New York Mets: How They Can Keep Up This Great Start to the Season

The New York Mets' hot start to the 2012 season has surprised everyone but the team itself and the most optimistic of fans, as the team currently sits in third in the NL East—ahead of many preseason favorites Philadelphia and Miami.

Currently two games behind first in their division and second in the NL Wild Card race, the Mets are looking like an early playoff contender.

The key word there is early.

We are barely halfway through May, so a lot has to happen between now and the end of the season for the Mets to actually end up where they're headed right now.

With that said, let's take a look at some of the things the Mets can do to stay competitive as the season progresses.

Find a New Closer

The perfect closer is a safety net of sorts; an assuring presence who you know is going to get the job done with relative ease on a game-by-game basis.

Frank Francisco just isn't that right now.

Blowing saves after good all-around performances is a cardinal sin when just one game could be the difference between playoff baseball and packing your bags in September.

If the Mets are serious about a pennant race, Terry Collins needs to sort out his closer problems right now.

Jon Rauch and Bobby Parnell are pretty solid options, with the former appearing to be next in line if Francisco continues to falter.

Keep Kirk Nieuwenhuis in the Majors

"Captain Kirk" has been a revelation since his arrival in the big leagues; a huge part of the Mets' early season success.

But if the Mets are to continue this same success, they'll need to find a way to keep him contributing in the Majors, even when Jason Bay returns.

Jason Bay has been the ultimate disappointment since signing his lucrative deal with the Mets, and Nieuwenhuis quite the opposite.

The Mets shouldn't take one of the team's key components out in a desperate attempt to rectify the bad investment they made—especially since it wasn't even Sandy Alderson who made the move.

Nieuwenhuis is a better fielder who'll also hit for a better average, and let's be honest, he'll probably provide at least as much power as Bay as well.

As a developing player, though, Nieuwenhuis needs to start—be that in the minor leagues or the majors—but if the Mets want the best chance of winning, they'll make sure he's starting for the big boys.

Extend David Wright's Contract Now

David Wright is the heart and soul of this Mets team, and he has been for the best part of the last eight years.

And the worst thing you can do about the man whom every Met—both fans and players alike—looks to for inspiration is allow questions to arise about his future.

This contract situation could linger over the Mets just as Jose Reyes' did last season, with the extra parallel being that Wright is putting up an MVP-caliber season just like Reyes did last year.

Wright isn't the kind if player whose production is going to drop off once getting paid either. He's a very high character guy and he loves this franchise.

Signing Wright now would be good news to all involved; a confidence boost to the whole team.

Avoid a Major Midseason Trade

The single best thing a team can do to take themselves out of contention is sell their talent for prospects like the Mets did last year.

Letting Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez go last year was understandable, considering the Mets were still in the main portion of their rebuilding process and needed some extra young talent. But this season is different.

The Mets have a much better record at this point than they did last season, and are looking better than they've looked for years.

At this point, trading away a major piece like David Wright or Johan Santana does more damage to the franchise in the short-term than it brings benefit in the long-term.

Stay off the DL

Injuries just always seem to hit the Mets.

Year after year, Mets seasons have been defined by injuries, whether that be the Jon Niese hamstring injury of 2009, the Jose Reyes thyroid problem of 2010 or Johan Santana missing the entirety of 2011, the Mets just can't seem to get a break.

Besides hiring the entire Phoenix Suns medical staff, there's not really much the Mets can do actively to avoid players missing a lot of time—they just have to hope.

There is not much depth on this team, and if they're going to be a serious contender, they'll need their opening day lineup healthy as often as possible.

Spend Some Money on Depth

Back in September, Sandy Alderson predicted a payroll between $100-110 million for the 2012 season, but the Mets currently sit at $93 million.

Credit is obviously due for Alderson building such a good roster without spending that much, but the Mets need a few more cheap pieces to finish off this roster—even if its only for this season.

I'm not asking for much; maybe just an extra $7-10 million on an extra starting pitcher like Roy Oswalt and some infield depth to avoid Justin Turner and Jordany Valdespin from having to play at shortstop so often. An extra catcher would be nice, too.