Opening day is less than two weeks away. Although it is unlikely Reyes will be prepared in time for opening day, he should be ready to play soon after the opener. 

Omar Minaya wouldn’t speculate on when Reyes would be ready to play.

“Let’s see how things go,” Minaya told ESPN. “We are not going to say he is not going to be ready, but let’s see when he comes out here how he gets himself prepared. The good thing is he came to camp in excellent shape. He is excited about being here, we are excited about him being here, but as far as Opening Day goes, we don’t know.”

Baseball aside, this is great news for the health of Reyes.

Left fielders the Mets should concern themselves with:
Johnny Damon – Signing Damon would allow Reyes to bat third and gives the Mets a pesky leadoff hitter. It deepens the Mets lineup, allowing Wright to bat fourth and Beltran to bat fifth.
Marcus Thames – Thames has some pop in his bat and could provide power batting sixth in the Mets lineup.
Marlon Byrd – Byrd had his best year in 2009 hitting 20 home runs and driving in 89. He’s on the second tier and would be a cost effective option at left field.

Left fielders the Mets should make a run for:
Matt Holliday - Holliday is the the premiere name in the 2010 free agent class and is expecting Mark Teixeira-like figures. Pairing him with Wright would make a fearsome middle of the order. Holliday may be better suited in the National League but he’ll get offers from teams all around the league.
Jason Bay – Bay had a big year in Boston and would do wonders in the Mets lineup and locker room. He would be a terror in the middle of the Mets lineup. Bay is going to want a big contract after the season he had in 2009. He had 36 home runs and drove in 119. Boston will be players in the chase for Holliday and Bay and will most likely sign one of them.
Carl Crawford - The Rays have an option on Crawford in 2010 but if they don’t pick it up the Mets should make a play for him. He’ll get less attention than Holliday and Bay and would team with Reyes to make the Mets an all out basestealing team. Reyes and Crawford batting would make the Mets’ three, four and five hitters better.

Dark Horse candidates:
Rick Ankiel – Ankiel had a down year in 2009 compared to ’08 but could make a resurgence with a new team. I won’t call him a center fielder by trade because he was once a pitcher. Defensively, the switch from center to left wouldn’t be an issue. 
Hideki Matsui – The World Series MVP may not be headed back to the Bronx although he would like to. The team in Queens will take a look to see if his knees can handle the everyday grind in the outfield.
Xavier Nady – Nady was with the Mets in 2006 but was playing right field. He’s a veteran and a career .280 hitter. He’d be a nice option behind the upper echelon of left fielders.

The Mets left fielder in 2010 will be:
Marlon Byrd – Holliday and Bay will sign for megabucks elsewhere and the Rays will pick up Crawford’s option. Byrd has put together decent numbers the last three seasons and could break out in 2010 with the Mets.

Yet that player is frequently thought of as Public Enemy #1: Luis Castillo.

Unlike past whipping boys (Roger Cedeno, Armando Benitez, Carlos Baerga, Roberto Alomar), Castillo really did turn himself around after a dismal year last year. Sure, he’s still a mediocre defensive player and has little pop in his bat and, of course, general manager Omar Minaya made a huge mistake in signing him to the four-year contract, but…. his .387 OBP was his best since 2005 and third best in his career—before a final swoon in the closing days he was hitting .313 on September 22nd, with an OBP of .401, both marks that put Castillo among the league leaders.

Since the Mets are stuck with him next year they should look at those numbers and think about what Castillo’s re-birth could mean to the 2010 Mets. If they’re smart, they’ll revisit an experiment Jerry Manuel tinkered with in spring training– Castillo, properly deployed, could actually solve a host of the Mets’ myraid problems and give fans hope for next season.

The one way he is worth close to the $8 million is as a lead-off hitter, which not only gives the Mets a true table-setter but it frees them to create a Citi Field lineup—one that would feel like the a vastly more talented version of the 1980s St. Louis Cardinals team that won three NL pennants (including one World Series) in five years, while giving the Mets fits.

