals.

Clearly, the Mets already have one ace in Johan Santana but adding a second one will enhance their chances of making their second year in CitiField a memorable one. To me, that either means John Lackey or Roy Halladay and my preference is the latter. My feeling is the Blue Jay righty, who is a stud now, will be even better in the no-DH National League and might even give the Met bullpen some nights off as he routinely pitches more than his share of complete games.

Now whom do you trade? You let the Jays pick any 5 players from your roster with the exception of Santana, Krod, Reyes, Wright, Beltran, or Francoeur. And I mean any 5 players from either the major league or your pool of prospects. For instance, Daniel Murphy, Bobby Parnell, Jonathan Niese, and 2 other prospects.

Normally, I would not be in favor of trading multiple prospects and certainly would not consider it for a hitter but a Santana/Halladay duo could be the best tandem in baseball and could compensate for any other weaknesses that may exist on the team Hitters are always available in the off-season, right before spring training and even during the season but pitchers like Roy Halladay come along once every few years. Omar did a fantastic job of laying in the weeds until the time was right to pounce on obtaining Santana. The planets could line up here again as the Jays would be reluctant to trade him inside the division leaving the Mets chief competition for him at the California teams, the Cubs and the Phils.

For the NL Champs, signing Halladay to an extension before attending to Cliff Lee could get messy and I am not sure they could afford them both leaving the Cubs and the 2 California teams--all three of those squads could put together very attractive packages for him as well. But New York would provide him with the ultimate stage for his talent in a pitcher friendly park with a proven closer. That is how you build championship teams--with solid starting pitching and yes they need to add a bat too but Halladay needs to be Omar's top priority this winter.

Read comments or leave a comment

So, the 2009 baseball season is officially over and for the Mets and their fans, sitting through a Yankee/Phillies World Series must have been a painful reminder of what lies ahead for them. It was a year in which many were expecting playoffs for the Mets and even Sports Illustrated predicted that the team would win it all. Instead, the Met fans were forced to live through an awful season and then watch their chief divisional rival tangle with their cross-town rivals--a no-win situation for sure.

So, Omar Minaya will need to present a 2010 Met team to the fans that addresses some issues both within the clubhouse and throughout the organization. There has already been tons of internal meetings at CitiField to set payroll levels and decide how the Mets will attack these issues. Reports that the Mets will cut payroll are totally inaccurate according to my contacts within the organization as the Wilpons will be aggressive pursuing players both via the trade and free agency routes.

So where and when will the Mets strike first? The consensus in the organization is that CitiField is a park that will force the Mets to utilize speed, pitching, and defense to win rather than rely on a power hitting laden lineup. I think that makes pitching the first priority since it has been proven great starting pitching prevents long regular season losing streaks while making playoff bound teams tough to beat. Clearly, Johan Santana is still one of the dominant hurlers in the sport but he needs help which means the Mets will be heavily involved in pursuing a solid #2 starter. I expect the Mets to explore Roy Halladay first to see if there is a trade fit with the Blue Jays but do not rule out dipping their toes in the John Lackey sweepstakes as well. Tim Hudson, who has a mutual option with the Braves and Jason Marquis, who has revealed to close friends he would love to play for the Mets, are fall back options if Halladay and Lackey both slip through the hands of Omar Minaya.

Offensively, Matt Holliday and Jason Bay would both be welcome additions to the Met lineup but some inside the organization would prefer the team to go after Carl Crawford whom many think will be made available in short order this off-season. Crawford is not the thumper the Mets need in their lineup but a Reyes/Crawford duo at the top of the Met lineup certainly will set the table for Wright, Beltran, and Francoeur and both speedsters could benefit from a ballpark that yields triples as easily as Yankee Stadium surrenders homers. If the Mets land Crawford, expect their power addition to be at first base which will end the Daniel Murphy experiment at first and likely open up the possibility of Carlos Delgado returning for an inexpensive one year deal.

So, Omar Minaya begins in earnest today in beginning to reshape his team in what should be a competitive NL East next year. His future with the team may very well hinge on the decisions he makes in the next 3 months.

Read comments or leave a comment

Bronx, New York-- Two cities separated by a short 2 hour trip on the turnpike will now battle for world baseball supremacy and as 1050 ESPN's Met insider Rich Coutinho reports, the reigning World Champions are more than up to the challenge,

As Mets beat reporter for 1050 ESPN, I get a chance to travel to Philly three times a season and the town has always struck me as a place that has a large chip on their shoulder whenever the topic of New York comes up. You would think those feelings have been tempered somewhat by the fact they leapfrogged over the Mets in both the 2007 and 2008 seasons--with the latter resulting in the team's first World Title in almost 30 years.

But even in this summer where the Mets exited stage left around the Fourth of July, that edge was still there. I do not know if it was just the glee in kicking a Met team while they were down or it is just a by-product of that Philly "inferiority complex" that seems prevalent in every walk of life. But it was there even in September when the Mets were as dead as a baseball team can be.

So, the Yankees pose the final challenge to a Phillie team that might have as much star power as the Bronx Bombers do and certainly possess the heart of a lion. Still, the team does not get the respect that reigning World Champions should get and their opponent represents everything non-New Yorkers hate about the Big Apple-greed, avarice, and excess spending. The World Series presents the ultimate opportunity for everyone in that town to finally shed their "inferiority complex" against a New York team just looking to put another notch in their World Championship belt.

