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In the past week, the Mets split a four-game series with the Phillies by winning two games, before winning two out of three against the Nationals as the calendar has turned to September.

In the minor leagues, the regular seasons are all but finished, and the postseason for some teams will begin shortly. Some minor leaguers may even be called up to the Mets’ roster sometime this month.

Here are this week’s evaluations of the Mets’ top prospects.

All statistics are from baseballreference.com/minors and current as of Sept. 1. Statistics from specific games are from http://www.milb.com/index.jsp and current as of Sept. 1.

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Spring training games have officially begun and the Mets—like the other 29 MLB teams—are trying to prepare for the regular season by seeing which players will have what it takes to be part of the major league roster.

Spring training is also a great time to see how far some of a team’s top prospects have developed over time and see how they perform in exhibition games with major league players. The Mets’ front office will certainly be analyzing the Mets’ top prospects for the next month and hopefully, they will be pleased with the progress of each prospect.

Here are some scouting reports for some of the Mets’ top prospects during this current spring training.

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After not pitching in the 2009 World Baseball Classic while recovering from a knee injury, Johan Santana has apparently expressed interest in pitching for Team Venezuela in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, which will begin this March.

According to Adam Rubin of ESPN, Santana will try to participate in the event once gets past a few obstacles he will have to go through, due to the time he spent on the disabled list at the end of the 2012 season.

The only way Santana will be able to participate is if a World Baseball Classic committee approves of his participation once it’s determined whether he will be healthy enough to pitch or not.

However, if Santana is actually able to participate, it could be very risky for both himself and the Mets.

Here are three reasons why Santana participating in the World Baseball Classic would not be wise.

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From December 3 through December 6, baseball teams and their front offices will be traveling to Nashville for the annual Winter Meetings. During those days, general managers and player agents will talk amongst each other and discuss potential trades and signings.

Sandy Alderson and his staff will very likely be quite active as the Mets try to improve their roster for the 2013 MLB season. With just 74 wins this past season, the Mets will have some work to do and will look to make various moves at the right prices in order to progress.

With the Winter Meetings only a few days away, here are the Mets’ five biggest needs for the Winter Meetings.

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The Mets‘ newly crowned NL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey could very well be traded this offseason if the right deal is presented. The Mets recently picked up his $5 million option for 2013, but with his trade value as high as it will ever be, plus the fact that his 2013 salary is not particularly high, the Mets could definitely find other teams that would be interested in Dickey.

There are some factors regarding Dickey getting traded that could potentially benefit the Mets. For one, Dickey is 38 years old. Despite the two solid seasons he had in 2010 and 2011, along with his spectacular 2012 season, no one knows for sure whether he can keep pitching the way he has for a long time.

Knuckleball pitchers tend to pitch more through later years in life than most conventional pitchers, but with the way Dickey’s unique career has gone, anything could possibly happen in the future.

Secondly, the Mets happen to have a lot of good starting pitching, with Dickey, Jon Niese, Matt Harvey, Johan Santana and Dillon Gee all currently projected to be in the Mets’ 2013 Opening Day rotation. There is also top prospect Zack Wheeler, who could be promoted as early as May or June.

If and when Wheeler is promoted though, the Mets would have to make a tough decision as to who Wheeler would replace. Logically, Gee would be the odd man out unless Santana for example gets hurt again and misses significant time. On the other hand, if Dickey gets traded, the Mets could use a temporary fifth starter for the first few months until Wheeler is ready.

Thirdly, the Mets desperately need a solid right-handed hitting outfielder in their lineup for two reasons. One reason is that the Mets lack significant power beyond David Wright and Ike Davis. A right-handed hitting slugger in the fifth spot of the lineup would immediately improve the Mets’ offense. The other reason is that the Mets already have quite a few left-handed hitters in their lineup and could use another right-handed slugger against left-handed pitching in particular. If Scott Hairston does not return, the need for a right-handed hitting slugger would increase significantly.

Despite all this though, it would be very tough to see the Mets trade Dickey away, even if it would improve the team in the long run. The Mets were the team that ultimately gave Dickey an opportunity to play for them in 2010. After signing a minor league contract that year, he was the first player cut before Opening Day. However, in the middle of May that year, the Mets needed a starting pitcher, so they called up Dickey.

