CONSISTENTLY INCONSISTENT

The title of this post describes not just the first two weeks of the Mets season, but Sunday's game in particular. The Mets jumped out to a 6-2 lead, only to see it turn into a 9-7 loss. (Wasting David Wright's 100th career homer, seen at left, and the Mets finally getting to Jeff Suppan, who usually kills them.) The starter in such a game was, fittingly, Oliver Perez. But he wasn't even in the top 2 of most inconsistent figures in the game. I want to focus on those two:

1) Ed Montague: The Brewers tied a record with 5 double plays in this game - 2 of which were aided by first base umpire Montague. He called out Ryan Church at first on a bang-bang play in the fifth inning, when the game was tied 6-6. It happens, I was OK with it. But then in the seventh, with the Mets rallying to try to tie, he called out Brian Schneider on the same play. You think Montague would have felt like he owed the Mets a call in that situation. Replays both times showed the calls were wrong.

2) Brian Schneider was the second frustrating figure. He had a good game offensively, going 3-for-5 with 3 RBI. But he looked awful behind the plate. There were 3 wild pitches by Mets pitchers, a couple of which may have been passed balls. There were another few that Schneider dropped that didn't roll very far away. I don't think any of these really led to anything damaging...it's just worth mentioning that Schneider looked horrendous - not like what we have become used to from him. I like Schneider, I think he's been one of the highlights for the Mets in the early-going...but Sunday was a bad day.

I'll single out Schneider and the first base ump - but all of the Mets failed in the clutch after the third inning. The Mets are 0-4 on Saturday and Sunday so far this season - that's not going to lead to many series wins...and that's not a formula for success.

MEET THE METS - JOHN MAINE/OLIVER PEREZ

A preview of the 2008 Mets, presented in the expected batting order, followed by pitching rotation, followed by impact bullpen/bench players. Today we focus on starting pitchers John Maine and Oliver Perez.

2007

MAINE: 15-10, 3.91 ERA, 180 K's, 75 walks, 191 IP

PEREZ: 15-10, 3.56 ERA, 174 K's, 79 walks, 177 IP

I think these two merit having a preview written about them together, because I think so much of the Mets' success this year hinges on the two of them performing well. Also, I thought it was eerie how similar their stats were last year.

Bottom line - if the Mets get 30 wins out of these two again, they're not going to miss the playoffs. It just won't happen. The question is, can the Mets get 30 wins out of Maine and Perez?

I think a couple of things are working in the Mets' favor. One is the point I've been beating you over the head with for the past month or so - with the addition of Johan Santana, instead of facing other teams' second and third starters, Maine and Perez will be facing the third and fourth starters, and they are better than those pitchers. There are not many teams who have formidable opponents for Maine and Perez. So call factor one the 'Steve Trachsel Factor' - Maine and Perez will get wins for just showing up. I'm going to go out on a limb and say Oliver Perez leads the league in run support this year.

Another reason you can expect them to do even better than last year is the fact that Brian Schneider is behind the plate. From all I've been hearing about Schneider's ability to handle pitchers, I've really built him up to be some sort of Supercatcher. But he has to be able to help Perez keep his head on straight when he starts to lose his control. And John Maine has shown an incredible ability to focus when the games/season are on the line, so maybe Schneider can force him to think like that on a normal day in July in addition to late September/October.

The last positive I'll list is that there has to be some sort of comfort level for these guys now. Both backed up the promise they showed in the 2006 post-season with very good 2007 seasons. They've proved they belong here, and that they can hold their own. Other than the pressure of pitching every fifth day in the New York spotlight, the pressure's off.

The warning signs are the same they have always been. Can John Maine avoid throwing 100 pitches by the sixth inning? Can Oliver Perez find his release point so he isn't walking 9 batters a game? I think the best thing for each of these guys is that last year, while it was ridiculously successful for both of them, was also a learning experience. They learned on the job, and they didn't suffer for it. That can only lead to a better 2008.

