Things are happening on the hot stove!

Pending approval (for monetary reasons), the Mets acquired Carlos Delgado from the Florida Marlins today in exchange for Mike Jacobs and Yusmeiro Petit. This is a great deal for the Mets. For so long, third base was the black hole in the Mets organization. Since 1962, something like 130 different people have played third base for the Mets.

That position has been locked up now, with David Wright expected to play third base for the next 20 years at Shea. Since that lock-up, though, first base had become the big question mark. John Olerud helped the Mets win some playoff games in the late 90's, but besides him, first base has been tough for the Mets to fill since the Keith Hernandez days. (Including the failed Doug Mientkiewicz signing last year, and the Mo Vaughn debacle a few years back.) That should no longer be a problem, at least for the next few years, now with Delgado. It's not a question, at least who will play first base, as it has been for a while.

Mike Jacobs showed a lot of promise, and it would have been neat to see him blossom at the major-league level next year. But the Mets really got themselves a shot in the arm with Delgado - there's no need to wait to see him blossom - he's a proven major leaguer. The problem might be that Delgado is 33 years old, and has already blossomed, but he produced last year, and hopefully has a couple of more good years in him. It's tough to get too excited about something like this with the Mets, because there's always the reminders of the failed moves (see Vaughn, Mo; and Carlos Beltran* hasn't lit anything up yet), but this seems like a good move right now.

One thing about Yusmeiro Petit - he could be a really good pitcher, and has received tons of minor league acclaim - but you just don't know how that will translate in the majors. As a matter of fact, you just don't know how his first name translates. It's worth the risk to make the Mets real, real contenders for the next three years.

Here's the way I look at the Mets next year:
Catcher - maybe Paul LoDuca, maybe Ramon Hernandez, with Ramon Castro as a backup - still most likely more production than last year, with Piazza/Castro.
1st Base - Carlos Delgado - huge upgrade
2nd Base - Not sure yet, but there's a possibility it will be Mark Grudzielanek - can't be worse than last year.
Shortstop - Still THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes - improving every year.
3rd Base - Future Hall of Famer David Wright. Enough said.
Left Field - Cliff Floyd - tough to say he will repeat last year, and how he will respond to the trade of his best friend, Mike Cameron.
Center Field - A lot is going to be expected of Carlos Beltran* next year - hopefully it only takes him a year to adjust to New York, but you have to think it'll be better next year.
Right Field - Who knows? Hopefully it won't be Manny Ramirez out there, but I think the Mets could do better than Xavier Nady, too. We'll see who fills right field - it could be a Nady-Victor Diaz-type platoon.
Bench - just wanted to throw this out there - the bench will be weaker because the Nationals signed Marlon Anderson.

I think the Mets are out of the running for Ramirez, because rumor has it he wants to go west, and Petit was a big cog in the rumored trade...I really don't think he'll bring a good personality to the Mets' mix. (Not that I know what Carlos Delgado brings, but I think he's a good teammate.) Maybe the Mets hold on to Lastings Milledge, and he answers some of the questions in right field.

You know what I would love for the Mets to do? Sign Nomar Garciaparra to a one-year deal, and see what he's got out in right field. I think he is at a point where he's got a lot to prove, and he's willing to switch positions, and he has the arm to play right. I would love for him to come here and play right field for the Mets (well, not here - he'd be worthless in Framingham...but you know what I mean). That's my two cents.

The other impact of the Delgado deal, coupled with the Josh Beckett trade, is that the Marlins are taking themselves out of the running for next year, which is big for the Mets. That leaves the Nationals and Braves, and the Phillies, who, as you know, don't scare me. So that bodes well for the Mets, too, because the Marlins are a big thorn in their side.

Lastly, the Mets offered Billy Wagner a 3-year-deal worth $30 million. There's room for a fourth year as well. I think he's coming to Shea. Another huge upgrade. Next year is going to be exciting! Stay tuned for more hot stove news!

I don't think I'm ever going to stay up past the second inning for a Mets game ever again. They score just enough runs in the first couple to send you to sleep happy, then they add roughly 10-14 more runs while you're sleeping to make an unbelievable final score when you wake up.

Talk about putting it all together. Not only are the Mets getting decent pitching (I guess it's easy to pitch with a 17-0 lead), but their bats are on fire. Mike Jacobs homered 3 times in his first 13 major league at-bats. David Wright and Jose Reyes are just lighting it up. Wright is hitting .314 right now - fifth in the National League. He also doubled last night!! He's tied for third in the NL right now in doubles.

