Mets outfield: Generations

The average age of last night's starting corner outfielders was 30. That seems about right for a contending team trying to win now - two players still in or near the prime of their careers.

Oh, wait - actually it was a 40-year-old near the end of his career and a 20-year-old at the start of his.

But while the Mets lack the type of corner outfielder that becomes a lineup fixture, they should think twice before making a panic trade for another aging, overpriced player.

As someone who opposed the Sheffield signing, I have to concede that the Mets would have been in a lot of trouble without him over the last two weeks. Sheffield might be the Mets' second-most valuable player behind Johan Santana during that time (or third-most valuable if instant replay is eligible).

But in the long run, all I will concede on Sheffield is that he is near the end of his career rather than at the end. Even if Sheffield continues to be productive, what are the odds of him remaining healthy while asked to play the outfield fulltime for the first time since 2005?

Especially since the Mets' history with injuries seems to be to play players until they get hurt, then keep trying to play them.

As for Fernando Martinez, the track record on very young phenoms is not good. Martinez might be a star one day, but right away at age 20?

But the Mets have enough corner outfielders now that they might be able to get away with playing the hot hand. Daniel Murphy, Ryan Church and Fernando Tatis all had hot streaks before cooling off. All three, along with Angel Pagan, have track records of success from last year. Pagan was the starting left fielder in April 2008. Church was one of the Mets' best players in May 2008 before he got hurt. Tatis was the comeback player of the year. Murphy was the promising rookie who earned a fulltime job this spring.

Maybe none of these players should be playing fulltime, but that does not mean that they are worthless. Jerry Manuel sometimes seems to devalue his players - jerking them in and out of the lineup, benching or pinch-hitting for them for little reason.

Ryan Church and Daniel Murphy began the year in the starting lineup. Now Church is in the doghouse and Murphy could be headed back to the minors.

If these players ultimately do not figure in the Mets' longterm plans, the team should be trying to build up their value. Trading one of them now will get a lot less in return than it would have a few weeks ago.

Granted, it's a lot harder trying to find the hot hand at three slots, including first base, than two.

And with Jose Reyes on the shelf and Carlos Beltran out for a few days, the lineup is truly full of holes.

But Beltran will be back soon and Reyes presumably will be back at full strength within a week or two.

In the meantime, the Mets should keep doing what they finally started to do yesterday - DL the injured players so they can play with a full roster, add help on defense by picking up Wilson Valdez and give their top prospect a shot.

***

Squawker Lisa, here's a quickie quiz for you. Who is the only major-league pitcher with five wins in the month of May? Hint: He now has as many wins this month as he did in the last three years of his Yankee contract.

That's right - it's Carl Pavano!

Do the Mets need to make a big move for a corner outfielder or first baseman? Tell us what you think.

Comeback karma for Yankees and Mets

When Squawker Lisa and I have gone to a ballgame this year, the karma so far has been all flowing in her direction. After last night, we have now been to two Yankee games together and the Yankees have won both. Lisa went to a Yankee game without me and the Yankees lost.

We have been to two Met games together (one an exhibition) and the Mets lost both, including the game that ended their seven-game winning streak. I went to one other Met game without her and the Mets won.

Guess this means that I should avoid going to the Subway Series with Lisa!

It certainly was an exciting game. Even I appreciated Brett Gardner's inside-the-park home run. There were five homers hit overall, but ultimately Yankee Stadium was not a total hitters park last night since every homer was a solo shot and the score was only 4-2 going into the bottom of the ninth.

I was pleased to see that while people cheered for A-Rod when he first came to bat, most fans did not stand for the admitted cheat. The Squawker next to me in her A-Rod shirt was an exception, however.

When Carlos Gomez came to bat against Phil Hughes, I couldn't help but think of Johan Santana. The Yankees refused to part with Hughes, while Gomez was one of the main pieces of the Mets' deal. So far, big advantage Mets.

When Gardner tripled to lead off the ninth, I told Lisa that I would think the Yankees were going to win if top closer Joe Nathan were not on the mound. But Lisa correctly predicted that the Yankees could get to Nathan. She also said it was a mistake to walk Cano to get to Cabrera.

So I brought the karma for 8 2/3 innings but, just like Nathan, couldn't close it out.

Meanwhile, the Mets were down by four runs to Tim Lincecum, so I figured that game would be well out of hand by the time I got home.

But maybe I brought some comeback karma back from Yankee Stadium, since I turned on the TV just in time to see David Wright tie the game with a three-run double. And the Mets would end up with their biggest comeback win of the year.

I guess Jose Reyes really was hurt after all. And while I'm still skeptical about Gary Sheffield long-term, he has gotten two hits in three straight games now that he is getting more playing time. But there is still nothing to suggest that Sheffield is still a power hitter who should be batting cleanup.

Still, 22 runs in three games, two of them without Reyes, all of them without Carlos Delgado. Hard to complain. With Lisa safely 3,000 miles away, let's hope the Mets can keep the good karma on the road trip.