2012 MLB Season Preview: New York Mets

2012 NEW YORK METS OUTLOOK

The Mets are set to have an opening day payroll in the mid-$90 million range. The Mets were as active as they could be under the financial duress. They received Torres and Ramirez for Pagan. The swap of Pagan for Torres was a financial choice as the players are somewhat similar in what they bring to the table, though it can be argued Pagan is a better hitter. In the end Torres will cost the Mets less than Pagan would have and right now that matters.

At the plate, the Mets are hopeful that Wright can put his injury plagued 2011 season behind him. With such a young squad surrounding him, the veteran third baseman is one of a few players with run producing abilities. It was announced yesterday that Wright is suffering from a muscle tear on the left side of his ribcage but professed he’ll be ready for opening day.

Speaking of the youngsters, there are three who are looking to build on their rookie campaigns in 2011; Duda, Tejada and Thole. Each player saw significant playing time and performed well. Duda has legit power, Tejada has long been touted as a top flight prospect and Thole was exactly what they hoped for behind the plate.

Torres is speedy but has a problem getting on base enough to utilize the speed. He has a career .318 OBP. He did steal 19 bases in 2011, but will have to concentrate on setting the table for Wright, Davis and Bay and Duda.

Murphy will man second base and is still learning the position. The Mets really like what he can do at the plate and are willing to let him learn on the job. He started 19 games at second in 2011.

Davis would like to pick up exactly where he left off before hurting his ankle last season. There is no reason to expect that he won’t. He is 100% healthy and will be the cleanup hitter for the Mets.

Bay has been a major disappointment since coming over to the Mets. There is no reason to expect that he will play a large role in any success the Mets have in 2012.

The excitement for the Mets surrounds the return of Santana to the mound. Santana has thrown just under 5 innings in Spring Training as of the publication of this preview and has not allowed an earned run. He is feeling good and hopeful for a successful 2012 campaign. The question is will he hold up and how many innings can the Mets really expect from Santana?

As for the rest of the rotation, the Mets need a bounce back season from Pelfrey. If he can regain some of the ability he displayed in 2010, he’ll settle back into the number two position in the rotation. Dickey pitched better than his record, but we’re talking about a knuckle-ball pitcher so anything can happen. He has produced back-to-back seasons with a WAR of at least 2.5 which is just a bit above average. Niese pitched much better than his 4.40 ERA lets on as his FIP was 3.36. On the flip side, Gee recorded the most wins, while posting the worst ratios of the staff.

In the bullpen, the Mets have a multitude of players who have recorded saves during their career. Francisco is coming off an up and down season with the Toronto Blue Jays, but he possesses the ability to strikeout batters at a high clip (career 9.92 K/9). Ramirez had a nice season for the Giants in 2011 as a set-up guy. Rauch took over the closing duties from Francisco at one point in Toronto last season, but is better suited in a set-up role. Parnell and Acosta will round out the bullpen which hopes to be more consistent than last season.

The Mets play in one of the toughest, if not the toughest, division in the National League. If the team is able to avoid major injuries they may be a bit more competitive in 2012, but the entire division can say the same thing. While the Mets have a chance of getting back to .500, too much has to go right for that to happen. I would suspect a 72-90 record is closer to the end result and wouldn’t be shocked if they finish in last place in the NL East.

Find your team’s 2012 season preview or when it will be published here.

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You can follow Chris Carelli on Twitter at @Chris_Carelli.