Steve Trachsel looks like he's going to start Friday night in San Francisco. He might take Victor Zambrano's rotation spot. What does Zambrano say to that? He says he'll do whatever the team asks of him, he'll be happy to contribute. Hear that Steve? Victor's a team player!

The Mets sent down Danny Graves when they activated Steve Trachsel the other day. I didn't realize this, but Graves said he would rather retire at the time. (I guess that's like a tree falling in the forest when there's no one around - when Danny Graves threatens to retire, does anyone care?) He's singing a different tune after a couple of days to think about it...he says it might be in his best interests to accept the Minor League assignment. Yes, Danny, it is. You're lucky you're still pitching professionally - and the Mets might be able to fix you and turn you into an effective pitcher again.

One thing in Arizona I want to mention - I've been watching FSN Arizona, so they showed on their telecast that it was a D-Bingo night at Wednesday night's game. It looks cool. Everyone gets a Bingo card, I guess, and as things in the game happen, you can cover them on the bingo card. For example, one had a "4 unassisted" on it, and a 6-4-3 DP. That looks like fun...I bet it starts catching on at other ballparks.

The Mets are 66-60, two games back of the Wild Card. They're still tied with the Nationals (who lost Thursday afternoon) and the Marlins (who won Thursday afternoon) for third in the NL East (also known as last in the NL East....which would still be good enough for a five-game lead in the NL West).

Pedro Martinez* is going for the Mets tonight in Arizona - it should be the culmination of a four-game sweep. I might not be writing again until Sunday - hopefully the Mets get at least two out of three in San Francisco (of course, I don't want to be greedy- but a 7-game winning streak would sure be good). Holy crap, Victor Diaz just hit another homer. 3-0 Mets. Good lead for Pedro* in the second inning.

ELTRAN*'S: A bad night for Beltran* in the 18-4 win. He had just one RBI, without a hit. With the bases loaded and 1 out, he grounded to second base...Kaz Matsui stopped before the second baseman tagged him, so the throw went to first, then the first baseman chased Matsui, creating a rundown which allowed THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, to score from second, before Matsui was tagged out. It was an awful play by the D-Backs, but a great play by Matsui, and I only mention it here because I forgot to put it above, and because Beltran* hit the grounder.

Anyway, the numbers: 33-125 (.264 AVG.) 3 HR, 16 RBI, 25 Runs, 10 SB

WRIGHT WATCH: Another double last night for Wright, and as I mentioned, he's now tied for third in the NL in doubles. The doubles tear I mentioned a couple of nights ago has come to fruition - the record is as good as his. No one's talking about it, though, raising doubts as to whether the Mets are still reading the blog.

SECOND HALF: 13 SEASON TOTAL: 35 TEAM RECORD: 44

WRIGHT NEEDS 9 DOUBLES IN THE TEAM'S FINAL 36 GAMES!!

THE KID'S KIDS: It looks like another rainout in Florida. Still 37-16. This was supposed to be the last game on the schedule, so stay tuned for whatever playoff scenarios there are.

The Mets are about to get underway in Arizona against the Diamondbacks as I write this, but I have some school stuff in the morning, and if I couldn't write after last night's game, there's no chance I'm going to be able to write after tonight's game.

Tom Glavine pitched a great game on Monday night, beating the Diamondbacks, 4-1. And Braden Looper showed no signs of being a shaky closer, pitching a very clean ninth inning, relieving Glavine with a runner on first in the ninth, getting a double play, then retiring the side. Mike Jacobs, the rookie, started at first base. First base has been a disaster for the Mets this year. It's funny - third base, historically, has been the problem for the Mets, but now that they've solved third, with Future Hall of Famer David Wright, first seems to have become a problem.

Also, coming on the heels of Dave from Brighton's e-mail on Monday, ESPNRadio led one of their 20/20 SportsCenter updates by saying the Mets are coming on strong for the Wild Card....I think the people at ESPNRadio must be reading the blog now. Glad, though, that at least the Mets are starting to get some national recognition.

The Braves are playing the Cubs right now, and they're losing, so the Mets could draw closer in the NL East. Don't write the Braves in as division champs just yet - something tells me this isn't going to be their year. Also, the Cardinals will not be representing the National League in the World Series this year. Mark my words. They're a battered team right now, and they will get upended by someone in the playoffs. Last year was an aberration, where they actually survived the playoffs. It's not going to happen again.

