Jeff Francoeur

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On the New York Daily News' website, they had a poll asking whose fault it was that Mets' season has spiraled out of control. They gave you four options:

Well, up until now, I haven't felt compelled to put anything down on "paper" when it came to the New York Mets, as the majority of my thoughts can be found in my post game reports that I share with Matt Dagastino on the New York Mets Audio Minute, over at Lexy.

As much as the Mets don't want to admit it, by calling up two of their top minor league prospects, they are planning for 2011.

Perhaps their thinking is that the young players is what energized them early in the season, but it's too late for that now.

There are so many negatives that outweigh every potential positive. By bringing up Ruben Tejada and Fernando Martinez, a couple of veteran players are upset. Of course, Mets fans don't care about feelings and they shouldn't.

As reported yesterday, the Mets are shopping Jeff Francoeur.

Rumors flying around the New York Mets say they might trade Jeff Francoeur before the trade deadline next week.

Is that possible? Yes.

Is it likely? Knowing the Mets, probably not.

Francoeur lost the starting right fielder job to Angel Pagan when Carlos Beltran returned and now is the fourth outfielder.

Francoeur has been a starter since he was single digits in age. He obviously can’t be happy being on the bench now.

It goes without saying that Jeff Francoeur has pretty much worn out his welcome in New York. He is hitting a paltry .253, can't run all that well, or play other positions. Also, with the return of Carlos Beltran to the Mets lineup, New York is rather deep in outfield talent.

I have seen a lot of posts on Twitter this year about Jeff Francoeur—about how terrible he is and how he should never play another game. I always find a way to defend him, if possible. The main reason is that I don’t think the naysayers were saying that at the start of the season when he was on fire.

Originally, the plan was for Carlos Beltran to be in center field when he returned, with Francoeur and Angel Pagan alternating in right field.

By the time the New York Mets get through with Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals this weekend they will be exactly half way through their 162-game regular season schedule.

As we near the mid point of the season, let's revisit five questions the Mets had coming into the season.

With Carlos Beltran closing in on his return to the New York Mets, speculation is running wild that he will replace Angel Pagan in the lineup. 

Why? 

Pagan has done nothing but form a dynamic one-two punch atop the Mets lineup with Jose Reyes.  Jeff Franceour?  He’s just done nothing.

Former Mets first baseman and current television analyst, Keith Hernandez has said a few times during the course of the season that a team is never as good as they look during a hot streak, and is never as bad as they seem to be during a cold streak.

Well, the Mets have seen both sides of the coin early in this young season, which leads me to believe that they'll end up, eventually, some place in the middle.

Right now, that middle seems to be the .500 mark, where the Mets are now hovering close to at 18-20, following a dismal four-game sweep at the hands of the Marlins down in Miami.