Opening Day is Here

The opening day roster has been been set. The Mets came into spring training with very few open spots. So there aren't many surprises. The good thing is that for an old team, they have come out of camp pretty healthy.

The Good

• Santana, the best pitcher on the planet, is our opening day starter. The September collapse does not happen with a true ace on the roster.
• Pedro is healthy and better than he has been in a couple of years. While his pitching is important to the team, its his personality that matters most. The Mets sorely needed a killer instinct last year, which Pedro provides.
  
• Beltran looks to be healthy after off season surgery.
• Maine has had a great spring and looks like he may be able to be the pitcher he was in the first half for the entire season.
• It looks like the Mets farm system is not as bare as people claim it to be. While they are short on talent at the high levels, their lower level prospects look pretty good. Lets see how they develop over the course of the year.
• Joe Smith making the team. I think he has the potential to be a good set up man and he gives the team a different look out of the bullpen.
  

The Bad

• Depth in the starting rotation. The trade for Santana has left the Mets with very little depth in the rotation. If Pelfrey does not step up and El Duque stays injured for the majority of the year, there is no one else to turn to.
• Injuries. Alou, Sanchez, Castro and El Duque all start the year on the DL. Delgado and Martinez will probably spend some time on the DL over the course of the year.
• No depth at first. With Delgado's age the Mets needed to get someone who can log at bats at 1st.
  
• Pagan as your starting left fielder. I don't understand how Endy has not earned a shot at being a regular when there is an injury. While I think he is a better player coming off the bench, he would be a better short term answer to Alou's injury with his speed and defense.
• The loss of Gotay to the rival Braves. This is one of those moves that come back to haunt us. Lets hope the Mets know something that the Braves don't.

All this being said. If Reyes returns to pre-Septmeber form and the front four in the rotation stay healthy, the Mets are the team the beat in the NL East and are a solid contender to make the World Series.