In a few short days, baseball will return to Port St. Lucie and, in less than two months, baseball will be back. I will be in Port St. Lucie for a day this week and then again towards the end of February when pitchers and catchers arrive – and I can’t wait to bring you the story both in writing and in photographs as it happens. My hope is we, as fans, can celebrate the birth of the new season at that time, and start talking about this baseball team and the game. Why? Because as a Mets fan who has suffered through thick and thin with this franchise since 1985, I am sick of not talking about baseball and my favorite sports team. I am sick of the legalese, the mocking, the fear over the future of this franchise, and a theoretical inevitability that the Mets will lose. Everyday I hope the negativity will end, that the dramatics will end, and there can be a return to normalcy and winning. 

The reality is, I know that’s not happening anytime soon, especially with ownership’s trial in the Madoff case set to begin right in the middle of Spring Training – there’s no telling how long this will last, either. I have faith that both Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins can center the focus on the diamond rather than the courtroom, but the distractions will undoubtedly be visible each and everyday for the duration of the trial and in the days following it. That’s sad and upsetting to deal with as a fan – that’s not what it’s supposed to be about.

I read the jokes, see the cartoons, read the comments on this site, on Twitter, and on Facebook about this team and the ongoing situation with ownership, and it seems as though I’m not alone in my thinking. It seems we all want this era to come to an end, one way or another, so the attention and focus can be on winning games on the field, and not in the courtroom.

I don’t, Michael, although Jason Bay‘s contract is certainly more movable than Johan Santana‘s contract. I can’t imagine anyone would entertain taking Santana off the Mets hands unless they would consider paying most of what’s due to him through next season. His shoulder will be a big question mark all year, and that assumes he will be able to contribute consistently in some sort of capacity throughout the year.

In regards to Bay, I’m curious to see if he can carry over his positive September into the new season, with the new dimensions playing into his strengths. He is a huge key for this offense this season (like he has been in each of the last two seasons). But like Santana, if the Mets want to move Bay, they would probably have to pick up most of the remainder of his contract (and his easily attainable option for 2014, which calls for $17 million).

Santana is entering the fifth year of a six-year, $137.5 million contract (with a full no-trade clause) in which he will earn $24 million. He will earn $25.5 million in 2013, and team holds a $25 million option on him for 2014 with a $5.5 million buyout.

Bay is entering the third year of a four-year, $66 million contract (with a full no-trade clause) in which he will earn $16 million. He will earn $16 million in 2013 and, if he compiles 600 plate appearances in 2013 or 500 plate appearances in both 2012 and 2013, his option for 2014 will engage at $17 million. If his option does not engage, he will be paid a $3 million buyout.

So, in other words, even if Bay and Santana do not play for the Mets in 2014, the Mets will still owe them a combined $8.5 million.

Brendan sent in an email asking:

Beato is certainly a part of the Mets bullpen depth, Brendan. He could also become part of a much needed level of depth in their starting rotation, but in both scenarios he might be on the outside looking in at the moment. The good news for the Mets is Beato is no longer subject to the rules of the Rule 5 draft, meaning if he doesn’t make the team, they do not have to return him to his former team – they can simply send him to the minors.

If Beato is to make the team on Opening Day, it will likely be in a bullpen role and he will have to show greater consistency and that his stuff (which is great, by the way) is more refined than it was last year. If they intend to make him a starting pitcher, he will likely go to the minors to build his innings.

The Mets acquired Beato via the Rule 5 draft in December, 2010. In 60 games for the Mets last year, Beato went 2-1 with a 4.30 ERA with 27 walks and 39 strikeouts in 67 innings.

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I think so, David, and as SNY.tv’s Ted Berg wrote on TedQuarters earlier this week, there is enough talent on the roster to win 94 games. But for that to happen, Johan Santana must be able to contribute consistently and at a high level, they will need growth from other starting pitchers such as Dillon Gee, Jon Niese and Mike Pelfrey, and both David Wright and Jason Bay must rebound and perform. On top of all of that, they need to stay healthy, something they have failed to do for the better part of the last four seasons. That’s a lot to ask, but this time of year is reserved for that kind of hope.

The starting rotation is, by far, the weakest area on the roster for the Mets. In fact, they probably have the weakest rotation in the National League East on paper.

Last year, the members of the projected rotation won 39 games (with Gee winning 13 of those 39), and pitched to a 4.17 ERA, walking 234 and striking out 491 and allowing 71 home runs in 720 1/3 innings pitched, averaging just over six innings per start. Those numbers must improve if the Mets have any chance at all to contend.

