Kuzul

There isn’t a lot to look forward to when it comes to the New York Mets in 2011. There are more questions than answers surrounding this team right now, and with the lawsuit stemming from the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme hanging over their heads, fan morale is at an all-time low.

Well cheer up Mets fans! It’s Spring Training, and with it comes a clean slate. Will the Mets win the World Series this season? Probably not. Can they win the World Series? Sure they can; any team can. That’s why it’s a clean slate.

So let’s take a look at 10 bold predictions for the upcoming 2011 season and the New York Mets.

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Defense may not be the most entertaining part of a baseball game, but it is certainly important.

We tend to only recognize when players make outstanding defensive plays, and fans will always criticize players for making defensive mistakes.

The following slides will show you who is truly the best defensive team in baseball based on a number of factors.

The methodology is as follows: Teams were ranked from No. 1 to 30 based on statistics from the 2010 season. The lower the better.

The categories considered were UZR, stolen bases allowed, Total Zone (TZ) and Gold Gloves. One point was deducted for each Gold Glove winner and two were deducted for each Fielding Bible winner.

This difference is because the Fielding Bible award is based on more quantitative information.

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Spring Training is right around the corner and that means that your fantasy baseball draft can’t be too far away either.

The New York Mets are not seen as legitimate contenders in the National League, but that doesn’t mean that its players won’t be able to help you dominate your opposition this season.

Let’s take a look at which Mets batters could play a role in 2011.

David Wright

Whether you’re playing in a mixed league or an NL-only league, Wright will likely be a first-round pick. He’ll probably go toward the end of the first round in a 12-team league, but Mock Draft Central is reporting that he’s gone anywhere from fifth to 16th in the past week.

Either way, there’s only a small window to pick him up. If you have any of the first four picks in the draft, you probably won’t get Wright. He’s not worth picking ahead of Albert Pujols, Hanley Ramirez, Miguel Cabrera or Troy Tulowitzki. If you’re in a mixed league then Evan Longoria should be your priority at third base.

By the time your second pick comes around, Wright will be off the board.

If you are picking in or around the No. 7 spot, Wright will be an interesting proposition. The next viable options at the hot corner are A-Rod or Ryan Zimmerman.

All three players are key men on their respective teams, and all three are likely to get anything from 500 at-bats upwards. Wright has the least power of the three, and even though he’s a lock for 20 homers, what he gives up in power he makes up for in speed. A .290 average, 100 RBIs, 20 steals and 85 runs is a pretty good prediction for Wright.

If you want to tick a lot of boxes in one go, Wright is worth the investment. If you miss out on him, don’t worry. There are several other options available, it just may mean you have to hunt for more speed later on.

Jose Reyes

Reyes presents both opportunities and threats on draft day. He’s a long way behind Tulowitzki and Ramirez, but well ahead of the rest of the shortstop field with the exception of Jimmy Rollins.

I’ve seen Reyes slip to the end of the third round in Yahoo! drafts this week, in which case he represents quite a steal, but the fact is that he’s more likely to go in the early to mid stages of the second.

The question you need to ask yourself is whether he is worth the risk? If you have tempered expectations for Reyes, then 30-plus steals and double-digit homers and triples isn’t too much of a reach. If you think he’s going to stay healthy the whole year, you can add 20 to 30 percent to these numbers, but that is a massive risk.

As most experienced fantasy players will know, risk is the one thing that you want to avoid in the first few rounds.

If you grabbed a speedy outfielder like Carl Crawford, Ichiro or Jacoby Ellsbury in the first round you can probably pass on Reyes because you will already be ahead of the field in terms of speed. If not, only consider Reyes if you’re sure of the health of his wheels or if he drops too far.

Jason Bay

After Wright and Reyes, no Mets player is likely to be leaving the draft board for at least the next eight or nine rounds. According to early mock draft reports, Bay will be the first New York outfielder to get snatched up, despite a below-par 2010 that caused a lot of fans to question his value to the club.

Early indications show that Bay will go around No. 140 in the draft, around the 12th round in a 12-team league.