Dickey responded with an 11-9 record, a 2.84 ERA, two complete games and one shutout in 26 starts. It was something that no one had expected, being that Dickey was initially just going to be a temporary spot starter. But his unique pitching style, plus his great control helped him become more successful than ever before.

Dickey’s 2011 season may not look as good, with an 8-13 record and a 3.28 ERA. However, he didn’t get particularly good run support that year. Had the Mets’ offense and bullpen been more consistent, his numbers and record in particular would have definitely been better.

Dickey’s first two seasons as a Met were both very nice, but they ended up being nothing compared to his heroics in 2012. This past season, Dickey was arguably the most dominating in all of baseball for the entire year. He won the NL Cy Young Award with a 20-6 record, a 2.73 ERA, a 1.053 WHIP, five complete games, three shutouts and 230 strikeouts in 233.2 innings pitched.

In between all of that, Dickey had two consecutive one-hit shutouts and 44.1 consecutive scoreless innings pitched to set a new Mets record. He also made the All-Star team for the first time in his career and pitched well despite not getting the start.

The 2012 Mets only won 74 games altogether, but the fact Dickey himself recorded 20 of those 74 wins is quite remarkable. It goes to show how valuable he was for the Mets. Not only did he help the Mets win when he pitched, but his great season also led to more ticket sales at Citi Field, more merchandise sales, and altogether, more money for the Mets.

Even though the postseason became a lost cause by August, Mets fans still came out to see Dickey pitch, and it kept them interested in the team down the stretch more than anything by far.

Until this year, the Mets had not had a player win such a major award since Dwight Gooden won the NL Cy Young Award in 1985. The fact that Dickey became just the third Met to ever win the award is special in itself, but when mentioning his name alongside Gooden and Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver, it shows the kind of elite company Dickey is now a part of.

As far as the Mets’ future is concerned, Dickey would definitely be a big part of it. He is currently the Mets’ ace and has the veteran presence necessary to offset the Mets’ younger talent, which includes Niese, Harvey and Wheeler. With another solid season in 2013, Dickey could help lead the Mets back to the postseason for the first time since 2006. Even 15 or 16 wins and an ERA below 3.50 would be great from Dickey in future seasons, which means he does not necessarily have to pitch like a 20-game winner all the time.

The Mets have not been rumored to be looking to trade Dickey due to anything bad. It’s clear that Dickey would certainly help the Mets for at least the next two or three seasons if he remains a Met. The fact of the matter though is that the Mets already have a big strength in their starting pitching. However, they also have three glaring weaknesses in their outfield, at catcher and throughout the bullpen. In order to upgrade a weakness, the Mets will have to sacrifice one of their strengths.

While starting pitching is one of the Mets’ bigger strengths, Dickey does not necessarily have to be the one that ultimately gets traded. Other teams could be just as interested in Niese, who is younger and left-handed. Niese also has a relatively cheap contract that other teams might like. Lesser trade options among pitchers could include Dillon Gee, Jeruys Familia, Jenrry Mejia and Collin McHugh.

The Mets also have other assets they could part ways with beyond pitchers. Offensively, the Mets have quite a few infield prospects that could be dealt, especially when considering the likelihood of David Wright and Ike Davis staying at third base and first base for the Mets for many more years. Some of the Mets’ top infield prospects include Wilmer Flores, Gavin Cecchini, Reese Havens and Jefry Marte. Outfield prospects Cesar Puello, Juan Lagares and Matt den Dekker could all be trade bait as well.

Very few, if any of these prospects would likely interest other teams more than an established veteran like Dickey, but they are still worth considering for the greater good of the Mets.

The fact of the matter is that Dickey has done so much for the Mets this past season, and with his story and everything that has happened, the Mets just can’t trade him right now. His value to the Mets completely outweighs his value on the open market, and the Mets could always find other players to trade at the right price.

Whether Dickey will be a Met in 2013 or playing elsewhere is nowhere close to being decided any time soon, but hopefully, the upcoming Winter Meetings in December will provide some clarity on what the Mets decide to do so with both Dickey and David Wright. Hopefully, the right decisions will be made because both deserve to be signed long-term by the Mets. Replacing either or both right now would be almost unimaginable and hopefully, the Mets will realize that very soon.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

On October 5, the illustrious career of Larry “Chipper” Jones came to an end following the Atlanta Braves‘ disappointing loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2012 NL Wild Card Game.

