The Mets made a number of changes over the All Star Break, starting with the firing of Rick Down and the addition of Rickey Henderson to the coaching staff. Many of us saw this coming, after the Mets’ hitting seemed to disappear during the “June swoon”. With Down out and Henderson in, the most likely scenario would see first base coach Howard Johnson take over the job as hitting instructor. Rickey Henderson would then become the first base coach, a job he will fit into nicely, as he has worked extensively with Jose Reyes and some of the other Mets speedsters during spring training.

Down has done a terrible job as the hitting instructor, I personally am glad to see him go.

Today, the Mets dropped the second bomb of the break by designating the 48 year old Julio Franco for assignment. Again, this was expected, as most fans are sick and tired of seeing Willie Randolph bringing in Julio Franco to pinch hit in a big spot in the 8th inning only to see Franco strikeout or ground out to second. While Franco brought amazing leadership and experience to the clubhouse, it was time to face the facts. Franco just cannot get the bat around anymore, and therefore, he has no place on a potentially championship caliber team. Franco will be looking for a new team in 10 days, as he will become a free agent. If he can’t find a team that wants him, he will most likely retire and become a coach somewhere.

Lastly, Metsblog is reporting that the Mets have signed former Met Marlon Anderson to a minor league contract. Anderson was DFA’d by the Dodgers last month mainly because of the Dodgers plethora of younger infield talent. Anderson could become a viable option for the Mets off the bench this season since we have had trouble in the pinch hitting department.

Could all these changes by Omar be the key to success for the Mets? Only the next 75 games will tell.