By this point of the draft, average draft position (ADP) isn’t as important as the group that a player is being selected. With that in mind, there’s very little difference in taking someone ranked 132 as opposed to someone 142.

Bay may slip in your draft on account of his performance last year and the ridiculous dimensions of the Citi Field outfield. Should that happen, Bay will be the 35th to 40th outfielder taken overall, meaning he will most likely be a third outfielder on your team.

The three-time All-Star hit just six homers and plated 47 runs in 95 games last year, so what can you expect from him in 2011?

I’ve seen projections as good as 23 home runs and 92 RBIs and I’ve seen them as low as 17 and 66. Both scenarios assume he’s going to be fully fit, and right now there’s no reason to suspect that is untrue.

Either way, Bay won’t hit for a great average (maybe something around the .260-.265 mark) and he won’t be swiping too many more bases than last year.

You’ll have a pretty strong feel for your starting lineup at this stage of the draft, and that should dictate whether you take a gamble on Bay.

If you need speed and can afford to take a hit in the BA department, maybe Drew Stubbs is a better bet. If you want more of a sure thing in the power sweepstakes, Vernon Wells could still be available. If it is batting average you desperately need, maybe Nick Markakis could fill the void.

Bay isn’t a bad choice in this spot, and it’s fair to say he stacks up pretty well with other outfielders being taken in the 12th round.

Ryan Ludwick will put up similar production numbers without the speed and Jason Kubel may be lucky to see 100 games. If you don’t expect 2009 numbers from Bay, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Ike Davis

Despite a great rookie year in NY, Davis is still going undrafted in one in every eight fantasy leagues.

Davis is seen as a 20th-round pick at the minute, between the likes of James Loney and Gabby Sanchez. To be honest, any one of the three would be virtually interchangeable in your team, especially considering you’re only going to be starting him once or twice a week.

Almost half the teams will have their starting second baseman by the end of the second round. Davis is only going to have real value if someone chooses him to be their starter. That will mean that half the teams will also have to have drafted a backup first baseman by the time you grab your first. That’s unlikely.

He will be an adequate backup, but his true value will only be realized if your first choice goes down injured. If you’re looking for a utility bat, Adam Lind serves the role much better.

Carlos Beltran

I won’t be taking a gamble on Beltran, but there’s a good chance that someone will. He’s being drafted in 84 percent of 12-team mixed leagues and some owners out there will take a flier on him and stash him on the bench in case he turns a corner.

If he stays healthy, he’ll be in the everyday lineup and if New York do manage to score runs this year, he’ll have a prime spot in the lineup to do some damage. His knee is an obvious risk and playing time has to be taken into account, but he could be worth a pick in deeper leagues.

You could do a lot worse than 16 homers and 75 RBIs from your 22nd-rounder. If he goes down hurt or downright stinks it up, he’s an easy guy to cut because there is so much depth at the position.

Angel Pagan

Pagan earned his starting job for 2011 and he won the support and respect of a lot of fans for his on-field growth last season. Still, a team-oriented player does not always make a great fantasy acquisition, and unfortunately for Mets fans, that is where Pagan fits in.

There’s no reason to believe he will improve on his 2010 numbers, and if that’s the case you’re buying into a little-pop contact hitter with above-average wheels.

Pagan is going undrafted in 20 percent of leagues this week. In the ones where he is being drafted, he’s going around the 24th round. His .295 average and seven or eight homers just doesn’t get it done for me, especially when we’ve already seen the limit of his upside.

I’d much rather go with Raul Ibanez, take the 15-point batting average hit and run off with 20 or more homers and 90 RBIs.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Mets owner Fred Wilpon owes lots of people lots of money. According to published reports, his total sports-related investment debt exceeds $1.5 billion dollars. Add to that a $300 million-$1 billion exposure in lawsuits filed against him by the victims of Bernie Madoff, and he finds himself in a significant hole.

It suddenly dawns on you why the Mets can’t afford to play in the free-agent market anymore. They’re lucky if they can afford the subway fare to Citi Field.