After 19 seasons, the 40-year-old Jones finished with a lifetime .303 average, 468 home runs and 1,623 RBI. He is without question going to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in a matter of years, and most likely in his first year of eligibility.

Although the pitching of former teammates Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz gave the Braves of the 1990s and early 2000s their most prominent identity, Jones has been the team’s offensive identity for his entire career. He spent every year he had with the Braves and was very successful, especially as a switch-hitter.

With Jones’ career now over, how would he compare to the greatest third basemen of all time? Here are the updated top 10 all time third basemen rankings.

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As the 2012 regular season comes to an end, the Mets and general manager Sandy Alderson will have many decisions to make for the 2013 season. The Mets played surprisingly well in the first half of this season, but were a completely different team and played very poorly throughout the second half. As a result, the Mets will finish with a losing record for the fourth consecutive year.

The Mets have had plenty of players underachieve or simply not do well at all. Jason Bay, Andres Torres, Josh Thole, Mike Nickeas, Manny Acosta, Ramon Ramirez and Frank Francisco, among others, have all had poor seasons.

On the other hand, there have been some notable bright spots. R.A. Dickey is a very strong favorite for the NL Cy Young Award and has 20 wins going into his final start. Jon Niese has had a breakout season with 13 wins of his own. Johan Santana had an uneven season but threw the first no-hitter in Mets history. Rookie Matt Harvey has shown just as much potential as anyone with a 2.73 ERA in 10 starts as he looks to become a future co-ace in the years to come.

Offensively, David Wright was one of the best hitters in baseball during the first half, but has not hit as well since the All-Star break. Ike Davis rebounded from a horrendous start to his season with a resurgent second half that includes 31 home runs for the year. Fellow infielders Daniel Murphy and Ruben Tejada have both had solid seasons as well. Off the bench, Justin Turner, Mike Baxter and Jordany Valdespin have all been reliable pinch-hitters.

Again, the Mets will have a lot of decisions to make this offseason. They are very unlikely to spend much money on outside free agents due to their continued budget limitations. Thus, most of the moves the Mets will make will be internal or through trades. Some of the current players will stay, but a good number of others will be on their way out. Here is a blueprint of what the upcoming offseason should look like within the organization itself.

Current Mets That Are Most Likely to Stay

Under Alderson, the Mets still seem to be moving in the right direction as their minor league system has been somewhat rebuilt, at least on the pitching end. The first two impending decisions will be the options for Wright and Dickey. Both are almost certain to be picked up, but the big question is whether both will be getting their much deserved extensions before the 2013 season begins.

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York has reported that the Mets will do everything they can to make sure Wright remains a Met for the rest of his career. They will need to get a long-term extension done this winter because if not, Wright will likely test free agency in the 2013-2014 offseason.

Rubin also stated that Dickey getting a contract extension this offseason is not as likely due to his age. Dickey will be 38 at the end of October and could possibly bring back a good amount of talent if traded. More likely than not though, he will still get re-signed for another two or three seasons, but he is not as sure of a bet as Wright.

Once the Mets address the contracts of Wright and Dickey, they will need to decide which other current Mets that will become free agents should get re-signed.

Scott Hairston is one player that the Mets will very likely try to bring back. He has hit well against left-handed pitching all season and could possibly become a starting corner outfielder with the Mets’ outfield as a whole being as weak as it is. The Mets could fall short though if another team offers Hairston a multi-year contract and possibly a starting role.

The same could be said for backup infielder Ronny Cedeno, but he isn’t as much of a need to the Mets as Hairston, especially because the Mets lack right-handed power outside of Wright.

First baseman Ike Davis should remain a Met in 2013, despite all the talk of him getting traded. He has been the Mets’ best power hitter by far, despite his slow start. The only way a trade of Davis could work for the Mets is if they get a young and established first baseman or outfielder in return at the very least. His value to the Mets completely outweighs his value on the open market and finding similar power production to replace him would not be easy.

