What the hell has Omar Minaya been waiting for?
The MSM finally jumped all over this in the last day or so, but the Mets have been pathetically slow to admit that a player is injured and to put him on the disabled list. Jerry Manuel has been playing short-handed in some form or fashion for the better part of three weeks now, and these roster moves still won't give him a full team. Carlos Beltran is out until at least Friday with a bone bruise; I expect that he will pinch-hit once over the weekend, not play for another three or four days and finally go on the DL late next week.
Reyes is the key to the 2009 season. If he is hobbled or even limited for a long period of time, the Mets will struggle to reach the 85-win mark when all is said and done. (Yes, I still think they're only an 87 to 89 win team anyway.) There is simply no competent replacement for him offensively or defensively, which Minaya tacitly admitted to when he purchased someone named Wilson Valdez from the Indians instead of looking for a temporary internal solution.
Church is a prime candidate to be non-tendered in the off-season anyway, so his loss isn't nearly as damaging to the Mets' fortunes. With Daniel Murphy playing first base and Gary Sheffield in left field, the Mets can use Angel Pagan, Jeremy Reed and super-prospect Fernando Martinez is center field and right field. Pagan and Reed are better cast as fourth and fifth outfielders, so Martinez has a chance to permanantly wrest the starting job away from Church.
STARTING PITCHERS
Johan Santana
Mike Pelfrey
John Maine
Livan Hernandez
Tim Redding
RELIEF PITCHERS
Francisco Rodriguez (closer)
JJ Putz
Brian Stokes
Bobby Parnell
Sean Green
Pedro Feliciano
Ken Takahashi
CATCHERS
Ramon Castro
Omir Santos
Brian Schneider - DL
INFIELDERS
Daniel Murphy
Luis Castillo
David Wright
Ramon Martinez
Fernando Tatis
Wilson Valdez
Carlos Delgado - DL
Alex Cora - DL
Jose Reyes - DL
OUTFIELDERS
Gary Sheffield
Carlos Beltran
Fernando Martinez
Jeremy Reed
Angel Pagan
Ryan Church - DL
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