With Castillo first, the Mets could drop Jose Reyes to third in the batting order. As a #3 hitter, Reyes could flourish like Hanley Ramirez–if he hits 12 homers, 20 triples and 35 doubles but has only a .350 OBP he is far more effective in that spot, and less likely to get frustrated or to frustrate fans, then he is in the lead-off slot.

With Reyes hitting third, Wright clean-up, Beltran 5th and Francoeur sixth, the Mets have a lineup with moderate power but capable of hitting balls in the big gaps at Citi Field. Angel Pagan, whose knack for triples fits perfectly in this new mindset, could play left and bat second or seventh, sharing both spots with doubles expert Daniel Murphy (who put his best numbers up in the #2 and #7 spots).

Think of it this way–if the lead-off hitter is Reyes, a lot of times he can’t maximize Castillo’s OBP since walks won’t advance Reyes and infield hits or little bloops to the outfield won’t drive home a run. Yet if Castillo leads off and reaches base in any of those fashions, he has the speed to score on a double or triple from Murphy, Pagan or Reyes.

Additionally, this new lineup means the Mets would just need to find a right-hander with power to spell Murphy and Pagan against lefties (like Jonny Gomes of the Reds) instead of a full-fledged star (having screwed up and not signed Adam Dunn last year)—that would be much more affordable in the open market or in terms of talent via a trade.

Thus they could devote more money or trade chips to acquiring a genuine #2 starter (like Jon Lackey), which is far and away the team’s biggest need. Astonishingly, all that can flow from acknowledging Castillo’s one real strength and building from there. If the Mets do it and win then maybe Castillo will even take home the 2010 MVP Award.

Stuart Miller is the author of “The 100 Greatest Days in New York Sports” and “Where Have All Our Giants Gone?”. You can visit is website at 100 Greatest Days in New York Sports.

Reyes only played 36 games in 2009 before being placed on the DL May 26.

I question why the Mets didn’t opt to have Reyes undergo surgery earlier. Unless it just recently became apparent that Reyes needed surgery to repair his hamstring tendon then he should have underwent surgery at the time it was deemed necessary.

• Replace Minaya – The Mets have said that Minaya will be in charge for at least one more year but I don’t personally believe he deserves another year. Some of his actions are reprehensible and he has made some poor baseball moves. It’s time for a change but it won’t happen because of his contract.
• Replace Manuel – Minaya and Manuel go hand-in-hand. Since I think Minaya needs to be replaced then Manuel needs to go too. He has made some head-shaking mistakes and questionable choices. He said he didn’t know Mariano Rivera was on deck. How can this guy lead a team when he doesn’t pay attention to details. Minaya is going to be here for another year and so will Manuel. The Mets really need to get rid of both guys and get a new regime in place to turn the page on the Minaya era.
• Put Jose Reyes on the trading block – Test the waters. See what can be acquired in return. Maybe the Mets can land a number two or three starter for Reyes. The shortstop free agent class isn’t strong but it would be well worth getting a guy to pitch behind Santana in exchange for Reyes. The Mets and Reyes may be better off going separate ways. The Mets could go after free agent shortstops Khalil Greene, Adam Everett, or maybe even Orlando Cabrera.
• Leave Daniel Murphy at first base – He’s young and will improve. He’s already improved in one season. Save money for other spots, don’t spend big on a first basemen. With some work, Murphy can be a formidable first basemen.
• Spend on left fielder – Make a run after Matt Holliday, Jason Bay or Carl Crawford if they are available. Crawford makes sense if the Mets get rid of Reyes. Holliday or Bay would slip nicely into the fifth spot in the lineup giving the Mets a potent 3-4-5 combination of Wright, Beltran and Holliday/Bay.
• Sign a catcher – Rod Barajas, and Bengie Molina will be free agents and Miguel Olivo has a chance to be a free agent too. The Mets need a hard-nosed catcher who has some pop in his bat. I like Barajas for the Mets.
• Finally, get these guys healthy and ready to go for spring training

Whether you agree or disagree, leave comments and tell me your thoughts on how to fix the Mets.