Assuming Davis remains a Met, there will then be a decision to make on the future of Lucas Duda. The Mets though are not as likely to trade Duda because similarly to Davis, his potential and value to the Mets is greater than his value on other teams. Duda will almost certainly be the Mets’ left fielder in 2013. He is not as much of a proven hitter at this point, and still has a lot of work to do defensively, but the Mets are confident that he will have a breakout season in 2013.

With Ruben Tejada now being the shortstop of the future and Daniel Murphy quite likely to return at second base, the offensive focus will be on the outfield and behind the plate. Kirk Nieuwenhuis has a very good chance to become the Mets’ center fielder next year, particularly because the Mets will not be spending money on making any free agent upgrades there.

Nieuwenhuis had a great start to his season this year, but struggled in July before being sent down to the minor leagues. He can play center field very well and has some power, but will need to cut down on the strikeouts in order to be an everyday player.

If the Mets bring back Hairston, this would leave Mike Baxter and Jordany Valdespin to have their same backup roles next year. Baxter would be a top pinch-hitter and a fourth outfielder, while Valdespin would be the Mets’ ultimate utility man, due to his ability to play second base, shortstop and all three outfield positions. Valdespin though will have to improve on his outfield defense going forward.

Speaking of outfielders, according to Andy McCullough of the Star Ledger, Justin Turner will be learning the outfield as well in spring training. Turner has filled in admirably at every infield position and will look to do the same in the outfield in order to increase his value to the team. He has been a successful pinch-hitter as well.

As bad as he has been for three years, Jason Bay will return for a fourth and final season with the Mets. He will be a platoon player at the most, but is more likely to be a pinch-hitter at this point. The Mets will not release him this winter and will definitely not find another team willing to take on his contract. However, a release during spring training is possible, but not as likely as it was in 2011 for Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez.

Moving onto catchers, Kelly Shoppach has been a bright spot for the Mets’ offense since being traded from the Red Sox in August. The Mets may not view Shoppach as an everyday catcher, but he can be a very valuable backup and will likely be brought back in that role unless another team outbids the Mets and offers Shoppach a starting job. The Mets do not have much else going for them among all their catchers in the entire organization, so re-signing Shoppach would be a step in the right direction.

On the pitching end, Dickey will lead a rotation that will almost certainly include incumbents Jon Niese, Matt Harvey, Johan Santana and Dillon Gee. Santana and Gee will be returning from injuries and Santana in particular is not a sure bet to pitch for an entire season. Furthermore, top prospect Zack Wheeler is very likely to get called up by midseason and could easily take Santana’s spot if he gets hurt.

The Mets will also try to re-sign Chris Young to increase their pitching depth further. Young has stayed healthy since he returned from shoulder surgery in June and has given the Mets another veteran presence within their young rotation. Due to his numbers and the fact that he has struggled to pitch beyond seven innings in any start throughout the year, Young could very well be back with the Mets for a third season.

In the bullpen, Frank Francisco will be back, simply because he has another year left on his contract and will be difficult, if not impossible to trade thanks to his poor season this year. It’s not certain whether he will close in 2013 for sure, but the Mets will be stuck with him regardless.

Bobby Parnell is likely to remain a Met as well and could possibly replace Francisco as the Mets’ closer. He has been the Mets’ most consistent reliever all season and has been a solid set-up man for the past few seasons. Other Mets’ relievers that will be on the team next year include Josh Edgin, Robert Carson, Jeurys Familia and Jeremy Hefner as the long reliever.

Familia for one has been a starter his entire minor league career, but during his September call-up this year, he has been an effective reliever. As long as he limits his walks, he could be a productive late inning reliever.

Current Mets Who Will Not Be Brought Back

Obviously, a good number of changes need to be made this offseason and will be made.

Rubin also reported that center fielder Andres Torres and relievers Jon Rauch and Ramon Ramirez will all not be brought back next season. Torres is an aging center fielder that has not contributed much at all to the Mets this year, while Ramirez has simply been a big disappointment and has not pitched the same way he once did for the Giants. Rauch has improved from a poor first two months of the season, but just might not fit into the Mets’ future plans. Rauch and Ramirez will both be free agents, while Torres is eligible for arbitration, but will not get a new contract from the Mets.