The reality for the Yankees is in this series is they will be facing a Phillies team that has more sizzle in their lineup than the Twins and Angels combined and that will become even more crystal clear in the games at Citizen Bank Park when the Yankees will be minus Hideki Matsui while the Phils do not lose a bat when the series goes DH-less.

But more than that they are facing a team that has shown that despite how their fans feel, they never feel inferior to anyone--not the Mets, not the Dodgers, and not the big bad Yankees. It has been a year in the Bronx of walk offs and cream pie parties but if the truth be told, the Phillies have been living that way for the past few seasons and seem very comfortable with it. In a sense, the Yankees may feel like they are looking at an image of themselves when they see the Phillies. An image that the Yankees will not be able to beat which is why I say the Phillies in 6.

Read comments or leave a comment

Flushing, New York-- Now that the Met season is over the organization must decide on a number of hot button issues before they embark on re-tooling for the 2010 season. Aside from all of the injuries and getting the "core" healthy Omar Minaya must find that "special sauce" that has been missing from this team since 2006. Here is a look at those issues:

Issue #1: Finding A Second Starter Behind Johan Santana: There is no doubt Santana is an elite pitcher but to put a solid #2 hurler behind him will not only help Johan but also help Pelfrey, Perez and possibly Maine slot into spots in the rotation more conducive to their abilities. There are a number of pitchers they will look at with Roy Halladay being the best alternative but he will cost a lot in terms of prospects provided the Mets have a match for the Jays and provided Toronto's new GM still wants to move him. An interesting option might be Tim Hudson who has a mutual option with the Braves who already have 4 healthy starters under contract plus Javier Vazquez. They certainly can not keep all 6 and they may decide Hudson is the one they will not retain. Angels ace John Lackey will likely test the free agent waters but I doubt the Mets will sign him because his contract will be costly and if you are going to open up the vault, it makes more sense to trade for Halladay. Jason Marquis remains a free agent option as well.

Issue #2: Finding A Big Power Bat: This is a tricky one because it really hinges on whether the Mets think Daniel Murphy or Angel Pagan is an everyday player. My sense is that Pagan showed more than Murphy but it might be easier to land an outfielder than a first basemen. Prince Fielder and Adrian Gonzalez will be the big names being shopped this winter and both will cost 2 or 3 prospects while a Matt Holliday could be signed as a free agent. There is always the chance Carlos Delgado could return for a relatively inexpensive contract which would allow the Mets to spend more on that second starting pitcher behind Santana.

Issue #3: Tailoring The Team To The Ballpark: Now that the Mets have played a year at CitiField it is obvious that the park is even more pitcher friendly than we thought. That also should put a big premium on defense and speed especially in the expansive outfield. I am told that Carl Crawford will be available this winter but my preference would be to give Angel Pagan a shot in left alongside Jeff Francoeur and Carlos Beltran giving the team great outfield speed. My thought here is all 3 will all take advantage of a triple friendly park with their speed when they are in the batters box. A big part of your defensive personality is the man behind the plate and the combination of Omir Santos/Josh Thole deserves a chance here. Both have shown they can hit and while Santos is more polished defensively than Thole, Josh is a tireless worker who will get better behind the dish. Omar also has to spruce up the bench with a slick fielding middle infielder, a reliable pinch hitter, and a 4th outfielder if Pagan gets the starting left field spot.

Issue #4: The Return Of The Injured Core: Carlos Beltran proved in the last few weeks of the season he has totally recovered from his knee bone bruise that put him on the shelf most of the summer. As far as Jose Reyes is concerned, I have been told his surgery will allow him to be ready by early February by the latest to hit the field at full speed. Both Santana and Perez are already in "rehab" mode with Santana telling me he is so far ahead of schedule that he might begin serious workouts one month ahead of schedule. Even though David Wright is fully recovered from his stint on the disabled list, many point to his numbers as a source of concern. What do I think? David Wright's resume speaks for itself--he is a committed, dedicated athlete who suffered from a lack of a supporting cast. That allowed teams to pitch around him and that contributed to the RBI total in the 70's although he did still manage to hit .300. The last thing the team should worry about is Wright as I expect his #'s to return to the 25-110 range in 2010 simply because he will have protection in the lineup which will allow him to see better pitches and get into better "hitting counts."

Issue #5: Who Sets Up For K-Rod?: The Mets did not get to see the Putz-K/Rod combination that Omar Minaya envisioned all winter because Putz went under the knife in mid-season but the question of a set-up man is an important concern. However, I think the answer may already be in the Met clubhouse. The combination of Pedro Feliciano and Brian Stokes has real possibilities especially if the Mets get another left handed specialist in the bullpen who could help preserve Feliciano for 8th inning duty. I also think Stokes provides an interesting contrast to the slinging southpaw and that could allow Jerry Manuel to mix and match. There is also the chance Omar might buy out Putz's option and then sign him at a cheaper rate. That could give the team a trio of hard throwers for the 8th inning with all 3 providing a great bridge to K-Rod.

There you have it--should be an interesting hot stove season for Omar Minaya.

Read comments or leave a comment