Many thanks to Kevin from Wilmington, Southern Beaureau Chief of johnnymets.blogspot.com. He came through with the ESPN.com article on Gary Carter, Manager. (I mistakenly said the article started out talking about George Brett's failure as a manager - it was actually Mike Schmidt.) It's a good article, and it basically says Carter won't sit around toiling in the Gulf Coast League much after this year. He wants a full (or at least longer) season job, and he wants a higher level. And the article says with the success he's had at the Gulf Coast League, he's shown he deserves the shot. I called Port St. Lucie again, and got no answer. The article also didn't answer my question about a Gulf Coast League post-season.

Anyway, thanks to Kevin for sending me the article. He wins the johnnymets.blogspot.com hat. If it existed.

I'm going to bed, but I think tomorrow I need to comment on the Steve Trachsel situation, and the September 1st call-ups. Hopefully I remember to do that.

ELTRAN*'S: (Through games of Monday) 32-118 (.271 AVG.) 2 HR, 15 RBI, 24 Runs, 10 SB

WRIGHT WATCH: No doubles in a while - he's going to need to go on a doubles tear.

SECOND HALF: 10 SEASON TOTAL: 32 TEAM RECORD: 44

WRIGHT NEEDS 12 DOUBLES IN THE TEAM'S FINAL 38 GAMES TO TIE.

THE KID'S KIDS: The Gulf Coast Mets pulled out a 4-3, 10-inning win on Tuesday. Must have been some good managing by The Kid. The Mets are 36-16, 12 games up in their division. I just wish I knew what implications that had.

TWO-THIRDS

Nationals 7, Mets 4 (WAS: 65-59; NYM: 63-60) 6.5 GB NL East, 3 GB W.C.

The optimist might look at this weekend against the Nationals and say, two out of three is a good weekend. The pessimist (or me...note that I'm not usually pessimistic) might focus on Kris Benson's two-thirds of an inning and think of what chances the Mets might have wasted on Sunday.

Benson lasted just two-thirds of an inning, giving up six runs before being lifted for Juan Padilla. Padilla kept the Mets in the game, but they only managed four runs, wasting a lot of scoring opportunities where they could have come all the way back, as the Nationals held on for the 7-4 win.

The only highlight came in a pinch-hit appearance by rookie Mike Jacobs, who homered in his first Major League at-bat, the homer drawing the Mets to within 7-3. At the time, it looked like a comeback was in store...but the Mets couldn't find the clutch hit. Jacobs, for his part, received a curtain call, becoming the fourth Met to homer in his first M.L. at-bat. Future Hall of Famer David Wright struck out in the ninth inning against Chad Cordero representing the tying run.

The Mets play 17 of their next 20 on the road. They could have swept the Nationals...they could have swept the Pirates. A 4-2 homestand isn't bad. The Mets picked up some ground these past few days. If they can keep their head above water this next week in Arizona and San Francisco, starting on Monday, they have a real shot. Arizona (at Arizona) has given the Mets some problems in recent years...let's hope the Mets get off on the right foot. The Padres blew a lead on Sunday Night Baseball, so it looks like the Mets lose a game in the division. But there's still a shot at the East on the line here too - not just the Wild Card.

ELTRAN*'S: Beltran was 0-for-4 on Sunday. For the second half, he's 32-for-116 (.276 AVG.), 3 HR, 15 RBI, 23 Runs, 9 SB.

WRIGHT WATCH: 2-for-5 on Sunday, no doubles...as a matter of fact, no doubles all weekend. Uh-oh.

SECOND HALF: 10 SEASON TOTAL: 32 TEAM RECORD: 44

WRIGHT NEEDS 12 DOUBLES IN THE TEAM'S FINAL 39 GAMES.

THE KID'S KIDS: No games, of course, in the Gulf Coast League on Sundays. They lost to the Dodgers on Saturday, 17-5. Yikes. They're now 34-16. Gary Carter got some national attention on espn.com this weekend. There was an ESPN Insider article about his success as a Minor League Manager. Unfortunately, I couldn't read it because I don't have an ESPN Insider subscription. If someone could kindly help me out with the article, I'd appreciate it. It started out talking about George Brett's lack of success as a Minor League manager, and how he hated it because he had to throw batting practice every day. That's all they let me read. Please help. I will also get to the bottom of the Gulf Coast post-season (or lack thereof) this week. I'll call them non-stop.