Return of Santana the sole bright spot in an otherwise gloomy forecast for the Mets

When at Minnesota, few people thought that Johan Santana was not one of the top three or four pitchers in the game. Between 2004 and 2006, the southpaw won two Cy Young Awards and led the AL in wins once, ERA twice and strikeouts three times. He has been plagued by injuries since signing a mega deal with the Mets (barring a great 2008 season) and Santana’s struggles are a perfect symbol for a franchise that has been brought to its knees in the last three years following financial issues with the ownership, which has led to a constant weakening of the roster as the cash is not so readily available.

But, despite the depression, there is hope that the Mets will be turning the corner, and a 77 win season last year without their number one pitcher was a respectable effort given the lack of talent and experience. However, the departure of Jose Reyes was a sore one to take and no breathtaking new arrivals at Citi Field was a disappointment, but if no.57 can be the devastating lefty of five years ago, then there will be the odd cheer amongst the doom and gloom in Flushing.

IN : Ronny Cedeno (INF – Pittsburgh), Frank Francisco (RP – Toronto), Chuck James (RP – Minnesota), Rob Johnson (C – San Diego), Adam Loewen (OF – Toronto), Omar Quintanilla (INF – Texas), Ramon Ramirez (RP – San Francisco), Jon Rauch (RP – Toronto), Vinny Rottino (OF – Miami), Andres Torres (OF – San Francisco)

OUT : Taylor Buchholz (RP), Chris Capuano (SP – L.A. Dodgers), Nick Evans (INF – Pittsburgh), Willie Harris (OF – Cincinnati), Ryota Igarashi (RP – Pittsburgh), Jason Isringhausen (RP – L.A. Angels), Pat Misch (RP – Philadelphia), Michael O’Connor (SP – N.Y. Yankees), Angel Pagan (OF – San Francisco), Ronny Paulino (C – Baltimore), Jason Pridie (OF – Oakland), Jose Reyes (INF – Miami), Dale Thayer (RP – San Diego), Chris Young (SP)

Catchers : Jason Thole is the starting catcher, coming off a season in which he truly cemented his place on the roster. He batted .268 in 114 games, but showed little power. The 25 year old has hit just six home runs in 204 career appearances for the Mets. His back-up will be the even less experienced and powerful Mike Nickeas, who has hit .190 and just one homer in 26 career games. Rob Johnson, a non-roster invite is very much in the same mould but with more experience, while Vinny Rottino will be given a workout too.

Infielders : The corner infield duo of David Wright and Ike Davis is impressive, but both have injury worries. Following an All-Rookie season in 2010, Davis sustained an ankle injury in a collision with Wright that limited the sophomore to just 36 games, but a .302 AVG and seven homers shows his ability. As for Wright, he managed just 102 games in 2011. The five-time All-Star has 183 career homers, all with the Mets. His .300 AVG is second only to John Olerud in franchise history, while he ranks fourth in home runs and second in RBIs. Daniel Murphy and Ruben Tejada appear set to man the middle infield. Tejada has beefed up, having hit just one homer in 174 games in his career, while Murphy, having hit .320 last year appears to have been dangled to some teams in the off-season, but remains a Met. Ronny Cedeno is a very capable, veteran back-up, while Justin Turner is a utility player that struggled slightly last year, although it was his first season as a full-time big leaguer. Given the Mets financial woes, the remaining alternatives are all young and inexperienced. Josh Satin and Valentin Pascucci are the only ones who graced the big leagues last year, but only for a combined 36 at bats. Wilmer Flores, Zach Lutz and Jordany Valdespin are all on the 40 man roster, but have yet to start their big league careers.

Outfielders : Jason Bay is the clear star, but the hindrance of his mega contract is arguably of more importance than his play as the Mets are obviously in a rebuilding mode.  The Canadian has three All-Star appearances, and hit 20 or more homers in the six years prior to his move to the Mets, yet injury has limited him to fewer than 220 games in two years. His 18 homers in that spell isn’t exactly what the front office were expecting halfway through a $66 million contract. Andres Torres and Lucas Duda will partner Bay. Torres arrives from San Fran where his poor bat outweighed his blistering speed. Remarkably, Torres made just eleven MLB appearances between 2004-2008, but made well over 300 in three years with the Giants. Scott Hairston is the sole back-up with experience, as the young trio of Juan Lagares, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Cesar Puello are the only other options on the roster. Lagares hit .370 last year at AA Binghampton and could be the one likely to get the most at-bats in Spring Training.

Starting Pitchers : Behind Johan Santana, the rotation is shaky at best. Only veteran knuckle-baller R.A. Dickey had a sub 4.40 ERA and clearly the staff will need to improve if they are to have any chance of a respectable season. Santana is clearly the ace, but coming off an 18 month injury lay-off could make it difficult for him to reach the levels that he is used to achieving. Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese and Dillon Gee are expected to make up the rest of the rotation, but the trio combined for 4.54 ERA in 86 starts in 2011 and their career numbers suggest vast improvement is unlikely. Chris Schwinden made four starts last year, going 0-2 with a 4.71 ERA. Miguel Batista is a 41 year old non-roster invite that impressed during his brief stint last year and has the ability to force his way into the roster.

Relief Pitchers : Much like the rest of the roster, the bullpen is riddled with inexperience and mediocre veterans. Frank Francisco is expected to become the closer, but a career record of 49 saves in 70 opportunities suggests that it could be a bumpy ride. Fellow new signing Jon Rauch’s claim to fame is that he is the tallest player ever to play in a Major League game. The duo arrive from Toronto and will be expected to play a crucial role. Ramon Ramirez is another new arrival, coming from San Francisco and has had four consecutive sub 3.00 ERA seasons. Of those returning, lefty Tim Brydak is likely to see the most action. Manny Acosta and Bobby Parnell recorded sub 3.65 ERAs last season, while D.J. Carrasco, Pedro Beato and Josh Stinson are at the top of the list for roster spots. Youngsters such as Robert Carson and Jenrry Mejia will be looking to break into the roster, while Chuck James and Daniel Herrera are non-roster invites who could force their way into the thinking of manager Terry Collins.

PREDICTION : Unfortunately, it would be an achievement not to finish bottom of their division, and I don’t even see them doing that. The Mets aren’t a woefully bad team, but they are in a very tough division. They have some very good players, like Wright and Davis, but not enough to challenge for a play-off spot. Fifth place.