Another Met that will likely go through the same path as Torres is Mike Pelfrey. Coming off a poor 2011 season, Pelfrey opened this year as the Mets’ fourth starter and pitched reasonably well for three starts before having to undergo Tommy John surgery, which ended his season. Due to the Mets’ solid rotation for the future, Pelfrey would not be a part of it. As a result, the Mets will not guarantee a major league spot for Pelfrey and will let him become a free agent.

However, if Pelfrey does not get a contract for another team, the Mets could easily re-sign him to a minor league contract. He could continue to rehabilitate with the familiar Mets training staff and be ready to pitch in case one of the Mets’ starters gets hurt. The Mets would have nothing to lose by signing Pelfrey to a minor league deal, but as far as a guaranteed major league contract is concerned, that will not be happening for him.

The only other notable Met that is not certain to return is catcher Josh Thole. Thole’s offensive production has been poor all season, and his defense got worse as well. In fact, after Kelly Shoppach was acquired as a right-handed hitting backup, the Mets gave him more playing time simply because Thole was struggling so much at the plate.

Thole is under Mets control through 2017 and will be eligible for arbitration in 2014. But with the Mets desperately in need of more offensive from their catchers, Thole’s job as the Mets’ starter is not all too certain. The Mets might try to deal Thole in the offseason or could simply release him, but it’s getting more obvious that the team needs an upgrade behind the plate. If Thole does remain a Met, it will hopefully be as a backup.

One thing that should be noted though is that no one in the Mets is untouchable for sure. Matt Harvey might be at least close to untouchable, but everyone else will be fair game for trades if favorable offers are presented. Thus, while many members of the current team will likely return for at least another season, expect the unexpected this winter.

Hopefully, the right moves will be made and the Mets will be able to really contend in 2013. But it will take quite some time and a lot of decision making before we all know for sure what direction the Mets end up going in.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

When Mets‘ third baseman David Wright first got promoted to the major leagues in 2004, he was a highly touted prospect and was expected to be a great player for years to come.

However, his hype was in a way offset by the veteran presences of Mike Piazza, Al Leiter, John Franco and Tom Glavine. They all helped groom him into the superstar player he is today as he learned the ropes of the game at its highest level.

Wright did not really emerge as a leader for the Mets until 2006 when the team that year won 97 games and ran away with the NL East division title. That year, he became part of the Mets’ core of him, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado. While Delgado was on the Mets through early in 2009, Beltran got traded to the Giants in 2011, while Reyes departed for the Marlins last offseason.

Despite being a young player, Wright was already looked up to by his peers for his consistent work ethic and his desire to win by any means necessary. He became even more of a leader in 2007, as a result of a season in which he hit .325 with 30 home runs, 107 RBI and 34 stolen bases. He followed this up with a .302 average, 33 home runs and 124 RBI a year later.

In the Mets’ forgettable 2009 season, Wright really became the leader of the team, despite having a very disappointing year. That year, Reyes, Beltran, Delgado, and plenty of other teammates all spent time on the disabled list as the season became a lost cause. Even Wright himself was forced onto the disabled list for the first time in his career after getting hit in the head by Matt Cain of the Giants.

In 2010, Wright bounced back and hit 29 home runs and drove in 103 RBI, despite a .283 average. Reyes and Beltran kept battling injuries, while Wright put the team on his back and did what he could to help the Mets win.

2011 was a different story, though, mainly because Wright ended up missing two months of the season with a stress fracture in his lower back. His .254 average was by far the worst of his career and the Mets certainly missed his leadership that season.

This year, though, Wright has been having a career season and has really taken control of being the sole clubhouse leader of the Mets. While his current average might be .330, he flirted with an average over .400 for the first two months of the year.

He has been an NL MVP candidate all season, but this may not end up happening now if the Mets continue to struggle as much as they have so far in the second half.

Speaking of struggling, the Mets have not been in the postseason since 2006 and have not had a winning season since 2008. Ever since Wright really took the reigns of being the Mets’ clubhouse leader, the team simply has not performed well, which basically has been every year since Citi Field opened.

While the Mets over the past few years have had various injuries to certain players, plus an underachieving bullpen that really hasn’t been solid since 2006, there are many areas that deserve some blame for the lack of success. And, of course, there was also the financial situation that owner Fred Wilpon had to deal with in relation to the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme, which has since been settled.