Meanwhile, attendance is sinking, the fan base is deteriorating and the Mets have gone from being championship contenders to the laughing stock of the Major League Baseball.

Mets fans—what’s left of them—deserve better. And Wilpon, despite his financial and legal woes, has a great chance to give it to them. 

Right here—right now.

Fred can get out from under his sports-enterprise debt, redeem his reputation as a sportsman and rescue the Mets—simply by selling the team to its New York fans.

Packers for the People

Don’t laugh. Fans in Green Bay, Wisconsin have owned their professional football team since the 1920s. And over the past 90 years, the team has won 12 world championships—more than any other franchise in the NFL.

Here’s how it works for the Packers; there are over 4.7 million shares of Packer stock, owned by 112,000 stockholders, and according to recent news items, shares go for $200 each.

Some simple multiplication of the published figures shows the Packers are valued at $950 million. That’s $100 million more than the $850 million price tag that Forbes magazine placed on the Mets last year.

All of which means that a fan buyout of the New York National League franchise is completely doable—it just depends on how Fred Wilpon wants to play ball.

The Ugly Alternative

If Wilpon and his partners decide to hold onto the Mets, things could get even worse for the team and its fans. Strapped for dollars to pay interest costs and fees that reportedly range upwards of $100 million per year, Wilpon would be forced to loot the team. He would have to sell off its most valuable assets for cash.

Imagine José Reyes taking over Derek Jeter’s job at second base for the Yankees, or David Wright joining the Phillies. Or developing stars like Ike Davis and Angel Pagan being sold to the highest bidder. Such fire-sale atrocities can and will occur when Fred Wilpon finds himself short of cash and on the wrong side of the Bernie Madoff lawsuit.

Time to Share

If Wilpon follows the Green Bay Packers model to transfer the team to its fans, he would have to sell 4,250,000 shares valued at $200 apiece. Such an offer would reignite fan passion for the team. And what sports fan wouldn’t want to own a piece of his beloved major league team? The shares would be gobbled up within hours.

The best part is this; fans who buy a share of the nonprofit corporation would have a voice in determining how the Mets are run. Taking a page out of the Packers playbook, shareholders would vote on choosing members to serve on a Board of Directors, and that board would choose an Executive Committee, which would direct the management of the team.

Steering Clear of the Scammers

The ownership arrangement that works for the Green Bay Packers was created long before the current crop of scam artists who have control of American business. 

They’ll tell you it can’t be done. That the Mets cannot be owned by their loyal fans. They will say such things because they want a piece of the action, and they want to keep control.  

But the continued and successful existence of the Packers can be used to beat down any of their arguments.

What’ll It Be, Fred?

Which leaves it all up to Fred Wilpon. He has complained that lawyers for the trustees in the Bernie Madoff lawsuit are ruining his reputation.

Well Fred, with one swoop of your pen, you can gain a reputation for being the most respected sports hero New York has ever known.

Just sell us the team.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

One of the most disappointing moments of the Mets’ 2010 season was not having a healthy outfield. Before last season even started, the Mets learned they would be without Carlos Beltran as he underwent knee surgery in January.

They did have Jason Bay, the team’s biggest offseason acquisition, but after not performing for a majority of the season, he went down with a concussion in July and never returned.

Their only constant in the outfield was Angel Pagan who developed into an All-Star caliber ballplayer. This season, the Mets hope to have more certainty in their outfield with the same three guys, although where Beltran and Pagan will play is the big question coming into this spring.

Here is a complete breakdown of what to expect from the outfield trio.

Left Field: Jason Bay         

Age: 32    

Years: 8

Bay had as bad and disappointing a first season with a new team as possible in 2010 with the Mets. The Mets needed a leftfielder entering last season after the 2009 disaster with Daniel Murphy. New York went ahead and gave Bay a hefty contract for four years worth $66 million.

Just like David Wright in 2009, Bay struggled to get adjusted to the dimensions of Citi Field, hitting only three homeruns at home. It looked as if he was always uncomfortable at the plate, showing frustration every time a potential homerun would die at the warning track.

