New York Mets

According to internet speculation, the Seattle Mariners are willing to at least explore the idea of moving prized young starter "King" Felix Hernandez this winter. The thinking is that they may not be able to lock him up long-term.

And, well, the M's just happen to be in need of a third baseman—assuming Adrian Beltre doesn't return. Meanwhile, the Mets desperately need pitching.

It's a match made in heaven, right? I mean, neither player has a no-trade clause.

A few weeks back, I profiled why a swap of Eric Byrnes for Luis Castillo would make sense for both the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Mets.

It seems like it has been an eternity.

It seems like a different time, a different place, and a much different team. Once upon a time, there was hope in Queens, and while it certainly seems like that was an eternity ago, it has actually only been five years.

Think about what it was like to be a Mets fan during the fall and winter of 2004.

Met fans have been clamoring for Omar Minaya to make a splash and sign a big name free agent. I'm not sure that this signing counts, but according to a report by Joel Sherman of the New York Post , Kelvim Escobar is on his way to becoming a New York Met :

Like most Mets fans, I hate Mr. Minaya and can't wait until his reign of terror is done. I hate Omar so much, even if the Mets win the World Series in 2010 I will still hate that man. But that doesn't take away the fact that he has my dream job, being the General manager of the New York Mets.

This will be a slideshow that will focus on every position, who should start that position and what the Mets have done so far and what they need to do.

I would like to preface this by saying that I am not a Mets fan. However, I do think many of their fans are not giving the team enough credit. The team is very good at its core, and many seem to forget that they entered last season as contenders before a slew of injuries. The team does need some revamping, though. So, if I were in their place, I would enact the following multi-step plan for the off-season to try and make the team competitive in 2010:

Let Jason Bay and Bengie Molina wait.

There were 87 starting pitchers from the 1970s who pitched in at least 200 games. That is the highest number of any decade in the history of Major League Baseball, other than the 1980s and 2000s.

The 1970s is an interesting decade to write about, because it was chock-full of high-caliber pitchers.

Minute Moves Amplify Club's Dim Future

Merry Christmas, Met fans!  You have absolutely nothing to be merry about this holiday season.

Your team has actually gotten worse in the offseason, which is an almost impossible notion considering they just experienced three of the most frustrating seasons in the club's not-so-illustrious history.

The ownership and the front office are sitting around waiting for the market on the remaining free agents to come to them. Tick-tock...

Various news outlets are reporting tonight that the New York Mets have signed Kelvim Escobar to a one-year Major League contract.

The 33-year-old right hander has pitched for two teams throughout his big league career, first with the Toronto Blue Jays and most recently with the Los Angeles Angels.

During his career, Escobar has amassed a win/loss record of 101-91 and compiled an ERA of 4.15.

His best season came in 2007 when he made 30 starts, compiled a record of 18-7, and maintained an ERA of 3.40.