Omar's Missed Opportunity

By Mike McGann
Posted Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Two months. Three teams. And no one, not a single person, can tell you how it will end.

That, folks, is the only description for the 2007 National League East. A year ago, the race was effectively over. The trade deadline came and went — and Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez came and Xavier Nady went. Still, while there was a little worry about the loss of Duaner Sanchez, there wasn’t a whole lot of nail biting amongst Mets’ fans.

Flash forward a year and Mets’ fans are popping Prozac like their M&Ms, angst-filled over a lineup that continues to sputter, worried about a bullpen that seems ready to implode and is holding it’s collective breath about a rotation largely either old or still untrusted.

And with all this going on, the Braves run out and add both Mark Teixeira and Octavio Dotel, while the Phillies add Kyle Lohse, Julio Mateo and Tadahito Iguchi. And yes, the Mets added Luis Castillo.

As the dust clears from the trade deadline, one things seems clear: the Braves got a lot better, the Phillies got a little better (although an injury to Chase Utley, possibly for the rest of the season, is a big hit) and the Mets — well the verdict is out as whether Castillo will prove to be an upgrade over Ruben Gotay. Sure, more deals may happen before the real trade deadline, Aug. 30, when postseason rosters have to be set, but it doesn’t seem like a lot will happen.

And maybe the biggest deal was the one that didn’t happen: the Mets wouldn’t offer more than Phillip Humber for Chad Cordero, a move that could have shortened games and largely strengthened the bullpen.

For the most part, these are the rosters that the Mets, Braves and Phillies will ride down the stretch. Yes, Pedro Martinez throws his first pitch in anger in nearly a year, tonight in St. Lucie, but he appears to be a minimum of three weeks away — if he’s coming at all.

And right now, with the Mets leading the Phillies by three games and the Braves by four and a half, the NL East title is up for grabs.

Ad that, folks, is what Mets’ fans were worried about all year. When the Braves and Phillies stumbled, bumbled and stalled, the Mets failed to pull away. Instead of 2006’s two-out rallies, this 2007 Mets’ team seems more comfortable to leave a small village on base, inning after inning.

It’s a enough to drive a sober person to drink. Or enough to make a calm person begin to smash furniture, which is exactly what a frustrated Mets’ manager Willie Randolph did in the visiting manager’s office recently. It’s an annoying, frustrating team that sputters and coughs and teases — it always seems on the verge of catching fire and running off a dozen wins in a row, only to stall, cough and go dead.

The lineup has been juggled and tweaked. The hitting coach got shown the door, yet nothing seems to spark this offense. And while the pitching has been good, maybe better than anyone had a right to expect, no pitching staff can overcome one offensive blackout after another.

With the exception of Jose Reyes and David Wright, the entire lineup is made up of players that are either past their prime, fragile, or, worse, both. Win or lose, the core of this team is going to need an offseason restructuring, with a catcher, first baseman, second baseman and maybe and outfielder needed for 2008.

Meanwhile, like an old car, we watch the Mets belch smoke and sputter toward the finish line. Thankfully, the other cars in the race are in about as bad shape, although the Braves might find some sudden horsepower now with a refreshed lineup and renewed bullpen.

But let’s be honest, you can count the number of wildly confident Mets’ fans on a hand extended in friendly greeting in traffic on the Grand Central Parkway. It’s not a pretty picture, folks.

Sure, it could be worse. The Mets could be trailing, desperate to make up ground, instead of leading the division, as they have all season. And yeah, they could be 2003 lousy and we could be hear about the team is “battling.” Or worse, in a panic move, the team could deal its best pitching prospect for a broken-down arm.

So, sure, panic is not in order. But then neither is confidence.

And maybe Luis Castillo turned out to be the sparkplug some hope he’ll be. That’s he’ll know from experience how far toward first (practically the coaching box) he needs to shade toward to compensate for Carlos Delgado’s lack of range. That Reyes and Castillo will spark the rest of the offense by constantly getting on base and forcing the issue. And maybe Carlos Beltran will get healthy soon and maybe Moises Alou will stay healthy. Maybe Pedro Martinez’ will be able to throw 90 again and lead this pitching staff.

Maybe.

But maybe it’s just as likely that Mets’ fans will spend a long, angry, frustrating offseason if this team isn’t in the playoffs. And you can see that gnaw at the team’s fans who feel this should be the best team in the National League. Yes, the Mets still have the best record in the league. But can anyone make the argument after yesterday’s deals that this is the best team in the league?

Six months ago, Omar Minaya could do no wrong in the eyes of the fans and much of the media. Now, a quiet buzz of dissent is in the background. If this team doesn’t make it into the postseason, that buzz will turn into a roar, and ditching the hitting coach won’t be enough to make things better.

Like it or not, with so much on the line, yesterday was a missed opportunity. A change to make a deal to really make this team better. Only time will tell whether the price not paid yesterday will prove to be very expensive in the long run.