After being a strikeout machine and underperforming throughout the summer, Bay suffered a concussion at Dodger Stadium in late July after banging into the leftfield fence, eventually ending his first season in New York. He played in 95 games batting .259 with only 47 RBI.

Bay has said this offseason that he feels healthy and is past his post-concussion syndrome, and with one season at Citi Field under his belt, there are no excuses to not put up his pre-2010 numbers.

He must cut down on the strikeouts, be more patient and produce in the clutch if he wants to prove to the Mets that his contract wasn’t a bust.

Projected numbers:  .275 AVG, 21 HR, 98 RBI

Center Field: Carlos Beltran         

Age: 33    

Years: 11

About a year ago at this time, Beltran underwent knee surgery that apparently shocked the Mets and their front office. There was plenty of controversy surrounding him getting surgery without the team’s permission and whether or not it would lead to his Mets days being over.

While the Mets were off to a good start to the season without him, there would be an update almost weekly on when exactly he was returning. Immediately after the All-Star break, Beltran returned and was placed in centerfield after speculation of whether he would move to right.

The Mets actually were eight games above .500 in the first half and trailed the Wild Card by only one game. Whether it was coincidence or not, the Mets were never the same after Beltran returned. They lost three-of-four to the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants and went 2-9 on their West Coast trip to start the second half of their season.

Beltran didn’t look mobile or effective playing center from his first game at AT&T Park and sometimes looked lost. He would misplay trajectories and run into walls while balls would carom away, looking embarrassed for a once Gold Glove-caliber centerfielder.

This offseason, Mets new manager Terry Collins has said Beltran will most likely move to right field with Pagan moving to center.

Although Beltran wasn’t looking good at his natural position, he did look good at the plate over the final month of the season. In September, he hit .321 with five home runs.

The Mets will have to use all of spring training to decide what would be best for Beltran concerning his outfield position.

If he can hit consistently, play a solid defense where he’s not hurting the team and get some games off to rest, he could be a big help this season. There are a lot of big “ifs” though.

Projected numbers:  .280 AVG, 24 HR, 108 RBI

Right Field: Angel Pagan         

Age: 29    

Years: 5

In his third season with the Mets, Pagan had his best year to-date. He solidified himself as a productive ballplayer, playing good defense, showing speed and hitting for average as well.

Even after hitting .306 the previous season, there was concern as to whether or not Pagan could stay healthy. Injuries had always been a problem for him, but he finally put together an injury-free season and played in a career-high 151 games in 2010.

Maybe the most impressive thing about his season was stealing 37 bases, putting up numbers that compared very closely to those of Jose Reyes. Along with batting .290, he hit 11 home runs and drove in 69 runs. He had more than 30 doubles, seven triples and only committed five errors in the outfield—four of those coming in centerfield interestingly enough.

He played 33 games in right field and didn’t commit a single error, leading you to believe that moving him away from that position may be a negative thing. In center, he always seemed uncomfortable tracking down balls, while he looked like a Gold Glover in right. With a potential move to center for Pagan this season, he will have to work hard at becoming a better all-around outfielder.

This season, some people aren’t buying that he’s going to be consistent at the plate. There’s no reason to think that, and perhaps he can still get better.

Collins has said he will be batting Pagan second in the batting order after Reyes. If Pagan duplicates what he did in 2010 and Reyes performs like he should if he stays healthy, that one-two punch could be the best in baseball.

Projected numbers:  .295 AVG, 12 HR, 75 RBI

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Earlier today, New York Mets GM Sandy Alderson sat down with ESPN’s Adam Rubin and addressed several of the issues surrounding the team heading into 2011.

Rubin is an excellent Mets writer and definitely asked the questions fans are most concerned about. Alderson, to his credit, answered all of them fairly well, but left a lot to the interpretation of the fans.

Chief among the issues addressed by Alderson were the Mets’ second base competition, the fifth starter, the use of Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo next season, and potential multi-year deals for several Mets players.

I’ll review the most important questions posed by Rubin, and Alderson’s answers, and give my analysis. Any comments or thoughts…leave them below.

