Thoughts at the Break

1. It wouldn’t kill the Mets to send Ruben Tejada back to AAA for the second half of the season. Luis Castillo is currently rehabbing and the Mets might as well use his $6mil, especially since Tejada has really had trouble hitting at the major league level, Remember, this kid turns four years old soon and it just going to take some time for him to learn how to hit in the Bigs. Sometimes, it has nothing to do with talent and just is confidence. Rookies can’t spell confidence.



2. Carlos Beltran couldn’t be coming back at a better time, not because the Mets need a center fielder, but because they are desperate for a cleanup hitter. Ike Davis has made us all excited, but he’s not ready for this role and has really struck out far too many time is a RISP situation. Beltran will bat fourth, dropping Davis to a less pressuring 5th slot.


3. The Mets need to decide who exactly the eighth inning pitcher is. My pick would be who they are using right now, Bobby Parnell. Frankly, there are some funky choices, what with John Maine and Oliver Perez due back soon… imagine having someone with an 84-mph fastball… but Parnell seems to be the guy.



4. Put Jose Reyes on the 7-day DL list and keep him there until he’s 110%. We all learned how much better this team is when he’s right, and he’s not right, right now. I want him to bat from the left side, and if you have ever had the kind of injury he is suffering from (I have), it simply doesn’t heal by working through it. The Mets need Reyes in September.

5. You have to play Angel Pagan every day. He represents everything the “new Mets” represent… speed, clutch hitting, tough defense, and great team attitude. I love having Jeff Francouer as a member of this team, but he’s not one of the top three outfielders on this team. Period.



6. You have to play Jason Bay every day. And, it’s not the money. You just know he’s going to break out and have a three week period where you just can’t get him out. He’s that kind of a streaky player and he’s simply going through the Citi Field funk that David Wright went through last year. Bay has the kind of talent that can be the difference in a pennant race.


7. Make Perez your LOOGY. Yes, that’s right, I said put Perez back on this team. You really don’t need a “long man” at this point in the season. Every one of your starters is stretched out and capable of pitching at least seven innings. If one goes in the tank, fine, start the relievers with Fernando Nieve and go from there, but, at some point, in some games, you are going to need a left handed pitcher to face one batter. That should be Ollie’s job. What’s the worst thing he could do? Walk em?



8. Talk Maine into joining the Buffalo staff for the remainder of the season. He really doesn’t have any other options out there. No one wants a starter that throws a fast ball slower than R.A. Dickey’s and he would fit perfectly into a combination insurance policy and spot starter like Nelson Figueroa was in the past. Then, cut him at the end of the regular season and let a nice guy get on with the rest of his life.



9. Stop trying to find an SP1 when you don’t have the prospects to get one, and trade for a killer reliever to help during the stretch run. A package of Nick Evans, Fernando Martinez, and Mike Antonini isn’t going to get you a Cliff Lee, but it sure as hell could get you a Heath Bell-like caliber reliever.



10. Go to church or temple every day.