The Mets have the 7th, 51st, 83rd and 116th pick. If they had kept Billy Wagner, a Type A free agent, they would have also had the 20th pick.

It’s hard not to question the wisdom of the Mets’ move. For Wagner, they received a 26 year old AAA outfielder in Chris Carter and a 20 year-old 1B in Eddie Lora. With the Mets being notoriously tightfisted in amatuer signing bonuses – they were 3rd fom the bottom last year, its easy to conclude that they didn’t want to have another expensive slot to pay for next summer.

Maybe the Mets have good reports on Lara from their scouts in the Dominican Republic where he played in 2008. Coupled with Carter they may feel that the trade off in talent with a potential 20th pick is a good one.

I wonder what they will be thinking in their draft war room in June when they see a player they really, really would have wanted at 20. To be fair, it will take some time to judge this move. But I’d really like to have had the opportunity to take a player that has such an upside as the 20th best player. Chances are, the scouts in the room will see a player that had rated much higher than the slot.

1. Two successive collapses at the end the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

2. The messy handling and dithering of Willie Randolph’s dismissal.

3. The Tony Bernazard saga that important parties are still in public denial over.

4. The flawed player development and amatuer talent acquisition philosophy.

5. 2009.

Nothing has happened over the last few seasons shows that the Wilpon-Minaya blue print for success has been correct since the 2006 season.

Minaya is still the organization’s front man on acquiring major talent, but the unique interpersonal skills we all once marveled are now a mytical notion from swoons past.

I doubt we will see long lines of fans waiting to get Minaya’s autograph this spring. Nonetheless, the man’s been busy. And he’s currently playing a bad hand fairly well.

Minaya seems to have read the market well. He hasn’t panicked to satisfy the vultures who create the back pages and has refused to be baited by agents negotiating via media propoganda. Unless they just don’t want to play for the Mets, Jason Bay and Bengie Molina could be Mets very soon. And at a cost to the Mets that wasn’t artificially ramped up.

The acquisition of Japanese reliever Ryota Igarashi is clever in that he didn’t cost the Mets what a seasoned MLB pitcher would. He could be lightening in a bottle at a very low financial committment.

The Mets focus on foreign talent payed off here. If they have any notion of being relevant in the future they will have to change their financial attitude to US talent. The trade of Billy Wagner at the end of last season was a disasterous misuse of an asset. Maybe the subtle changes that occurred in player development signals a change.

The market is coming back on free agents right now. Few teams are biting at what agents are asking for. I believe that Minaya will be bringing in either Joel Piniero or Jason Marquis who unlike most players makes no bones about wanting to play for the Mets. Some major league bats were let go last Saturday, too. Look for one of those to be a Met.

If something is indeed happening with the Reds, Minaya’s winter might not be one of discontent.

Can’t say that I blame Madden. The Mets haven’t really made a good deal since bringing Johan Santana to New York. Jeff Francoeur fell in their lap. Their questionable frugality in signing amatuer talent was on display when they gave away Billy Wagner who will be closing this season for a division opponent.

Plus the unthinkable…who really wants to play for the Mets right now? Minaya’s powers of persuassion are not what they once were, thus putting the Mets in the position of having to clearly outbid for the services of talent. The Mets could meerly be used just to drive up the market for players whom have no intention of signing on to what can understandably be looked at as a dysfunctional organization. A seasoned observer such as Madden is sure to be aware of just this possibility.

If they end up not moving Wagner, it will be a signal that they may want to keep him. Knowing that Wagner will be on the club next year is an early slotting of salary to a total that by all reports will come down significantly.

What did or did not happen with Gary Sheffield is puzzling when compared to Billy Wagner’s situation. On one hand, its clear that a plan to attempt to move Wagner has been in place for some time. The organization has been on the same page all along. Why put Sheffield on waivers at all if you have no idea what plans you have for him? It must be that the Mets do not have a blueprint for the future because of questions about what will be happening with its top people.

If the Mets do this it needs to be a baseball decision that’s weighed against the talent that would come in a trade versus what the Mets would get as a compensatory draft pick next June. But the Mets have been sending signals that its about the money right now. Lets hope this isn’t a snag.

Adding a healthy Billy Wagner to a contender’s bullpen must be intriguing right now for teams and their fans. He makes sense for team like the Cubs, Cardinals and (hold your breath) the Yankees. However, a Wagner trade could be blocked by an opposing GM to keep him from going to a rival. Yesterday’s acquisition of Chad Gaudin by the Yankees isn’t necessarily indicative of the gentleman’s agreement to keep the waiver wire open. It’s early in the month and Gaudin is not a player of significant caliber.

Thats an off-the-charts wow factor of 10.

I’m not sure what to make of the possibility that Cleveland would have sent Victor Martinez to the Mets for Jon Niese and Jennry Mejia or Brad Holt. There’s just too many things to speculate on.

