Fernando Martinez catches a lot of flack from Mets fans... I've heard comments about how he is "finished" or he was never that good to begin with. Frankly all these fans are dead wrong, this looks to be a BIG breakout year for Fernando. Martinez, who just turned 22, is on the same level as your average college senior, and if a recently drafted college senior slugged a respectable .455 at AAA the baseball world would be in a tizzy over him. In 116 games in AAA, Fernando has hit 20 home runs, slugged .490 and has an OPS over .810. Fernando has shown there has been no hiccups in his development, just nagging injuries that have slowed his rapid ascent but have not robbed him of his talent in the least bit. Fernando is still a 5 tool prospect who has immense power potential and while his speed has not necessarily translated to stolen bases he is a smart base runner with a good quick burst. To all the naysayers...Fernando's 2010 was very similar to Colby Rasmus' 2008 when he was just 21 with similar minor league experience. Mets' fans, I implore you not to give up on Fernando, before he ends up like Carlos Gonzalez. Read More...

So Jason Bay finally decides to sign with the Mets for a deal that is 4 years and averages around 16 mil/season. And I ain't mad about it. I'm one of those who actually preferred getting Bay over Matt Holliday because he would be the cheaper option and while he hits for a lower average; everything else is about the same. Some of the positives I take from this move:

1) The OF is now set with him, Beltran and Francoeur. Last year in Boston, Bay did have a perfect fielding percentage and recorded 15 assists. Now yes, Citi is a much bigger LF than Fenway is, but this will certainly be an improvement over the adventures of Daniel Murphy or Angel Pagan out there defensively.

2) He's a legit clean-up guy that we can insert right in-between Beltran & Wright. Placing back Wright at his natural #5 slot will allow him to do what he does best, and that's to drive runs as opposed to feeling forced to get everything all at once. Bay doesn't hit for the best average (career .280) but adding someone who can get you 25-30 HR, 100-105 RBI and a career .376 OBP is what the doctor ordered.

3) I know this is simply an intangible, but Bay thrived under the pressure for playing for a big-market team for a year plus out in Boston...so that should be no problem for him.

4) While this isn't solely about Bay...to those who talk about players who are afraid to play 81 home games at Citifield remember the only reason why we were last in HRs last year is BECAUSE OF THE TEAM WE WERE FORCED TO FIELD. Did it affect the Phillies, Marlins, Braves, etc? No. How about Mark Reynolds, who decided to have a personal home run derby here? No.

The best part about this is that all the pressure is gonna be on the Phillies now to deliver as being the heavy favorites to not only win the division, but the NL as a whole. The Mets if they remain healthy this year, get Pelfrey & Ollie's heads right and continue our strong bullpen pitching from last year can keep up easily. Not making too many changes in the roster this year might actually be a positive, as there is a better chance to build team chemistry which has been lacking the past few years. Now we need a 1B (I'm with the LaRoche idea 100%) and we should be fine. Read More...