Compared to a lot of the other reactionary talk surrounding the team immediately after the season, I feel like the conservative Mets fan.

Firstly, as others have pointed out, Jose Reyes, David Wright, and Carlos Beltran should stay for obvious reasons. They are a part of the illustrious Mets “core” and should go nowhere. Why? Because they are good players.

Secondly, I am for picking up the option for Carlos Delgado. Like virtually everyone else, I did not think I would take this stance months ago, but not only has Delgado won over the hearts and minds of Mets fans (at least for one more year) with his clubbing power, but there really is no one else. Mark Teixeira is just not worth the money, either, especially when there is pitching to be had.

Rather than going after Orlando Hudson or bringing back the aging tandem of Luis Castillo and Damion Easley, I think the Mets should turn to Daniel Murphy at second base next year. This reasoning is also rather predictable. Like many other Mets fans, I like Murphy’s potential, especially since he’s such a patient hitter at such a young age. And he’s got INTANGIBLES~! since he always seems like a guy who is hard-nosed in interviews. Murphy’s most value would be at second base, but encouraging reports from the Arizona Fall League would make Mets fans feel better about Murphy’s defense there (or anywhere).

Like many other Mets fans, I am in favor of letting go of many of the team’s free agents (Moises Alou, Pedro Martinez, Orlando Hernandez, even Oliver Perez unless he would settle for like a two-year deal or something.) Even more disappointing about this season is I feel like half of it was convincing Omar Minaya he had made mistakes he needed to correct in the future, such as signing El Duque, Alou and Castillo. And while it was always talked of as a possibility to bring back Pedro, his 2008 made sure (at least, I hope) that he never pitches in Citi Field.

As for Minaya and Jerry Manuel, I feel ambivalent to their returns. While neither particularly excites me, potentially because they’ve been with the team for a while now, I can’t really think of any exciting replacements. And chances are, a regime change might slow down the progress of the team, and I don’t think the fanbase is even close to being ready for a poor season after the last two heartbreakers.

So yeah, I have a lot of predictable opinions about the Mets, which makes me the ultimate conservative fan. The only shed of excitement I could offer for the Mets’ offseason plans would be to stock up all the saved money from letting go of free agents to go after a highly-touted pitcher — CC Sabathia or Francisco Rodriguez. It may make more sense to go after multiple, lower-tiered pitchers to fill up more of the Mets’ holes, but the hot stove has not revved up, and I’m not thinking straight yet.