Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition (Sorry for the cussing but if you’re a Mets fan and haven’t been swearing left and right this season, then get your pulse checked.)

That is the exact phrase to describe the first half of the 2009 New York Mets’ season. Once again GM Omar Minaya put together a promising team. There were the familiar big bats in the lineup: Reyes, Wright, Beltran, Delgado. The revamped pitching staff which carried the team to within one game of the playoffs last season: Santana, Pelfrey, Maine, Perez. Most importantly, though, was the new blood brought in to solidify the bullpen: Rodriguez, Putz, Parnell, Green. It was a team that was supposed to push the Mets over the top and into the playoffs.

After three months of baseball, the lineup taking the field each night is foreign. The team has come to rely on the likes of Sheffield, Cora, Murphy, and Santos. David Wright has been the only big bat able to remain in the lineup, and his bat could hardly be considered “big” anymore. While Wright’s .324/.410/.462 are solid averages, he’s become much more of small-ball player. Wright is on pace for a career high in steals and a career low in home runs. This trend is a microcosm for the rest of the Mets team. With Carlos Delgado missing the majority of the season so far and Carlos Beltran missing about a month, the middle of the Mets lineup lacks any existence of power. Hence the league low 52 team home runs. The depleted lineup has made up for the lack of power with the NL’s second highest team batting average and third best on-base percentage. Although Jose Reyes – the most prolific base stealer in all of baseball – has missed almost two months, the Mets still lead the league in steals.

The Mets pitching staff has not been without drama either. The resigning of Oliver Perez has looked like a bust thus far. In just 6 starts, Ollie has thrown a measly 26.2 innings and accumulated a gargantuan 8.78 ERA. I still hold on to a sliver of hope for Ollie because he has been inconsistently good for his entire career as a Met, so I hope to see those flashes of brilliance this summer and fall. John Maine gave the team some solid innings, but he too landed on the disabled list. Johan Santana has put up all star caliber numbers as expected but hopeful number 2 starter Mike Pelfrey has been inconsistent. Newly imported starters Livan Hernandez and Tim Redding have put up 5th-rotation-spot numbers at best, but have been forced to fill the 3 and 4 spots of the Mets rotation due to injuries.

The saving grace for the Mets has, ironically, been their bullpen. K-Rod has had as good as season as any fan could have hoped for and the rest of the bullpen has followed suit. Mets’ relievers sport the fifth best ERA in the NL and rank eighth in innings pitched. Pedro Feliciano has been particularly impressive. The lone reliever carried over from last year’s disaster of a bullpen has the second most appearances in the league, a stunning 2.52 ERA, and an impressive 31:8 strikeouts-to-walk ratio. The pen will need to remain consistent during the second half of the season if the Mets want to make a push for the playoffs.

So, what else can we expect going into the post-all star break summer? How about the return of some players. Perez has already comeback with a win (although he walked 7 in 5 innings) and Maine should be back by the end of the month. Reliever JJ Putz is also ahead of his rehabilitation schedule and should be back later this summer. Most importantly, though, is the health of Reyes, Delgado, and Beltran. It looks as if we will have to wait at least until August for any of these three to return. The organization is in a tough spot here because, while the Mets are still in shouting distance of a playoff spot, they can ill-afford to falter this summer; so they need these players back to help the team stay competitive. At the same time, if they force their DL all-stars to return too quickly it may do more harm than good (being not fully recovered, they probably wouldn’t be able to perform and – gasp – maybe even land right back on the DL).

This leads me to the belief that the Mets should make a move. They already swapped Ryan Church for Jeff Francoeur, which has benefited the team so far, but that won’t be enough to keep the team in contention. Everyone knows Blue Jays’ ace Roy Halladay is on the block but I don’t think the Mets can package enough talent together to make a legitimate run at him. Other players that I have heard are available include Adam Dunn and Aubrey Huff who could play both first base and a corner outfield spot. Alex Rios and Matt Holliday are the best outfield options who seem to be available. And, although it’s not as pressing a need as the position players, Jarrod Washburn and Cliff Lee highlight the other SP options beyond Halladay. What the Mets lack in farm talent they make up for with their deep pockets. Look for them to deal with a team that wants to dump payroll.

The Mets will most likely need to make a move to stay competitive within the NL East. The Phillies have already made a move to sign Pedro Martinez, which shouldn’t work out but – knowing the Mets luck this season – will undoubtedly end up being a good signing (watch Pedro shut down the Mets in a September pressure-cooker). Philadelphia is also a front-runner in the Halladay sweepstakes which would make them a bonafide repeat-champion threat. I think I speak for all of Mets nation when I say: “That would suck…”

I really want to see Minaya make a move to help keep the team in contention. I can’t stand the thought of having to watch a team that’s just playing for next season – I already follow the Knicks. I will make a second-half prediction, though: if Delgado, Reyes, and Beltran can come back healthy and remain in the everyday lineup; the Mets will win their divison and play deep into the playoffs.

The Mets season resumes Thursday night at Atlanta. Lets start the second half right boys!