But the one whisper that never seems to go away is that the Wilpons may be in trouble financially. Its the 800 pound gorilla in the room that no one talks about in polite company. The empty seats I saw around home plate during yesterday’s game has become a familiar sight. The team’s poor play coupled with extremely high ticket prices and a poor economy is the perfect storm for any professional sports franchise. Maybe they just cannot add salary of any sorts until the ones for Billy Wagner and Carlos Delgado come off the books after this year.

A number two starter is the greatest pressing need for next season. Yes, that means the Mets should attempt to sign John Lackey with the money they’re saving by the departures of Wagner and Delgado. Lackey will likely get a contract similar to the AJ Burnett contract. But the Angel’s right hander is what the Mets badly need to be competitive in their own ballpark. Lackey’s a gamer and is used to the big stage.

And yes, I know we woudn’t be having this conversation is the Mets had committed their assets to Derek Lowe and not Oliver Perez.

As Putz only needed to have spurs removed, his return this season was likely. If he had soft tissue damage to a ligament or tendon, it would have been see you next year.

A return of both Putz and Billy Wagner seems imminent sometime this month. There wasn’t any need to spend what few minor league assets the Mets had on an arm with these two returning.

September could be different in that Manuel will have an expanded roster with more players on the bench to pinch hit. A bullpen that includes Putz and Wagner will benefit a staff who’s starters do not go deep into games. If the Mets recall a catcher, they will be able to pinch-hit and double switch comfortably.

If they are in contention it will make sense to promote the two major league bats that are on the AAA roster in Mike Lamb and Nick Evans.

2:33: Mets win 7-0. Tim Redding finished up. Nice DP started again by Daniel Murphy. Like Gary said at the end, this can be the best day of the season if we can get tonight’s game.

2:22: To the 9th. We lead 7-0. They just showed Rockies coach Don Baylor. My own memory of Baylor come from the 1986 World Series when he almost hit me with a foul ball in the 3rd base dugout. I tripped and smashed face first into one of the polls. After I put ice on Gary Carter’s knee after the game, I held an ice bag over the right side of my face. A real big league dork moment.

2:02: Santana’s done, leaving with a 6-0 lead after 7. Bobby Parnell will relieve. That was my first look behind the scenes at Citi Field. Nice shot by SNY getting Santana walking up the runway. A Cora single and David Wright double makes it 7-0.

1:54: For those of you whom don’t already. You need to have Tim Dierkes’ MLB Trade Rumors minimized today. No other site covers it better.

1:50: Cory Sullivan’s had a nice game. Two hits – one a triple, an RBI. Three nice plays in leftfield. He can play CF, too, so their might be something to the talk that the Mets could move Jeremy Reed to the Rockies. They don’t need them both.

1:46: They’re talking about Bob Apodaca, the former Met and Rockies pitching coach. I had the proviledge of working with “Dac” in the 1983 season in Jackson AA Texas League. Great pitching coach-better person.

1:35: Gary and Ron spoke about Omar Minaya’s comments today and were disappointed that Minaya didn’t really “close the door” on the issue. And I am glad that Darling was very Mets get to 6-0 after an Angel Pagan triple.

1:30: Mets lead 5-0 after 5.

1:28: Santana just dove after a ball that got by first base and Ronnie said that when Santana is in the game “he seems to be the toughest guy on the field.” That’s high praise.

1:21: SI’s Jon Heyman reports that the Marlins are close to getting Heath Bell.

1:10: Cory Sullivan single-handedly kept the Rocks from scoring with two really good plays in left.

1:07: They’re saying how well Billy Wagner is doing well. What a great set-up guy Wagner would be for K-Rod.

1:04: Geez, I didn’t know Matt Cerrone was doing TV spots, too on SNY. What a major media star he’s becoming. Still, what an amazing rise in success from a man with a vision.

12:58: Santana’s 4th strikeout. He must be really filthy today as the Rocks are swinging and missing alot….and missing the ball by a mile.

12:53: Plug here for Gary, Ron and Keith’s web site

12:48: 5-0. Notice I had trouble decided how to spell drivel.

12:44: Ronnie talked about the squeeze play and that the hitter has to answer back. I however remembering that the Cubs during the 80′s required no such answer. They have just better get it down or the thing blew up. Plus, some clubs knew that Keith Hernandez was not only good an snuffing it out defensively, but he was good at stealing the sign from the manager in the dugout.

12:40: Cool. Five straight basehits. 4-0. Great to see Cory Sullivan and Angel Berroa get hits.

12:37: Four straight hits. Good guys lead 2-0. Ron’s complementing the offensive approach.

12:32: After running out to get a sandwich…..Murphy just doubled to lead off the 2nd…..Gary talked about the astonishing drop-off in stikeouts by Santana…..Francouer first pitch single to right…..Ron said its that there is a slight drop-off in velocity and that he’s missing inside. I wonder if its that Santana is trying to get more contact from hitters and getting deeper into the ball game.