PostMortum: Mets' 2006

By Mike McGann
Posted Friday, October 20, 2006

The Mets came within one ninth-inning basehit of reaching the World Series.

But was that good enough? Is this a win-now team or a budding dynasty just reaching the beginning of its potential? And what moves are going to be needed to win it all in 2007?

Less than 24 hours after Carlos Beltran looked at a called strike three, it's hard to get a good read on this team. The vaunted offense largely withered in the postseason, while the beleaguered pitching, for the most part, did beter than expected. The bullpen, beyond its closer, was solid.

So now what?

Obviously, change.

With the surprising news that it appears pitcher Tom Glavine will not be back — opting to return to the Braves to finish his career — the Mets will have to be aggressive in pursuing trades for pitching, as well as in the free agent market. Expect the Mets to have lengthy talks with the Marlins about Dontrelle Willis — happily surrendering Lastings Milledge and other young pitching to pick up the lefty. And while there are reports that Milledge is only available in a Willis trade, that may, from what we hear, just be a front to drive up the moody outfielder's value. Milledge is very likely to be among the first chips put into play.

In addition to more pitching, the Mets will be looking for a new second baseman and a right-handed power hitter for the outfield. It seems unlikely that Cliff Floyd will return and Jose Valentin would only be resigned in the backup role originally seen for him this season.

Expect it to be every bit as busy as it was the last two offseasons, with the estimated budget for 2007 thought to be in excess of $120 million (an increase allowed by the major increase in Mets' revenue in 2006).