According to FanGraphs, Bill James predicts Gee will go 8-10 with a 4.33 ERA in 160 innings, Niese will go 9-10 with a 4.28 ERA in 160 innings, Dickey will go 12-11 with a 3.89 ERA, Pelfrey will go 9-11 with a 4.36 ERA in 188 innings, and Santana will go 14-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 189 innings. I agree with all of the projections except the one set for Santana because I don’t know if he will be able to throw that many innings, or what those innings will contain.

It concerns me there is so much of a dependency on Santana’s return from capsule surgery. Despite the belief he is ready to go for Spring Training, there are so many unknowns as to how he will respond to the rigors of camp and each Grapefruit League outing, let alone his ability to consistently contribute at the major league level. It all looks good in January when he’s throwing to Terry Collins in shorts and sunglasses, but it’s a whole other story three weeks from now.

The good news, Dan? The game isn’t played on paper, and if the aforementioned pitchers can positively progress as needed, they should be able to contribute more than 39 wins.

Brandon, I cheer in both good times and bad because I love the Mets and the game itself. I love the fresh hope of Spring Training in February, and watching the season (and the stories it contains) unfold into October. Despite the negativity surrounding the team, it’s owners and their finances, I still am very much looking forward to Mets baseball in three weeks.

Obviously, I’d prefer the Mets get past their current drama and win a World Championship or two, but the negativity doesn’t make the inner fan in me fade. If you’re going to go into a season with no hope on January 28, why bother being a fan to begin with? You never know what will happen which is part of what makes this game so great – see the 2011 Cardinals, 2010 Giants, and yes, the 1969 Mets.

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Of the two, I’d go the week of February 27. It’s the best time to see everyone on the team, as they are engaged in organized workouts on the back fields at Digital Domain Park. Most of the players spend a tremendous amount of time signing autographs, posing for pictures, and talking with fans (typically after workouts conclude).

Pitchers and catchers will report to Spring Training in Port St. Lucie on February 20, with the first workout scheduled for February 22. Position players will report on February 25 with the first full-squad workout scheduled for February 27. Workouts begin between 8:30 – 9:00 am and typically run until around 12:00 pm. Workouts are free of charge to attend.

I’m excited to watch Lucas Duda as well. He has tremendous power, he has the ability to hit to all fields, and has a major presence in the batters box. I think his progress will depend a lot on his confidence. Both Duda and Terry Collins have talked a lot about that over the last year and when Duda has struggled, he’s stated he needs to build that confidence. He appeared to grow in that regard as the season went on, as he appeared to let his natural talent take over as he began to believe in himself. Hopefully he has maintained that confidence, as the thought of a David Wright/Ike Davis/Lucas Duda trio in the middle-of-the-order can be both dominating and entertaining going forward.

I don’t believe the park has been changed specifically for David Wright. In November, Sandy Alderson basically said the object of these changes is to make the park fairer for everyone, and it just so happens the most significant change (the Mo’ Zone and right-centerfield field) plays into Wright’s natural strength. I think the changes in general will help Ike Davis, Lucas Duda, and Jason Bay as well, but they’re also designed to generally make the park less intimidating so hitters don’t try and do too much, which has often been the case at Citi Field.

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@michaelgbaron should the Mets just go ahead and resign Wright to new deal now? Seems to make sense all the way around.#ask mike

— david norton (@dmnwatkins) January 21, 2012

The fan in me agrees with you, but the prudent approach might be to wait, at least until mid-season after his adjustment to the new dimensions at Citi Field has been evaluated and measured. Besides, I’m not sure Wright would sign a new deal right now, anyway. He is coming off the worst year of his career, and I would think he would want to re-establish his value in 2012 and also evaluate the direction of the franchise as the season progresses. But if Wright is having a good year, the team is playing well, and the front office is interested in retaining him beyond his current contract, I’d like for the Mets to keep him through the season and explore a new, long-term deal at some point over the next year.

@michaelgbaron #AskMikeWho do you think will have a breakout year for the @Mets ?

— Shawn Vaid (@kubare24) January 21, 2012

Personally, I think Wright is poised for a big comeback year. The new dimensions play into his game perfectly; if he can use a consistent approach and swing and go with the outside pitch rather than try to muscle up and pull that pitch, I would expect Wright to resemble his 2005-2008 form.

