By Geoff Walter / SNY.tv

 

 

Ah, springtime. When a young man's thoughts turn to ... nevermind. Who cares if Valentine's Day is this week? Pitchers and catchers are reporting to training camps, which means that there's only a couple more weeks until the full-squad workouts and full-blown Spring Training! October left a bitter taste in many a Mets fans' mouths, so grab some Listerine, your SPF 45, and come down to sunny Florida to see what's going on in Port St. Lucie. Here's your chance to see my take on the biggest issues going into the Amazins' Spring Training session, and respond with some thoughts of your own.

Tom Glavine and Orlando Hernandez are both in their 40s. El Duque was lost at the start of the 2006 playoffs and Pedro Martinez suffered his season-ending injury before that. Oliver Perez and John Maine will definitely make it into the rotation in 2007, so the only question is who will make that fifth spot. The Mets have a plethora of options. Mike Pelfrey went 2-1 in four starts with a 5.98 ERA, but expect some competition from Chan Ho Park. Philip Humber likely won't make the rotation coming off of Tommy John surgery less two years ago and having only pitched two scoreless innings in the Major Leagues.

"More experienced," and "veteran." These are some of the words for players who are fast becoming something else -- over the hill. The Mets re-signed Jose Valentin, added Damion Easley (both 37), and signed Moses Alou, 40. The aforementioned Glavine and Hernandez are also included at the 40-and-above mark, of course. Sure they can produce, but for how much longer? That other team across town was doing the same thing for a while, and look how that has turned out.

According to reports, Pedro should come back either sometime in late July or by the All-Star break, if everything goes exceedingly well. Until then, there are plenty of young guns stacked inside the bullpen ready to pick up the slack from the starters. Duaner Sanchez was throwing last month and, from all indications, is on track to make his return soon after suffering a separated right shoulder. Meanwhile, Carlos Delgado had surgery in October to repair a torn tendon in his left elbow. Delgado had been dealing with the injury for the entirety of the 2006 season, but from reports, isn't expecting the injury to put a damper on his performance this year. In 2006 he managed to belt 38 home runs and knock in 114 RBI.

Shawn Green has only one year left on his contract and may continue his decline in 2007. Thanks to "The Catch" that Endy Chavez made during Game 7 of the NLCS, this will most likely be Green's last season at Shea. If Chavez continues to improve, Green may be more trade fodder for GM Omar Minaya.

The Mets continue to be an offensive powerhouse, but are showing signs of getting older. The biggest question marks have been and will continue to be the starting rotation. Everyone expects the Phillies to give the Mets a run for their money in 2007, and if that turns out to be the case, the loss of one or more starters could set the Amazins back significantly.