Where To Go From Here

As August turns to September and contenders look to October, the Mets look to 2011. The 2010 season was a valley of ups and downs, certainly with more lows then highs. By seasons end, the playoff drought will be at four years. Four years since Beltran stood looking at strike three of the 2006 NLCS. Four years since the Mets were a contender. Four years since the Mets mattered.

The current Mets team is made up of a core that has run it's course. The team has more stars then the average Major League club. There are All Star calibre players in the infield, outfield, and pitching staff. For the Mets to barely be .500 and in fourth place in the NL East is not only bad, it is embarrassing. Unfortunately for Mets fans, 2011 looks to be every bit as disheartening as 2010.

From a personnel standpoint, the Mets have big decisions to make. Will they trade Reyes? Is Thole the full time catcher? Is the outfield set as is? Are there any pitchers that could be added to the rotation? Who is the real Mike Pelfrey? These are questions that will need answers for the Mets to even think about competing next season.

Unfortunately for the Mets, their off season options will be limited due to a $130+ million dollar payroll and bad contracts that still have one year left to cash out. Carlos Beltran, Luis Castillo, Francisco Rodriguez, and Oliver Perez are not only expensive and untradeable, they have little to no upside going forward. In other words, the Mets are stuck with declining players who will still require huge chunks of money.

The best part about the 2010 Mets season was the development of young, promising pieces of the future. Ike Davis looks to be one his way to stardom. John Niese has shown flashes of being a future #3 fixture in the rotation. Josh Thole, though lacking in power, has been very consistent both behind the plate and with the bat. Ruben Tejada has remarkable defensive ability and at only 20 years old, he has plenty of time to improve his hitting. Lastly, Jenrry Mejia is the Mets most valuable commodity. He is young, cheap, and has been dominant thus far. He has the ability to be a big time ace once he gains more experience. In effect, there are players to be excited about in the future.

2010 also produced pleasant surprises like R.A Dickey (2.57 ERA in 20 starts) and Angel Pagan (batting .295 through 122 games.) It is no shoe-in that both players will be able to replicate their success next season, but both players have certainly earned a spot in the team's immediate future.

Despite all these feel good observations from this season the Mets have continued to lose games. Every lose seems to be because of a different variable. If Johan pitches 8 innings and allows 1 run, the Mets put up a goose egg on offense. If the Mets score 6 runs through 5 innings, Mike Pelfrey allows 7 runs in 4 innings. During this past year, the team has simply not made the plays necessary to not only play postseason baseball but to even be in the discussion come September.

From where the team sits today, 2011 looks to be similar to 2010. The Mets have the potential to tease their fans again next year and that is most likely what will happen. Underachieving roster, lame duck manager, bloated payroll, and desperate fan base. The Mets have plenty of areas to improve but as history has shown us, they most likely won't get it right.