Rubin: You’ve wanted to maintain flexibility for spending in future offseasons. Would that preclude a multi-year deal for any of those arbitration-eligible players?

Alderson: “I wouldn’t rule that out necessarily. Certainly we want to maintain flexibility for next year, but we also want to have flexibility in solving some of the issues we face this year. I wouldn’t entirely rule that possibility out.”

The arbitration eligible players in question are R.A. Dickey, Mike Pelfrey and Angel Pagan. All three are arbitration eligible and Alderson said there hasn’t been much negotiation thus far, and there probably won’t be until the figures are exchanged between the two sides on Jan. 18.

Dickey, at the age of 36, will finally get his first shot at a big pay day. Last season, Dickey went 11-9 with a 2.84 ERA and was arguably the Mets’ best pitcher.

Most likely, Dickey will receive a significant pay raise through arbitration, but wont receive a multi-year deal until the Mets see he can duplicate his 2010 numbers.

Mike Pelfrey (15-9, 3.66 ERA, 113 SO) is poised to receive the biggest raise of the three arbitration eligible players. He made just $500,000 last season, and that could increase to $3-4 million for Pelfrey, whose agent is Scott Boras.

Pelfrey is certainly deserving of a mutli-year deal, given his ability, age and the lack of starting pitching depth heading into 2011. Alderson may want to maintain payroll flexibility heading into next year, but Pelfrey needs to be locked up. I don’t think a four-year, $48 million deal is out of the question.

Angel Pagan, 29, had a breakout season in 2010.

He hit .290 with 11 home runs, 69 RBI and 37 stolen bases. He showed he is capable of playing all three outfield positions, but the majority of his starts came in center field. Depending on where the Mets choose to play Carlos Beltran next season, Pagan could, once again, serve as the Mets’ center fielder.

Pagan made $1.5 million last season, a figure which could double though arbitration. Beltran is a free agent after this season and could be dealt at the trade deadline. If the Mets see Pagan as their center fielder of the future, he could receive a multi-year deal. The Mets do have other outfield options, such as Fernando Martinez, and may chose to keep that payroll flexibility by holding off on a multi-year deal for Pagan.

We’ll wait and see what the Mets do, and Alderson said they’re not looking to use multi-year deals as a way of settling arbitration cases.

Rubin: As far as needs for the remainder of this offseason, the Chris Capuano signing does not preclude you from adding another starting pitcher? And how likely is it that you add a starting pitcher of that caliber/contract or greater?

Alderson: “First of all, signing Capuano does not preclude us from signing another starting pitcher. I’d like to sign another starting pitcher — probably the same type of deal that Capuano has [$1.5 million base, with roughly $3 million in performance incentives]. I am hopeful of signing another starting pitcher.”

The Mets’ payroll limitations have kept their focus on low risk/high reward-type players. Two of their offseason signings thus far (Capuano and Taylor Buchholz) certainly fall under that category.

Signing Capuano, though he does have a lot of potential upside, does not immediately solve the Mets’ issues at the No. 5 spot in the rotation, and they should look to add at least two other candidates. The Mets have been connected with names like Jeff Francis and Chris Young, both of whom are coming off injury, and Alderson said the progress with both of those players is “beyond the discussion stage.”

There haven’t been any formal offers yet, but certainly the Mets are in need of starting pitching. It’s unlikely they’d bring in Capuano, Francis and Young, as any one of those could fill the fifth spot, but the No. 4 spot is also possibly open, although Dillon Gee has been penciled into that spot for the moment.

Rubin: In terms of left-handed relief, do you foresee signing someone to a major league deal, or someone very capable to an invite to spring training? Or is the current roster of contenders (Oliver Perez, Mike O’Connor, Eric Niesen, Roy Merritt) the entirety of who is under consideration?

Alderson: “The short answer is yes, I do anticipate signing — or certainly trying to sign — someone to fill that role for us.”

