With Jason Bay Being A Complete Bust, Mets Need To Keep Carlos Beltran

Mike Francesa says it all the time and I completely agree with him: Carlos Beltran is under appreciated in this town. Yeah, I was mad too when ended the 2006 season with Beltran's bat lying on his shoulder while watching that nasty Adam Wainwright curveball, but that team had no business being in a Game 7 against a team they were much better than in the first place. To think too what a difference a healthy Pedro Martinez or David Wright hitting close to his average could've made in that series.

But getting back to Beltran, when healthy, as his 5th All-star appearance in 7 years as a Met proved, he's still one of the best in the game. Consider too, the possibility of five 100-RBI seasons as a Met along with three Gold Gloves and let's not forget that the guy has repeatedly stated how much he wants to stay a Met. Sure, he'll be 35 next year, one could make the case that he's back to playing on such a high-level only because he's after that one last big contract and the local media's been practically begging the Mets to get rid of him. But here's the biggest reason to keep Carlos Beltran a Met: there's no one out there who could replace him and thanks to Jason Bay being a  flat-out bust, the Mets would be God-awful without him. I mean, a horrible Bay, Angel Pagan and the oft-fragile Fernando Martinez does not leave you wanton for Mets tickets next year, much less any chance of competing with the Phillies and Braves in the NL East. In other words, the Mets must keep Carlos Beltran.

Did Ike Davis Quit On The Mets?

ESPN.com:

First baseman Ike Davis expressed skepticism he would be able to return to the New York Mets this season.


Speaking to children at Coleman Country Day Camp in Merrick, N.Y., on Long Island, on Tuesday, Davis candidly described his left ankle as "not good."


"But next year I will be back and healthy," Davis told the campers. "I promise."


When told of Davis' comments, manager Terry Collins said he was not resigned to the first baseman missing the remainder of the season, but he added, "I'm surprised he would say something like that."


Davis later told reporters, "I'm not throwing in the towel. In three weeks if I'm not healthy, I'm not playing this year."


Davis injured the ankle in a collision with third baseman David Wright by the pitcher's mound at Coors Field in Denver on May 10 and has not returned to the lineup because of lingering discomfort when he attempts to run.

Why else would Davis come out with that weird statement today about possibly not coming back this season? I don't know Ike Davis from Adam, but rarely have a seen a player act so nonchalant when it comes to returning from an injury. After his sizzling start this year, I thought Ike was ready to take this team by the horns and maybe lead them to a wild-card birth. But then he twisted his ankle and what once was supposed to be  short 15-day stint on the DL has turned into maybe being out for the season. And I know that he's a laidback guy and all, but at no time during this whole mess did Davis seem urgent on coming back and of course, the Mets medical staff being who they are found another way to make things worse. Granted, injuries are injuries and each player is different, but with Albert Pujols just coming back early from a broken wrist that was supposed to sideline him for six weeks, Davis' longterm absence from the Mets lineup deserves more scrutiny and maybe even some shame.

Jose Reyes Going On The DL Is Good For The Mets

Simply put, Reyes going on the DL today is yet, another reminder of no matter how great he is, he can be just as fragile. No wonder the only thing Fred Wilpon got right in that New Yorker article was that he won't be getting Carl Crawford money. No wonder any owner outside the Mets thinking of signing Reyes to some outlandish dead this offseason may want to back off upon seeing him on the DL, yet again--which in turn, is a good thing for the Mets.