NY 2008 Season Preview

Last year seemed to be going well for the Mets. Then September happened. After one of the biggest stretch-run chokes in baseball history the Mets sought to find improvements to put their veteran team over the top. They added the best pitcher in baseball Johan Santana and on paper seem to be a favorite to win the NL, but are they as good as they appear? Lets find out.

2007 Record: 88-74

Key Additions: Johan Santana SP, Ryan Church OF, Brian Schneider C

Key Losses: Tom Glavine SP, Paul LoDuca C, Lastings Milledge OF, Shawn Green OF

Projected Lineup:
1 - Jose Reyes SS
2 - Luis Castillo 2b
3 - David Wright 3b
4 - Carlos Beltran CF
5 - Carlos Delgado 1b
6 - Ryan Church RF
7 - Endy Chavez LF
8 - Brian Schneider C

Lineup Grade: B
Yeah this grade may seem low for a lineup with three of the best hitters in the NL, but there are some serious concerns. Many of these players are old and are already injured (Delgado, Alou) and there aren't really a lot of alternatives to turn to. While the team will score a good number of runs simply because of the brilliance of Wright and Reyes, they will not be as good as fellow division foes Philadelphia and Atlanta.

Projected Rotation:
1 - Johan Santana
2 - Pedro Martinez
3 - John Maine
4 - Oliver Perez
5 - Orlando Hernandez
CL - Billy Wagner

Rotation Grade: B+
Once again the name should seem higher because of the famous names on the list, but just like with some aging hitters there are huge question marks. Santana is going to dominate as always but there is no chance at their ages that Pedro and El Duque are going to hold up for an entire year. If they can get 20-25 starts out of both the Mets will be a playoff team, if not they are going to need some young bucks to step up.

2008 Prediction: Trading and signing Johan Santana was the biggest move of the offseason and it puts the Mets in position to contend for the pennant in the inferior National League. But while many think they are a slam-dunk to win the division and the obvious front runner to reach the World Series, there are simply too many question marks in my eyes to put them head and shoulders above the rest of the league. Plus will there be any lasting effects from such a devastating collapse last year when the Mets are playing in big games late in the year? They will be a good team if only because they have 3 of the best players in baseball on the roster, but those 3 alone will not guarantee anything, they will need other contributors to step up to reach their goals.

2008 Record: 90-72