5 questions to consider for Mets in 2006 [Forum Archive]

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BY ADAM RUBIN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Omar Minaya has made a lot moves during the offseason, but has received mixed reviews thus far. Despite all the controversy about the team's perceived Latin infusion, the real question surrounding Minaya's reshaping of the Mets clubhouse is whether it will take a winning form on the field. Here's a look at the keys as pitchers and catchers report this week:
1. How's Pedro feeling?
Pedro Martinez received a cortisone shot in his right hip, had discomfort between his shoulder blades and experienced pain and cartilage damage in his right big toe while anchoring the rotation with a 15-8 record and 2.82 ERA in 2005. He'll wear a specially engineered cleat to protect his foot. Bullpen coach Guy Conti, who visited Martinez in the Dominican Republic early this month, said the ace appears ready for another dominating season. The Mets better hope so, because reaching the postseason figures to depend on Martinez remaining healthy. The Mets also better hope Martinez doesn't get too worn down by next month's World Baseball Classic, if he does in fact compete, so the ace has something left in the tank in September. Minaya, during the team's winter caravan, labeled the likelihood of Martinez pitching in the tournament "50-50."
2. Did Minaya borrow from the rotation too much in order to address the bullpen?
Aaron Heilman will be a happy camper when pitchers and catchers report to Port St. Lucie on Thursday. After all, he figures to return to the rotation, thanks to the Jae Seo and Kris Benson trades. But while the acquisitions of relievers Duaner Sanchez and Steve Schmoll from the Dodgers, and Jorge Julio from the Orioles bolster the pen, Mets brass left little wiggle room if one of the starters - Martinez, Tom Glavine, Steve Trachsel, Victor Zambrano or Heilman - gets injured or underperforms. Minaya maintains that the Mets still have depth. Yet Cuban defector Alay Soler, Japanese import Yusaku Iriki, ex-Oriole John Maine and prospect Brian Bannister are unproven commodities. So is first-round pick Mike Pelfrey, who has the most upside and could be in Flushing as soon as this summer if a void exists in the rotation.
3. Who's on second?
Kaz Matsui ranks fifth on the Mets in seniority, behind Trachsel, Glavine, Cliff Floyd and Jose Reyes, and narrowly ahead of David Wright. But even if Matsui heads into spring training as the starter, there's no guarantee that he makes it to Opening Day that way. The Mets figure to shop him, with a willingness to pick up significantly more than half of the $8 million he's owed in the final year of his contract. Willie Randolph sung Matsui's praises this winter, but his liberal use of Miguel Cairo last season suggests the Japanese second baseman will be on a short leash if he breaks camp a Met. There is no shortage of alternatives: Slick-fielding Anderson Hernandez earned Rookie of the Year honors in the Dominican winter league and should arrive in midseason form after participating in the Caribbean World Series. Bret Boone is in camp on a nonguaranteed deal. Jose Valentin, Chris Woodward and Jeff Keppinger can man the position, too. Fielding ability should be a priority, since the second baseman likely will hit eighth.
4. Who's batting second?
For all the chatter about Carlos Beltran being more suited for the No. 2 spot in the lineup, Randolph steadfastly maintained last season that Beltran will be a three-hole hitter during his Mets career. So, while it's true that Beltran has batted 17 points higher during his career in the No. 2 slot (.292, vs. .275 at No. 3), it seems more likely that catcher Paul Lo Duca will hit second behind Reyes. Lo Duca would be followed by Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Wright, Floyd, Xavier Nady and whoever plays second. One benefit: Lo Duca makes contact. He struck out only 31 times in '05. In fact, among active major leaguers with 3,000 career plate appearances, only ex-Marlins teammate Juan Pierre (211) has struck out fewer times than Lo Duca (213). That should benefit the Mets on hit-and-runs with the speedy Reyes atop the order. Beltran figures to have a better sophomore season with the Mets regardless of where he hits, now that he's experienced New York scrutiny and put a lingering quadriceps injury behind him.
5. Xavier Nady or Victor Diaz? When Minaya obtained Nady from the Padres for Mike Cameron - the GM's first significant move of the winter - he mentioned the 27-year-old Nady in the same breath with Wright, Reyes and Beltran as the future of the team. Minaya said in November that Nady simply needed a regular workload in order to reach his potential, after getting no more than 371 at-bats in any season in San Diego. So it stands to reason that Nady will be the starting right fielder when Opening Day arrives at Shea on April 3, even if Nady has hit only .232 in his career against righties. Neither Nady nor Diaz will perform as well as Cameron in the field, but Nady has a leg up there, at least by default. Diaz had solid winter-ball stats, hitting .333 for Aguilas. But last season with the Mets, Diaz was undisciplined at the plate at times. He walked only three times in 27 games in September, and hit only .239 that month. Because Diaz can be sent to the minors without passing through waivers, he has an added obstacle to overcome to make the roster.