Furthermore, the front office was rather chaotic in 2009 and 2010, due to various moves made by former general manager Omar Minaya and the distraction that former Director of Player Personnel Tony Bernazard brought upon himself in 2009. As a result, there really hasn’t been much to enjoy for the Mets and their fans since 2008.

One thing that might be overlooked is the overall clubhouse leadership. While the Mets’ team chemistry has been rather good in this current season for one, there might be a lack of overall leadership simply because the team is so young. Wright is not even 30 years old right now, yet he’s one of the few veterans on the team and the one player who everyone really looks up to.

As the default clubhouse leader, Wright spends time comforting his teammates when needed and is always willing to offer advice to his younger peers. However, Wright does not particularly show that much visible emotion around his teammates when a certain degree of emotion could be necessary to motivate everyone.

The fact of the matter is that Wright is not exactly designed to be a genuine clubhouse leader and is better suited for being a complimentary presence in the clubhouse. In addition, the Mets have not been particularly successful since 2009 when Wright really became the clubhouse leader, so it’s definitely possible that having a change in clubhouse leadership could have a better effect on the team going forward.

The Mets currently do not have a player in the organization who could overtake Wright as the new clubhouse leader. If Jason Bay was hitting well, this could be a different story, but he has struggled mightily ever since he put on a Mets uniform. Johan Santana has spent too much time on the disabled list over the past few years to qualify as well.

In order for the Mets to get a new leader in the clubhouse, they would have to sign a high profiled free agent in the offseason. With the Mets not trying particularly hard to raise their payroll, this is not likely to happen next offseason.

Whether it be a more established veteran or a more emotional teammate who can fire up the whole team at any given moment, the Mets’ clubhouse leadership could certainly use an upgrade. That could be what it may take to be able to get back into the postseason.

For now, Wright remains the Mets’ clubhouse leader and is doing a good job overall with the personality he has.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

At the All-Star break, the New York Mets were in third place with a 46-40 record and only 4.5 games  behind the NL East-leading Nationals. However, the Mets’ second half has gotten off to a terrible start with a 1-9 record so far to lower the Mets’ total record to 47-49. This currently puts them 9.5 games back of the Nationals in the division and 5.5 games back of the Pirates and Dodgers in the wild-card race.

The Mets currently seem to be in the midst of a free-fall downward spiral. Their starting pitching, which was the backbone of their success in the first half, is starting to falter. The Mets bullpen was already the worst unit in baseball, but now they are even worse, and their relievers seem to be giving up runs every time they make an appearance. Aside from Tim Byrdak and Bobby Parnell, there really isn’t another reliever whom the Mets can trust.

Offensively, David Wright and Ike Davis have been hitting well, but Lucas Duda and Kirk Nieuwenhuis (among others) have been struggling recently. The Mets will need to get consistent offensive production from the entire lineup to be able to keep up with some of the more powerful lineups in the league.

What’s worse is that the injury bug is starting to affect the Mets once again. Dillon Gee is now out for the season after a blood clot was found in an artery near his shoulder. Johan Santana also is on the disabled list right now with an ankle injury. If the Mets keep getting marred with injuries, this season that has been great overall so far could go down the drain very quickly.

Here are 10 ways the Mets can avoid yet another second-half collapse.

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The Mets’ top prospect, Zack Wheeler, is currently having a great season for the AA Binghamton Mets. After being traded from the Giants’ organization in 2010 for Carlos Beltran, the Mets have certainly gotten the steal out of this trade.

Wheeler is currently 7-4 with a 2.74 ERA in 14 starts. He has a fastball that can reach 96-97 MPH, a devastating curveball, a strong slider and a solid changeup.

Despite the 35 walks he has allowed so far, Wheeler does have good command of his pitches, as shown by his 82 strikeouts. He probably won’t become a replica of Stephen Strasburg as far as strikeouts go, but he will likely rack up more strikeouts than the average pitcher.

At just 22 years old, Wheeler’s future looks very bright and could very well include a National League Cy Young Award or two down the road. Time will tell how the Mets’ future ace’s career will go.

Here are five reasons why Zack Wheeler will make his major league debut this September.

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