Minaya Putz Mets in Position for 2009 Run

Omar Minaya's offseason mission to rebuild the pitching staff came to a close last week with the signing of Oliver Perez. 

While the moves he has made will live in the shadows of what the Yankees have done this offseason, he has been diligent in sticking with his plan to rebuild the staff.

While most fans and some writers continue to petition for the signing of Manny Ramirez to add to what is perceived as an adequate lineup, Omar has stood strong in his belief that the Mets are poised to make a run in '09 as presently constructed. 

Let's take a look at what his thinking may be:

• Imagine a world in where baseball is only played for seven innings instead of nine.  In this world, the 2008 Mets would have finished 24 games over .500, while the Phillies would have finished only 11 games over.
  
  
• The Mets bullpen blew an astounding 29 games last year with a patchwork bullpen.  Even a slight improvement on those numbers would have given the Mets the division in 2008.
  
  
• The Phillies closer, Brad Lidge, was perfect in 2008: A hard number to repeat.
  
  
• The Mets were tied for second in the National league in Runs scored. This was accomplished with four spring training projected starters missing a combined 312 games.
  

Numbers can be twisted in many ways to prove a point, however it's numbers like these that I believe Mets brass have hedged their bets against looking ahead to 2009.

By adding the right pieces and removing the pieces weighing down this club, the Mets have addressed what clearly was their biggest weakness.  

The trickle-down effect this should have to the confidence of both starting pitchers as well as an offense that was criticized for coming up short late in games will be immeasurable.  

While little has changed on the offensive side, the extremely talented core of this team is in tact.  Barring major injuries, a concern for any club, the Mets offense should improve on the numbers they posted last year. 

Fans should also have faith in Minaya and staff to recognize the same holes that the fans see.  

We have seen the economy tighten the wallet of most major league clubs throughout baseball and hunch has it that non-competing teams will look to unload contracts come the trading deadline.  

It's time to move on from the heartbreak of the last three years.  As a Met fan it's in our blood to live us the underdog.

Baseball will be played. Games will be won and lost, there will be heartbreak and joy, tears and laughter but in the end there will always be tomorrow.