The loss of Pedro Feliciano hurts the Mets bullpen in a big way. He was the Mets’ most reliable reliever (MLB-high 92 appearances in 2010), and he owned the big lefty bats of the NL East. Without him, the Mets need to find a way to keep guys like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Brian McCann in check.

No Mets fans wants to see Oliver Perez anywhere near the team in 2011 (and Alderson also addressed that issues which I’ll discuss later), but lack of options may leave them no choice. Out of the in-house candidates Rubin mentioned, only Mike O’Connor posted any numbers in the minors to get excited about. In 51 appearances, O’Connor went 5-2 with a 2.67 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP.

Pat Misch is another in-house possibility, but he can’t be expected to fill Feliciano’s shoes. In terms of free agent lefty relievers, Will Ohman, Joe Beimel and Ron Mahay are available, probably on the cheap. The arm the should target though, if the price is right, is Brian Fuentes, who held lefties to a .128 BAA and righties to a .202 BAA.

Note: Rubin asked Alderson whether or not any Mets personnel had gone to Mexico to see Oliver Perez pitch in person. Alderson replied, “Nobody has gone yet. That hasn’t materialized, and it may not at this point.”

Rubin: In terms of second base, Luis Castillo — in addition to Oliver Perez — is a lightning rod for the fan base. If Castillo does not win the second base job, is there another role for him on this team? He does not have a lot of pop, or run-producing ability as a pinch-hitter. And I don’t know that he’s capable of playing multiple positions. Is it kind of second base or bust for him?

Alderson: “Well, that’s certainly his best role on the team. If he’s going to be on the club, it probably will have to be as the regular second baseman, or somebody who plays quite a bit of the time at second base. He just doesn’t give us enough coverage other places to play a utility role. So I would say he needs to have a role on the team. And I think that’s probably his best and maybe only role — regular duty at second base.”

Castillo appeared in just 86 games for the Mets last season, 74 at second base. Castillo is due $6 million next season and much like Oliver Perez, most Mets fans want him kept away from the team in 2011.

Luckily for the Mets, Alderson certainly gave the impression that Castillo’s only option for making the Opening Day roster is as the starting second baseman, and the Mets have a lot of in-house candidates for the position to compete. Rule 5 pick Brad Emaus, Daniel Murphy and Justin Turner are all potential second basemen and were impressive in the Winter League this season.

The Mets also traded for infielder Chin-lung Hu, but Alderson has said his role is most likely as a bench player and back up middle infielder.

Castillo has a lot of competition heading into Spring Training and if he can serve no other purpose other than second base, it may be that Mets fans will get their wish and Castillo will be given his money and shown the door.

Rubin: Johan Santana’s timetable for picking up a baseball and tossing following shoulder surgery had been moved up to early January. Has that occurred yet? Is it imminent?

Alderson: “I think he’s supposed to be seen by doctors this week or next — maybe this week — to get a clearance to do that. So I would expect once he obtains that clearance he will go ahead and start throwing. I don’t think that has occurred yet.”

No one can question former Mets GM Omar Minaya’s decision to trade for Johan Santana. At the time, Santana was arguably the best pitcher in baseball and even now, the trade was a steal for the Mets. However, given the Mets’ inability to score runs for Santana and the fact that Santana’s seasons have ended in injury three straight years, his presence in the rotation has been inconsequential.

That said, the Mets desperately need Santana to come back from injury if they’re going to have any chance of contending in 2011. At the moment, the timetable for Santana’s return is some time around the All-Star break. If the Mets are anywhere near contention at that time, and Santana pitched well after his return, that would be a huge boost to the team.

For now though, Mike Pelfrey moves into the No.1 spot in the rotation and the Mets will hope R.A. Dickey can repeat his 2010 success, Jon Niese continues to develop, and the Mets’ No. 4 and No. 5 starters produce.  

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Three of the Mets‘ best players from the 2010 season—R.A. Dickey, Mike Pelfrey and Angel Pagan—are eligible for arbitration, which began on Wednesday.

Players who have between three and six years of major league experience are eligible.

Dickey, Pelfrey and Pagan are all looking at significant pay raises from last season, and they all chose a great time to perform the way they did last season.

