Angel Pagan

It goes without saying that Jeff Francoeur has pretty much worn out his welcome in New York. He is hitting a paltry .253, can't run all that well, or play other positions. Also, with the return of Carlos Beltran to the Mets lineup, New York is rather deep in outfield talent.

The Yankees, Red Sox, and Marlins have proven that it can be done in baseball. The Miami Heat are about to prove it can be done in the NBA.

There are some things money can’t buy, and championships used to be one of them. But not anymore. It’s an unfortunate reality, but reality nonetheless.

As long as it’s done right.

SAN JUAN, PR—So far this season, Mike Pelfrey has won six of his 10 games following a Mets loss. That's the definition of a stopper. In his last start, he did the same, winning on Friday night after the Mets lost to the Tigers the night before.

He has also been there for prolonged losing streaks, like after the Mets got off to a 2-6 start. Or the memorable Monday night in Atlanta, when the Mets had just been swept in a four-game series in Miami. Prior to that game, they had their entire front office (including the Wilpons) in town, with Jerry Manuel firmly on the hot seat.

Earlier this week, I wrote an article talking about the Mets outfield dilemma now that Carlos Beltran is playing rehab games for the St. Lucie Mets.  I concluded that the best-case scenario would be for the four outfielders to platoon.  I also joked that maybe Angel Pagan should take ground balls at second base, giving Jerry Manuel the ability to play all four outfielders at once.

The New York Mets will be adding a bat sometime within the next three weeks to four weeks. The team announced that center fielder Carlos Beltran will begin a rehab assignment tomorrow (Thursday) with Class-A St. Lucie.

Assuming there are no setbacks, Beltran would return to the Mets no later than July 15, the first game after the All-Star break.

Every week, aside from my standard Fantasy Baseball dealings, I practice a little exercise to improve my research and team management skills.

On Sunday evenings I comb through who is available on the waiver/free agent wire, regardless of need, to familiarize myself with the current inventory.

Fresh off the heels of rookie Jon Niese’s near-perfect one-hit complete game shutout, the Mets head to Baltimore tonight to resume interleague play.

After all the troubles the Mets have had on the road, the schedule softens up for the next week as they face the Orioles and Indians, two of the worst teams in baseball. If there was ever a time to remedy the putrid 8-18 road record the Mets are currently sporting, these six games are the time to do it.