PEREZ ALREADY 1-0: Worth noting - On Friday, Oliver Perez was granted a salary arbitration win, meaning he will earn $6.5 million dollars this year (the club was offering $4.725 million). The odds were stacked against Perez - this was the first salary arbitration hearing the Mets lost since 1992.

MEET THE METS - BRIAN SCHNEIDER

A preview of the 2008 Mets, presented in the expected batting order, followed by pitching rotation, followed by impact bullpen/bench players. Today we focus on catcher Brian Schneider.

2007: .235 avg, 6 HR, 54 RBI, 33 runs, .326 OBP, 129 games

To Rick Peterson, Brian Schneider is a catcher who knows how to handle pitchers - one of the best in the game at doing so.

To Omar Minaya, Brian Schneider is an excellent defensive catcher.

To Willie Randolph, Brian Schneider is not Paul LoDuca (and that's a very good thing).

To Mets fans, none of this matters. Brian Schneider (who will forever be paired with Ryan Church in this regard) is the .235-hitting catcher that was acquired in exchange for top trading chip Lastings Milledge.

I guess it's no harm, no foul, since the Mets traded Milledge to the Nationals and were still able to acquire Johan Santana from the Twins. But the fact remains Milledge was out there for years, and could have brought the Mets a big catch....but he brought Brian Schneider and Ryan Church. And that has the potential to be a tough thing for Schneider to live down...or live up to.

Personally, I think I'm going to like Schneider. I keep hearing great things about the kind of catcher he is, and any offense he adds at this point looks like it'll be a bonus. That said, I don't think he'll hit .235 again - he's more of a .260-.270 hitter, and the Mets will be able to give him plenty of rest, with Ramon Castro seeing plenty of time off the bench in 2008, I'm sure.

Paul Lo Duca might give you a .300 average, but his emotions could cloud his judgments (and also did a number on relationships in the clubhouse, from what I hear). If Brian Schneider is hitting less than .300, but keeping the Mets in games by keeping his head on what's happening in the field, that's an improvement for the Mets. The Mets have a few pitchers who could use a heads-up catcher - Oliver Perez in particular, and guys like Aaron Heilman out of the bullpen. Maybe that's where Schneider proves his worth.

Catcher was a very strange position this off-season. The Mets went from a possible free agent signing of Yorvit Torrealba (or Jorge Posada to a lesser extent) to an actual acquisition of Johnny Estrada, to finally settling with Brian Schneider. If he can contribute in any way offensively, while living up to the defensive standards that will now be expected of him, Mets fans will be fine with Schneider ending that game of catcher roulette as a Met.

JUST THE FACTS....BUT ALSO SOME OPINIONS

I have no idea why the Mets traded Lastings Milledge to the Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider. I'm hoping it's part of something bigger, where someone will be swapped due to that move being made, but I have no idea.

(A part of me thinks this deal is Omar Minaya's way of responding to the critics who accuse him of racism [or ethnicism, I guess] by acquiring only Hispanic players. I can imagine him saying, "You want some white players? Here are some white players. Guess what? They suck! Hispanic players are better. Do you see my point now?")

That said, there are some pieces to this off-season puzzle that I have firmly in my grasp, that I want to make sure I get out there, on what has turned out to be a quiet day baseball-wise.

First of all, and I haven't had a chance yet to mention this, Omar Minaya came out on Thursday to say that the Mets would not be trading Jose Reyes. Of course, the cynic in me wants to know when someone has ever told the truth in that situation, but I sort of believe it. So maybe Reyes is sticking around...or at least being held for a different blockbuster.

I don't think the Mets are getting Johan Santana. I'm not sure who is at this point, but it seems like the Twins want young pitchers that the Mets just don't have. I also wonder whether or not Santana is going to be traded this far before the trade deadline - by trading Matt Garza, the Twins left themselves a hole in their rotation - would they trade Santana too? Or if they did, they need a major-league ready pitcher, which the Mets can't offer....or the Twins don't want.

