BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

The Mets have definitely had an active off-season thus far. They have already added Francisco Rodriguez to be their closer for next season on a three-year, $37 million deal with an option for a fourth year that can make the deal worth $51 million. They also shocked the fan base by acquiring former Mariners’ closer J.J. Putz, and they got rid of a few spare parts in the process. But, the job is long from done.

There are still issues that need to be resolved. First of all is the rotation. As it lines up right now, the Mets have three starters locked in for next season. Johan Santana is definitely the ace, and there is no reason to go further on him. The number two is probably John Maine, although I have some concerns about how long that shoulder is going to hold up. It would have been very nice to have him down the stretch, considering he is a pretty good big game pitcher so far, at least out of what we’ve seen.

Next we have Mike Pelfrey, who really blossomed as a quality number three starter for the Mets last season. He had a devastating fastball, and it seemed like he was a different pitcher once he lost the mouthpiece. He is definitely not one who misses Rick Peterson. This was a perfect example of a masterpiece from Dan Warthen.

That leaves two spots left in the rotation, and the Mets are believed to be interested in bringing aboard only one guy from the outside. Who can that be? Names like Jason Marquis, Jon Garland, and Randy Wolf have been tossed around, but the Mets would be best served in waiting out Oliver Perez and signing him for below market value, because no team is going to give him the five-year $70 million dollars that he apparently wants.

If that works out, we may have to trust one of the youngsters from within, because personally, I am sick and tired of waiting for Pedro Martinez to return to form. Minaya has indicated that there will be discussions with Pedro’s agent, but I hope it’s just so the two sides can exchange pleasantries.

The bullpen is not settled yet either. To Scott Schoenweis, I say good riddance, but we can use another lefty specialist. With K-Rod in the mix, we only have Feliciano. The Mets have plenty more to explore.

Tags: Francisco Rodriguez, J.J. Putz, Mets

Categories: Francisco Rodriguez , J.J. Putz , MLB , Mets , Michael Ganci