Mets Hit Rock Bottom, Add Injury To Insult

When exactly is this 2009 Mets team going to hit rock bottom?

This entire year has been one disastrous moment after another, be it Carlos Delgado not being able to play since May due to injury, Oliver Perez, and JJ Putz being ineffective and injured, Jerry Manuel feuding with Ryan Church through the media, Omar Minaya and Tony Bernazard embarrassing the organization, or Johan Santana missing the final month of the season to elbow surgery. The Mets were in desperate need of some sort of happy ending to this miserable season.

That won't happen, as the Mets weren't even able to play a decent spoiler during the month of September. The team posted a record of 8-17, before ending the month with a three-game series against the worst team in the National League, the Washington Nationals.

The series should have helped the Mets end the dismal month on a high note, but instead, the Mets would get swept by the Nationals, losing games because of base-running blunders, defensive lapses, and finally a horrific outing by K-Rod that saw the Mets closer give up five runs in the ninth inning of Wednesday's game, ultimately losing 7-4.

An 8-20 September record and a late season series sweep by the Nationals, in which the Mets basically beat themselves is a fitting ending to this season. However, not long after Francisco Rodriguez blew that ninth inning lead, more bad news followed.

Now, after missing almost the entire year and after being told repeatedly that he would return in 2009, it seems that Jose Reyes will not only be gone until 2010, but he will need surgery to repair a torn hamstring.

Reyes's agent has said that his client will be fully ready to go by spring training 2010, but can anyone be sure? Especially since this was originally thought to be a two week injury.

Of all of the injuries that have been mishandled or misdiagnosed this season, be it Carlos Delgado's hip, Carlos Beltran's knee, or Johan Santana's elbow, these developments with Reyes may be the most troublesome. For a player whose game is predicated on speed, injuries to the legs can be devastating—especially when they become chronic.

Wonder what Jose Reyes's game would look like without his speed? Think Luis Castillo with a few more home runs. That's not good.

It's become old hat by now, but lately it seems more and more bad news is piled on the Mets. It's like adding insult to injury that was already added to the insults that were added to the original injuries. I would say it's that bad, but I'm sure by tomorrow it will get worse.

Thank God there are only three games left this season.