@michaelgbaron what’s the chance the Mets seriously pursue a Bay for Burnett deal or is it just more of a web rumor? #askmike

— B (@B23R) January 21, 2012

It appears to be no more than a web rumor. Last month, Dwight Gooden made such a suggestion on Twitter, but no interest from either the Mets or the Yankees was never reported in the media. Burnett walks a lot of guys and gives up a lot of home runs, but I wonder how much that has to do with pitching in Yankee Stadium and Burnett potentially feeling a need to execute perfectly to keep the ball in the park. A move to a park like Citi Field could benefit him, and while his stuff appeared to diminish somewhat last year, he’s proven to be a durable presence in the Yankee rotation, which, as it was proven with Mike Pelfrey, the Mets value.

As far as Bay and Burnett’s contracts are concerned, Burnett’s is more appealing simply because if Bay is healthy in 2013, his $17 million option for 2014 is easily attainable, whereas Burnett’s contract simply expires after 2013. In addition, this swap would open up more opportunities for some of the Mets outfield prospects (such as Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Matt Den Dekker) in the short term, which could benefit the organization as a whole. But the Yankees already have a strong option in left field in Brett Gardner who, to be honest, is a more valuable player on the field right now than Bay. Therefore, I don’t know if this “suggestion” makes much sense for the Yankees.

Burnett was 11-11 with a 5.15 ERA last season with the Yankees. He has two years and $33 million left on his contract.

Bay has two years and $32 million left on his deal, plus a $17 million option for 2014.

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I’ve been to a lot of ballparks over the years, but the sound of a sold out, Shea Stadium crowd roaring and on it’s feet was like none other I have experienced in my life. There were times, such as Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, Todd Pratt’s series winning home run in the 1999 NLDS, and Endy Chavez‘s catch in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS when the stands actually seemed to bounce up and down. While that memory served as a symbol of joy and success for the franchise in that ballpark, they were a little nerve racking for a brief period of time.

I’ve often wondered what these experiences would be like as a fan inside Citi Field. How would the roar of the crowd sound at the climax of a ten run inning against a division rival? Or, a walk-off playoff series home run? Or, a catch like the those Endy Chavez and Tommy Agee made in their respective postseason games? Only time will tell, I suppose…

Pitchers and catchers will report to Spring Training in Port St. Lucie on February 20, with the first workout scheduled for February 22. Position players will report on February 25 with the first full-squad workout scheduled for February 27.

The Mets open their Grapefruit League schedule on March 5 at Digital Domain Park against the Nationals at 6:10 pm.

Matt, Vinny and I expect to be at Digital Domain Park when pitchers and catchers report to camp in February, snapping photos and live blogging as usual. It will be the 22nd consecutive year I’ve attended Spring Training, and each year seems to be better than the last. I can’t wait…

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Nieuwenhuis, 24, hit .298 with a .403 OBP, six HR and 14 RBI in 188 at-bats for Triple-A Buffalo in 2011. He had shoulder surgery in July and missed the remainder of the season. However, in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, Nieuwenhuis was added to the 40-man roster last month. Sandy Alderson said last week at the team’s Holiday Party that it’s unlikely Nieuwenhuis will be on the major league roster to start the season due to his injury last year.

Nieuwenhuis is a big and strong left-handed hitter who, outside of an inconsistent stint with Buffalo after a promotion from Double-A Binghamton in 2010, has found success at every level of the Mets organization. He consistently gets on base and can steal bases, but – like a lot of power hitters – he tallies his fair share of strikeouts. If not for his shoulder injury last season, I would have expected him at Citi Field in September. However, he will now get a long look during Spring Training not only to check his progress but to see how healthy his shoulder is after surgery. While I don’t think his injury is a major setback at the moment, given his age, the time is now for Nieuwenhuis; he needs to get off to a strong and healthy start at Buffalo in 2012.

Assuming he is beyond his injury and continues to grow, the Mets appear to have an interesting set of outfielders in their pipeline with Nieuwenhuis, Matt Den Dekker, and Brandon Nimmo. Den Dekker had a strong season with Single-A St. Lucie, although he struggled after being promoted to Double-A Binghamton. He is a strong defensive outfielder with a combination of power and speed. He struck out 156 times in 139 games between St. Lucie and Binghamton and, while his success could be determined by his ability to cut down on those strikeouts, he is an exciting young talent (with a great personality) who could also get a long look during camp this Spring as well.