Dickey, at 35-years-old, will receive the first payday of his career. Before the season ended, it was thought the Mets would offer Dickey a multi-year contract instead of going to arbitration. But evidently they’d rather wait to see if DIckey can duplicate his 2010 success.

Last season, Dickey went 11-9 with a 2.84 ERA. He’ll finally get a chance to make up for the huge salary cut he was handed when drafted by the Texas Rangers in 1996. Dickey saw the Rangers reduce his salary from $850,000 to $75,000 after it was found that Dickey lacked a particular ligament in his elbow.

Pelfrey is going to receive the biggest raise through arbitration. Last season, Pelfrey had a career high in wins (15) and ERA (3.66). He made just $500,000 last season after his four-year, $5.75 million contract expired after the 2009 season.

The Mets will try to avoid going to a hearing with Pelfrey, whose agent is Scott Boras (which I actually forgot all about somehow). The Mets have only gone to an arbitration hearing twice: with Oliver Perez in 2008 and before that David Cone in 1992.

Pelfrey is due a raise somewhere in the $3-5 million range.

Pagan, 29, also had a career season in 2010. He set career highs in home runs (11), RBI (69), stolen bases (37), runs (80) and hits (168). He made $1.5 million last season.

Pagan will most likely be the Mets’ starting center fielder next season. He’s still under team control for another two seasons, but could easily get $3-3.5 million through arbitration.

All in all, once arbitration is over with Dickey, Pelfrey and Pagan, the Mets’ 2011 payroll will rise to over $130 million.

The trio chose an excellent time to literally have the best seasons of their respective careers. All will seek to at least double their 2010 salaries, and all are deserving of significant raises.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Mets cleaned house at the top of the organization with the firing of Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya at the end of the 2010 season.  Bringing in Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins were the proper first steps to take towards bringing the franchise back to respectability, but there are many holes to fill in the roster before the Mets can become contenders again.

With the 2011 season right around the corner, here are 10 moves that the Mets can make to take steps in the right direction.

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New Mets general manager Sandy Alderson made it pretty clear when he took the job: don’t look forward to big free agent signings this offseason or any huge trades unless they’re perfect. That means that this current Mets roster will be virtually the same come Opening Day in Miami.

Actually, it won’t be the same for a negative reason. Ace starting pitcher Johan Santana will miss some time recovering from shoulder surgery and it’s not clear when he’ll be ready to pitch in 2011.

So, if this were the offseason heading into 2012, the Mets would’ve went after Cliff Lee to fill the void. Next offseason, the Mets may be the biggest spenders in baseball as some big contracts will come off the books. Notably the ones of Carlos Beltran, Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez, and if the Mets elect, Francisco Rodriguez. Jose Reyes will also be a free agent.

It isn’t next offseason, though, and therefore the Mets will start the season with Mike Pelfrey as the “ace.”

In 2010, the Mets went through a major youth movement. The season didn’t start out like that and the plan was to compete. But as the season went along into the summer, Ike Davis was called up from the minors, Josh Thole eventually became the starting catcher, and Ruben Tejada got a lot of time at second base. There were a bunch of other youngsters contributing like Jon Niese and in September, Lucas Duda.

At the end of the season, after a bunch of games featuring seven rookies in the starting lineup, the team won 79 games. That was with Pelfrey winning 15 games and with Santana pitching dominant baseball at times and with the team putting together two eight-game winning streaks.

The team was too young and too inconsistent with a lot of dead weight on the roster. As of today, just days before Thanksgiving, Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez are still on the roster. It looks like the exact team that produced 79 wins in 2010, will return for 2011.

So, where does that leave the Mets? You can’t really expect an increase in victories and should really expect a decrease with the loss of Santana and his 11 wins and 2.98 ERA.

The lineup will be the same with rookies on the right side of the infield and Wright and Reyes on the left side. The outfield has potential but Jason Bay was a bust up until his season-ending concussion in his first season with the Mets. Carlos Beltran hasn’t played a full season since 2008 and Angel Pagan has to play like he did last season.