On that note, the Mets look to be kind of set for themselves in the young pitcher department, with Philip Humber and Mike Pelfrey. I still think these guys will turn out to be solid, effective pitchers. Nothing spectacular, but they'll provide pitching depth. The problem with Pelfrey and Humber is that they are not going to land the Mets any big trading fish...because no one likes them as bait. They are the Mets' two best pitching prospects...but no one really thinks too highly of them.

Who do the Mets have that they could trade? The big name right now that would be part of a deal for a pitcher for the Mets is outfielder Carlos Gomez. He's speedy, and had a good start to his major league career with the Mets before breaking a bone in his hand. He is part of what the Mets imagine their outfield of the future to look like...but he might not be around for long. Also, it looks like the lefty-hitting Brian Schneider will stay a Met, to platoon with righty Ramon Castro...while Johnny Estrada will be shipped.

So if Santana is out of the question, who might the Mets land? This is where it gets good. How about Erik Bedard? If he's a Met come April, I'll be thrilled. I'd also be happy (but to a much lesser extent - you know how I feel about Erik Bedard) if the rumors about Dan Haren are true. He's a good pitcher. Joe Blanton is a big drop-off from those two names, and the Mets are also interested in him....but if you asked me which of the three would be most likely to be a Met in the spring, his name would come up.

One more thing - I'm not sure how I missed this, but I guess Rickey Henderson is no longer with the Mets. The Mets' record wasn't awful after he joined the team, but individuals, most notably Jose Reyes, saw their performances decrease after his arrival. The reason I noticed he's not coming back is that Tom Nieto, the Mets catching instructor, appears to be the front-runner for the job. Hmm...again, no Hall of Famer Gary Carter. Might he be in line for a catching instructor job?

That's where we're at right now. There's a lot going on on the hot stove - I'll do my best to keep updating through the winter...especially with the Winter Meetings just getting underway.

WHAT'S THE DEAL?

I can't believe the Mets just made this trade. I really don't have a lot of information to go on right now, but thanks to the Southern Bureau for some ESPN Insider information. Heres' what I know: the Mets traded Lastings Milledge for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider.

Umm...what?

Players like Johan Santana are on the trade market, the Mets are dark horses in that chase because they have limited prospects as it is, and the Mets REALLY need a starting pitcher.....and they're trading one of their top trade-able players for RYAN CHURCH and BRIAN SCHNEIDER!?!?

I can't believe that the Mets would make this bad of a deal. It's a bad deal. Awful deal. And Lastings Milledge stays in the division so that he can haunt them 19 times a year. You better believe right now that Milledge will have a Chipper Jones-type career against the Mets for the rest of his career.

The only rationale I can make is that the Mets are working on something huge. Or the Nationals are working on something huge. Or the Mets and Nationals together are working on something huge, which required Milledge to be Nationals' property before he was dealt. I have to believe, following the Johnny Estrada deal, that the acquisition of another catcher is the set-up to a whole other deal. I have to believe that because if I don't, I'll cry.

The Mets could have gotten a number of different players for Lastings Milledge over the years. His value has dropped a little since he was a minor league prospect, but he still had a solid showing last year in the majors. There's no way his stock has dropped so far that he is only worth RYAN CHURCH and BRIAN SCHNEIDER.

One or both of these players better not be on the Mets' Opening Day roster.

I just had to give an immediate weigh-in on this potential disaster. (The only reason it's potential is that there's a chance the Mets can move some of these guys and get someone of value.) I heard it on the car radio on my way home from school and nearly drove off the road. I heard the guy say, "And the Mets trade Lastings Milledge...." in the last line of his update, and I thought, "This should be higher up in the update...this is a big deal." And then when I heard who he was traded for I felt sick. Seriously. I guess I do care quite a bit about the Mets.

I'll probably update more over the weekend...hopefully as future deals develop.