Adam Rubin writes effectively this morning about the glaring concerns that exist in the Mets everyday line-up. Says Rubin of the corner outfield positions:

Manny Ramirez hit .396 with 17 homers and 53 RBI in 53 games as a Dodger while lifting L.A. into the postseason in ’08. There’s no way Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis can provide comparable production. Still, with the Mets looking to maintain a $147 million payroll, Citi Field will open with a platoon of Murphy and Tatis in left field and not Ramirez. Murphy, who has remarkable plate discipline for a young player, hit .313 in 131 at-bats, and no longer qualifies as a rookie.

Tatis, the NL Comeback Player of the Year, who didn’t even play baseball in 2004 and ’05, hit .297 with 11 homers and 47 RBI in 273 at-bats. He separated his right shoulder diving for a ball in Washington on Sept. 16 and missed the rest of the season. Tatis opted for rehab rather than surgery and ultimately played in 38 games in the Dominican Winter League.

Right field remains a modest question mark as well. While Ryan Church appears to have post-concussion syndrome behind him, he did hit just .219 over his final 33 games, albeit after returning from a seven-week absence. However, before suffering his second concussion in Atlanta on May 20, Church was arguably the team’s MVP.

The most likely of the three to produce the kind of numbers a team would need in the outfield is the youngest of the three. Daniel Murphy’s gap power and clutch hitting gave the only boost the club received in the second half. The Mets need Murphy to win this job outright at some point in the season and return Tatis to the bench. Tatis was one of baseball’s feel good stories yet its unlikely he can reproduce the same numbers. The Mets will be weak a void of any power. If Tatis is in the line-up, no real threat from the right side will be on the bench if Nick Evans does not make the club. We can only hope that Church post concussion syndrome is behind him, but I have my doubts. A failure of Church to regain his early 2008 form will be detrimental to the Mets season. By all reports Citi Field has a large outfield and none of these three – save perhaps Curch has the kind of range needed.

Rubin then covers the issue of second base:

It’s no secret the Mets would have traded Luis Castillo and signed Orlando Hudson had Castillo not still been owed $18 million over the next three seasons.

So how long will Manuel’s patience with Castillo last if he underperforms? Remember, the manager started journeyman Ramon Martinez over Castillo at the end of the season. Manuel also rode Argenis Reyes through an 0-for-25 skid at one point as well, all to keep Castillo on the bench. The first signal of Castillo’s commitment level will be determined by his shape when he arrives in Port St. Lucie. Randolph was disappointed by Castillo’s weight when he reported last spring, although Castillo was coming off surgeries to clean out both knees.

If Castillo falters, newcomer Alex Cora could chip away at his playing time. This much is certain: Mets officials won’t hesitate to part with Castillo next winter, when the amount he’s owed is down to $12 million. But it appears Castillo has gotten the message as the Mets say he has been working out at the team’s Dominican Republic complex.

Castillo has not played well as a Met and his long-term signing by Minaya is one of a handfull of disasterous contracts he’s given to aging Latin stars. Minaya may be self conscience of this perception and may explain his hesitancy to bring in a Manny Ramirez or Pudge Rodriguez.

At any rate, the Mets need a comeback year from Castillo. And they need him to be able to bat second behind Jose Reyes. If the current personnel reamains the same – and the Mets 2B has to bat 8th instead of the catcher – one third of the line-up are outs. And with a weak bench, this does not bode well at all for a team that expects to compete for a division.

This makes Carlos Delgado a major key to success. Delgado clearly thrived under Jerry Manuel. And as Rubin says, Delgado hit .313 with 24 homeruns and had 70 RBI over his final 300 ABs. If the Mets can get these numbers over a season – and Jose Reyes, David Wright and Carlos Beltran stay healthy and have what can fairly be considered an average career seasons – it might be enough if the starters can get the game to JJ Putz and Francisco Rodriguez.

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And do Jerry Manuel’s comments let the cat out of the bag?

Manuel managed the White Sox when Albert Belle and Frank Thomas were there, so he’s accustomed to dealing with star players who can be difficult to handle. Manuel said that Ramirez’s bat would take care of any perceived problems.