The starting rotation is a complete mess made worse by Santana’s injury. There are three guys that can be relied on with Pelfrey, R.A. Dickey and Jon Niese but the latter two are question marks.

Can Dickey’s knuckler be as effective to the tune of 11-14 wins? Can Niese rebound from late-season struggles? Even if all three mainstays perform up to their best capability, who’s pitching the other two games?

Hisanori Takahashi was not re-signed and Pat Misch isn’t a viable option. The Mets could perhaps sign a second-tier free agent starter such as Jorge De La Rosa, Carl Pavano, or Javier Vazquez but they can’t sign two of them.

Pavano and Vazquez were both busts as members of the other New York team and haven’t proven to be effective in big games.

So, the rotation is a mess and the bullpen is awful as of now. It could get better but two key pieces are missing. As mentioned, Hisanori Takahashi was not brought back as he could’ve been a setup man to Rodriguez.

And the even bigger loss if he isn’t brought back would be Pedro Feliciano. He’s been the best left-handed specialist in baseball over the last five seasons and if he’s gone, the bullpen is officially terrible.

Nothing concerning the current or even possible Opening Day Mets roster gives you much hope for 2011. It’s going to be another grind and it’s almost like what the Knicks went through over the past two seasons. Not expecting much until some money is cleared to work with, which it will be.

This Mets team looks like a 75-79 win team at the highest and there’s not much to improve that right now.

Can you wait for 2012? You’re going to have to have patience in order to witness this team play meaningful games in October again.

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Most of the time when we read about Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez it is about some sort of new record or history in the making.

Last Monday, Rodriguez, 38, wrote another page to his illustrious career as he became the fifth catcher to reach 300 home runs in Major League history with a homer against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Rodriguez, who has hit .268 as the Washington Nationals’ primary catcher this season, is already the career leader in games, runs, hits, doubles, and extra-base hits by a catcher in the majors history.

No doubt the Puerto Rican native will someday be in the Hall of Fame, however, this season among Islanders, it is looking that Rodriguez is not the only one with good news to their fans.

Angel Pagan, 29, is a long way in comparison with Rodriguez or even fellow teammate Carlos Beltran, however, in this so far lowly Mets season he is doing an MVP job.

Pagan had played as a Gold Glover and offensively his bat had been hot all season long.

As of Tuesday, Pagan is the Mets’ leader and seventh in the National League in hitting with a .311 batting average.

He is also hitting 21 doubles, nine home runs with 58 runs scored, and 47 RBI.

Not bad for the five-year career major leaguer who was supposed to be a utility outfielder on a Jerry Manuel bench.

He became like a godsend for the Mets in center field with Carlos Beltran out.

Pagan is playing so well that some national columnists have suggested that Pagan could become one of the new faces of the future of the team.

Jon Heyman from Sports Illustrated even suggested in his latest column that Beltran could be traded before the August 31 waiver deadline.

In his column, Heyman wrote about Beltran as a great talent who is just back from his knee injury and has not yet showed his old form. He has a full no-trade clause but might be amenable to a deal after his winter disagreement with the team over the knee surgery that kept him out half the year. One more year left in the $119 million, seven-year deal he signed before the 2005 season.

During the San Juan (Puerto Rico) series between the Mets and the Florida Marlins where everybody was waiting to hear about Beltran, it was Manuel who had to shift the attention to his young outfielder, calling Pagan as one of the best stories of the 2010 season.

The Mets called the Commonwealth Island the “Bori-Mets” due to its number of Puerto Ricans in the lineup. Among them, Pagan, Beltran, Alex Cora, Jesus Feliciano, and Pedro Feliciano are all not doing so well as a whole.

Besides Pagan, the only other Puerto Rican offensive player doing well in the majors these days is Alexis Rios.

The White Sox center fielder is hitting .303 with 21 doubles, 17 homers, 63 runs scored, and 62 RBI.

If Pagan could become a perennial All-Star and a possible replacement of Beltran, time will tell if he has really been a shining Met.

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