Carlos Beltran

This is the time during Spring Training that all Major League teams starts to cut down on their rosters, sending some players down to their Minor League affiliates while others are sent on their way right out of the organization.

The funny thing about this process is that there are very few surprises as to who stays and who goes.

Next time Torii Hunter not only should have a better choice of words, but also get his facts right.

The Angel outfielder should know that the latest sensation to come from Latin America, Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman, was signed to a six-year, $30 million deal by the Cincinnati Reds.

This continues my 2010 MLB preview. I intend to touch every team in the major leagues in installments by division. The lineups I provide will be what I predict will be the most productive for each team for the MAJORITY of the season (e.g., Jason Heyward will be listed as the Braves RF even though he may not begin the season as the starter).

I will also provide the stereotypical letter grade to each team's lineup, rotation, bullpen, and depth/bench. Though it is trite, I think all baseball fans can identify with the letter grade system.

Provided Jason Bay passes his physical, he will become a Met next week, and he will be their left fielder.

But where will he hit?

The most logical place for him is 5th, with David Wright hitting 3rd and Carlos Beltran hitting 4th, being that, as of right now, Carlos Delgado is not in the Mets picture for 2010.

Another right-handed bat does give David Wright some protection in the lineup. Hopefully Wright's power numbers will improve, but as long as he's productive in driving in runs, to me it doesn't matter how the runs score.

We are only a few weeks until it is the end of this decade, I was thinking and I decided that I would make the New York Baseball All-Decade Team.

This decade was great for the Yankees in winning two World Series but not great for the Mets in only making the playoffs a couple of times.

In fact, in the first World Series of the decade the two New York teams faced eachother in the Subway Series, The Yankees won the series in five games with Derek Jeter being named the MVP.

In this decade, both New York teams had players that will forever be a part of the franchises' history such as Piazza, Jet

While fans throughout New York City and Northern New Jersey celebrate the 27th World Championship of the New York Yankees, there is a strong and awful odor coming from somewhere nearby.

People stop in the streets, sniff the air, put that "this-is-gross"-look on their faces, try to hide their noses underneath their shirts, and move as quickly as possible to a car or building, anything that will protect them from the smell of rotten eggs in burning garbage.

The smell wafts across the streets of Manhattan, terrorizing the people like a Godzilla stomping the citizens of Tokyo.

After going through a horrific, injury-plagued 2009 campaign, the New York Mets head in this winter's Hot Stove with many questions and seemingly too few answers.

Everyone's knee-jerk response to solving their issues revolve around signing a couple big ticket free agents and praying for health. It seems like the 2010 version of the Metropolitans will be a playoff contender, but still a cut below a dominant Phillies club.

Some place. Carlos Beltran if he is watching the postseason games the least he would like to listen is anything about his New York Mets.

What if this. What if that. What if they had made it to the postseason? Probably nowadays instead of a possible LA Freeway Series most fans would be talking about a Subway Series.

Does the name Pedro Martinez ring a bell, Omar? It should.

You were smart enough to bring him to New York, and it was a brilliant move, because it started a whirlwind movement by Latin players who wanted to come to New York to be in his presence.

Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Johan Santana, all expressed publicly that coming to the Mets to play with Pedro was paramount in their decision to want to play in New York.

The fact that Omar had the chance to re-sign him this year at a much lower cost to the organization was a wasted effort on Omar's part.

The Mets have a lot to work on this coming off season, and like most winters, transactions should be a constant priority.

Here is my list of what I think are the most pressing items for management to consider:

1)  Do not issue long term, high dollar contracts to any player.  In this time of financial difficulty, no player is worth acquiring if that goes with the demand of being locked in for a long term deal.