5 Critical Questions That Will Define the Mets' 2012 Season

The 2012 season will mark the New York Mets' 50th Anniversary, but there isn't much to celebrate in Queens as the franchise, saddled with debt, copes with the loss of arguably its most valuable player and attempts to reconstruct a team that has failed to live up to expectations for the past five seasons.

The most jarring aspect of the Amazins' situation is the stomach-churning uncertainty that permeates every level of the organization and every aspect of the team.

The answers to these five questions will not only clear up the enigmatic situation the Mets franchise is in and assess how effective the 2012 Mets will be, but will also define what course of action the Mets must take moving forward.

5) How Will Citi Field's New Dimensions Impact the Mets' Success?

The Background

Constructed as a pitcher friendly park in 2009, Citi Field featured two quirks in its outfield that established the stadium's reputation as pitcher's paradise while driving hitters from both teams crazy: a 16-foot wall in Left Field, jokingly referred to as "The Great Wall of Flushing," and the "Mo's Zone" in right field with a bend in the right field wall that resembled the top of an octagon.  

Allegedly constructed a place for Jose Reyes to engineer triples, the Mo's Zone merely turned no-doubt homers in other parks into easy fly ball.

After years of offensive floundering and complaints from players, the Mets are adjusting the dimensions and height of the outfield wall with hopes of literally evening the playing field for hitters.

Why It's So Critical

Since the Mets moved into Citi Field, David Wright's offensive production, particularly his power numbers, has taken a dramatic down slide, which poses a huge problem for a team scrambling to field an effective line up.  

Likewise, Jason Bay's first two seasons have been dismal—albeit injury-riddled—and only include a total of 18 home runs. With Ike Davis standing as the only legitimate power threat in the Mets lineup, a rebound for Wright is absolutely critical for the Mets' success and Wright's future with the ball club.

What Will Happen

The new dimensions will improve the Mets offensive output, but not enough to salvage an already lost season, especially since Mets' pitchers will suffer by the same sword. Wright and Bay will make modest improvements, and Davis will continue to murder the baseball.

4) Which Mike Pelfrey Will We See?

The Background

Mike Pelfrey's career has been a roller coaster to say the least. Since he joined the Mets rotation in 2007, Pelfrey has bounced from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, all the while hampered by injury and inconsistency.

After pitching his way to a 15-9 record and 3.66 ERA—albeit streak-ily—in 2010, Pelfrey plummeted to 7-13, 4.74  after the weight of the Mets rotation taken from the incapacitated Johan Santana's shoulders flattened him like an Acme anvil.

Why It's So Critical

While it's still early in the offseason, the Mets' rotation stands on thinning ice. Ace Johan Santana hasn't pitched since September 2010 and is combating the same injury that damaged the career of Jake Peavy and devastated the career of Mark Prior.

While R.A. Dickey, Dillon Gee and Jon Niese will round out the rotation if Johan comes back, a rotation sans Santana will not be nearly as strong, as the Mets will be forced to rely on a revolving door of Triple AAA'ers and unready prospects.

What Will Happen

Pelfrey will follow suit with his every-other-year effectiveness trend, with the new dimensions of Citi Field holding him back from 2010 Part II:

13-9, 3.85 ERA

3) How Will the Mets "Replace" Reyes?

The Background

Now let's be honest, there is no way to fully replace Jose Reyes, who served as the catalyst of the Mets offense for seven years while charming fans with his notorious flare and beaming grin. However, there are steps the Mets can take to try to fill the gaping hole Reyes left when he flew south for more than just the winter and joined the new-look Miami Marlins.

Why It's So Critical

By losing one player, the Mets lost their best for-average hitter (and only batting title winner in franchise history), stolen base threat (Reyes holds the franchise record for stolen bases with 370), and defensive player. Outside of Troy Tulowitzki, there is not one shortstop in the majors that can match what a healthy Reyes brings to the table.  

For the Mets to lose a player like that without receiving any immediate effective offensive reinforcement in return poses serious problem for a team marred by poor offense since 2009.

What Will Happen

Young Ruben Tejada will fill in for Reyes at shortstop, wowing fans with his defensive prowess if not with his bat. Think of him a Rey Ordonez that actually knows how to hit a baseball.  

The Mets will try several different fits at the top of the order, with 2B Daniel Murphy starting the season as the Mets new lead-off man.

2) How Will Ike Davis and Johan Santana Return from Injury?

The Background

Mets ace Johan Santana missed all last season with a torn anterior capsule in his pitching shoulder. Ike Davis started off the 2011 season on a torrid pace, but a deceptively serious ankle injury ended his season in early May.

The loss of the Mets' best pitcher and main power threat coupled with the widespread underperformance of the team—minus Reyes—as a whole led to a 2011 Mets season that was difficult to watch.

Why It's So Critical

Even if he isn't what he once was, Santana is the keystone of the Mets rotation, bringing experience, skill and a winning attitude to a starting five composed of a journeyman knuckleballer, an unstable former top prospect, and two promising youngsters.  

He'll serve not only as an the ace of the staff, but the mentor, guide, and role model. Essentially, he'll navigate the leaky ship of the Mets pitching staff through choppy waters.

Davis has emerged as one  the best hitters to come through the Mets organization since Wright and the most fearsome power the Mets have developed since Darryl Strawberry.

He's complemented his offensive prowess with solid defense at first base, with a penchant for making rail-defying snags of fouled balls destined for the dugout. Any promising future the Mets can build will no doubt involve Davis.

What Will Happen

Johan returns in May and pitches to a solid record, but with fewer innings and less dominant numbers, His days of dominating hitter are gone, but that nasty change-up will help him survive and thrive, just as it did for Tom Glavine.

14-10, 3.75 ERA.

Davis owns the cleanup spot out of spring training and picks up on where he left off last year. Citi Field's new dimensions help out a little, but most of his homers are long gone in any park.

.285, 31 HR, 97 RBI.

1) Will David Wright Finish the 2012 Season in a Mets' Uniform?

The Background

As tough as the past few years have been for Mets fans, they've been just as tough on David Wright. Following an MVP caliber year in 2008 tarnished by the The Great Collapse II, Wright's average, RBI and homers plummeted while his strikeouts drastically rose.  

Without any consistent support in the lineup, and with the added toll of injury and an offensive vacuum, Wright's past three seasons have been a far cry from the all-star years he posted in the latter half of the previous decade.

At age 29, Wright's career can still take a Mike Schmidt-like return to greatness, and teams may be enticed to pay handsomely for him, believing that a change of scenery can ignite this rebound.

For a team like the Mets, who are in such desperate need of cheap rebuilding blocks, who are they to turn down an incredible offer for a potentially fading superstar?

Why It's So Critical

Trading Wright is the definition of a high risk-high reward scenario. If Wright rebounds, he can fetch a high premium from a team with prospects to spare in search of the final piece for a championship run. The Mets could receive a slew of young, cheap players that GM Sandy Alderson can build around.

However, if the Mets do deal Wright, ticket sales will inherently drop even further and the casual fan's interest in the team may drop with it, which is a horrible scenario for a team scrapped for cash. Either way, what the Mets do with Wright will have a significant impact on the future of the franchise.

What Will Happen:

A healthy Wright will rebound, but not to 2008 levels, and the hopeful and cautious Mets front office will neglect to deal him barring two situations: 1. The Mets have unforeseeably awful first half, or 2. They get absolutely blown away by an offer they just can't refuse.