David Wright’s statement of support and Jeff Wilpon’s denial leave it less than certain what the Mets will do, and it could be part of the sort of high stakes poker played by Scott Boras. It’s a sure bet that Boras would love to draw the Mets into a bidding war with the Dodgers for Ramirez while at the same time getting the Mets to resign Oliver Perez.

At any rate, I admire the Wilpons and Minaya from not getting into a bidding blitz. The beginning of spring training is over the near horizon and will seem like its upon us after Sunday’s Super Bowl. It’s easy to see why the Mets can feel they can stand pat with the players they have. Aside from his curious acquisition of multiple left-handed light hitting outfielders, Minaya’s done well. He took care of the last two innings in a manner which exceeded expectations and the pieces are there to refit the bullpen in a new, more confident image.

But virtually nothing was done for the line-up and the bench. Alex Cora is a net equal to Damon Easley and there are way too many lefty-hitting outfielders to choose from. It appears that fo the right side the club is depending on Fernando Tatis to have the same kind of year along with the development of Nick Evans power.

Its not hard to see what the acquisition of Ramirez would mean in the fourth hole batting in front of Wright and Delgado. Let’s face it, Ramirez is the most dangerous right handed hitter to play in the big leagues since, well, maybe never. The size of ballparks has changed in the NL and teams can get out slugged more frequently than in previuos years. No wonder teams carry 13 pitchers.

But maybe its that the Mets do not have the money to compete as they once did before Jack Madoff. With the first morning of pitchers and catchers maybe two weeks away, the cards that the Mets have are playing will be flipped up on the table. If neither Ramirez or Perez or at least a Ben Sheets is not signed, then it will be clear the poker hand they had wasn’t very good.

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The NYPOST has this excellent critique of the Mets direction.

I’ve noticed a tendency of folks to talk down Mets prospects. Sure, four players went to Minnesota for Johan Santana. Its a deal I’d make again. The problem as the Post pointed out was that Minaya invested too much faith in older players with injury problems. Couple this with the fact that he traded a young outfielder in Lastings Milledge for another outfielder with a history of concussions. I still believe that the Nationals knew about it.

Meanwhile there was not alot of depth in even mid-level prospects. What we are seeing is the results now. Why? It may be a misplacement of player development focus.

There is a trend in baseball to open baseball academies in Latin American countries. The Mets are no exception, having one in both Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Its true that latin players make up one-third of major league rosters. Half of the current ML roster (13 of 25) is made up of players from Latin American countries or Puerto Rico.

Much of the shift to the player development in Latin America ican is in the change of focus on amatuer scouting. The majority of US players taken in the draft are collegiate players. This is a shift. Latin players signed to play in academies are teenagers. And they are cheaper. It cost more to sign US players.

Of the rookies on the Met roster now, three (Carlos Muniz, Dam Murphy and Eddie Kuntz played divison one college baseball. Nick Evans was signed out of a Phoenix high school while Argenis Reyes began his career in the Cleveland organization.

Among the four players traded for Johan Santana were college players in Phillip Humber (Rice) and Kevin Mulvey (Villanova).

Some observers have said baseball is going after cheaper labor in its investment in latin american baseball academies. Maybe. If the Mets are indeed placing a greater emphasis in both development and investment in latin america than they do the scouting and signing of US college players their talent pool will drop quickly.

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Jon Niese’s promotion to AAA New Orleans is a possible signal he’s being fast-tracked for starts this season for the Mets. Niese is scheduled to start tonight for the Zephyrs.

As the MRI of John Maine’s shoulder revealed a strain in his rotator cuff, its likely he will miss at least a start. The Mets may indeed even DL him. Pedro Martinez continues to be a shaky alternative for scheduled starts. The Mets may have concluded that their best acquisition could be Jon Niese.

Both Martinez (last contract year) and Oliver Perez (free agent) will likely be gone after this season. The discussions that occur between powers that be have probably concluded now that Niese is one of their best options for the rotation and maybe he’s going to be needed this season.

So it looks as if Jon Niese will not and cannot be dealt. Along with Fernando Martinez, Niese represents the future and the badly needed chance for the Mets to get younger. Unless a Raul Ibanez or Randy Winn can be acquired for a secong tier prospect, the Mets will play with this hand and pray that the corner OF tandum of Fernando Tatis, Endy Chavez and Nick Evans (2-4, 2 runs scored last night against a lefty last night) continues to provide as it has.

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