One of the main problems for the Mets this season has been the fact that the Mets’ bench players (or as Gary Cohen so affectionately calls them, “The Irregulars,”) have gotten a little too regular.

This is not exactly a new problem, considering the Mets’ outfield was also decimated in 2007. Moises Alou was missing in action from May 13 through July 26 that year and only played in 87 games. Before Alou was injured, Lastings Milledge was hurt in the minors, and he didn’t return until July 12. Endy Chavez lost nearly three months of his season after a base-running injury on June 6 in a forgettable game against the Phillies. A young, not-yet-ready Carlos Gomez started in their stead until July 12 when he too was injured, shelving him for two full months. Even Shawn Green had a short D.L. stint from May 29 - June 11.

This year, though, Alou has only played a mind-boggling 15 games, putting him on pace for a much lower total. Alou is also on his third disabled list trip of this season as the Mets hit the halfway mark. Angel Pagan was impressive in spring training and April, but he hasn’t seen action since May 12. Ryan Church finally returned today and hopefully he is handled with kids’ gloves. No whammies.

This has led to a plethora of players getting the opportunity at starting for the Mets in left field and right field this season. One could argue that many of them should not be starting a major league baseball game in 2008.

Distancing himself from the likes of Brady Clark, Abraham Nunez, and Gustavo Molina, Fernando Tatis actually made a contribution for the Mets in 2008. He’s tailed off since his start, but he is at least maintaining statistics good for a bench player. The key phrase in that sentence is bench player. It’s time for Tatis to stop getting starts and start being solely a right-handed bat off the bench. These 1-for-4 and 1-for-5 days aren’t helping much.

One of the strategies that Jerry Manuel said he’d employ as manager is to use the No. 2 hole to get guys going. I guess one of the main guys he meant when he said that was Marlon Anderson. Anderson has gotten two starts at the spot under Manuel and went 1-for-6. For some reason, Anderson is one of the guys the Mets view as a potential No. 2 hitter on some days. He’s 1-for-14 when in the No. 2 hole at an atrocious .071 clip. Currently, Anderson is batting .198 as just another left-handed bat on the Mets. As such, he probably shouldn’t even be on the team, let alone getting the occasional start.

Trot Nixon today added his name to the long list of Mets’ outfield injuries over the past two years. When the Mets traded for him, the move was mildly praised as everyone mused, “Intangibles! Nixon’s got ‘em!” Hopefully, he’s leading the team in grit and determination because he’s not leading the team in anything else. Admittedly, it’s a small sample size, but since the Mets acquired him on June 15, he’s batted .171. His lone saving grace was a solo shot he hit against the Rockies during a blowout. Oh, and he had a decent first game against Texas. Considering Nixon is a guy who is limited to outfield play, unlike some of the others, it’s probably best to cut the cord on this project.

The Andy Phillips move just doesn’t make sense for the Mets. For the Yankees, Phillips was known as a light-hitting defensive alternative, and outside of a half year with the Yankees in 2007, his stats match up with that. He did bat over .300 this season for the Reds’ Triple-A Louisville, but when called up to Cincinnati, he batted .143 in 21 at-bats. Since that Carlos Delgado platoon is never going to happen with anybody and since other guys can play first base, the Phillips move is puzzling.

With Church back, right field is hopefully taken care of. As far as left field goes, just starting Chavez every day isn’t such a bad idea. He hardly ever gets at-bats versus lefties, but what’s funny is he’s actually batting for a higher average. That’s obviously skewed, but Chavez’s average against lefties from 2005-2007 is actually .328 in 128 at-bats. Chavez is hitting about as well as any of “the irregulars,” and he’s certainly the best defensive outfielder of the bunch. Why not just start him in left field for the time being?

Strangely enough, the same thing is happening to Damion Easley this season. He’s batting .215 in 93 at-bats against righties and .333 in 42 at-bats against lefties. Like Chavez, Easley is hitting about as well as any of the “irregulars.” In a perfect world, he could be used as a utility infielder, starting whenever someone in the infield is out. Unfortunately, Luis Castillo has been too injured for that.

Going into the season, the Mets’ outfield looked like a strength, actually. Pagan was slated as a hot-hitting No. 4 outfielder, and Chavez was actually the Mets’ No. 5. Who knew all these guys would end up getting time?

Shawn Green recently announced his retirement, and while only a Met for a short time, he endeared himself to many fans. Shawn joined the Mets at the end of 2006, and was expected to have a tough time surplanting Lastings Milledge who was thought to be taking over right field in 2007.

Shawn had a torrid spring training and secured his place in right for a majority of the season, finishing with a .291 batting average. He was batting .315 until May 15th, when he fouled a ball off his foot, fracturing it and putting him on the disabled list for the first time in his career.

His career was an impressive one. He hit 40 or more homers three times, drove in and scored 100 runs four times, and holds the following major league records: most home runs in a game (4), most extra base hits in a game (5), most total bases in a game (19), most runs scored in a game (6), most home runs in two consecutive games (5), most home runs in three consecutive games (7), and most consecutive home runs (4).

In his first at bat as a Met, Green was greeted with a standing ovation.

Bugs and Cranks sends Shawn off, extolling his virtues, including this passage from a show Shawn will be appearing on called “Real Sports Hero”

In that vignette, I say that what he has done off the field may be more significant. While playing in Los Angeles, Green donated one and a half million dollars in six years to support the development of four baseball fields in the city. The money also went for the purchase of books for local elementary schools and youth community programs.

Before that, after receiving a large signing bonus from the Blue Jays, Shawn gave money to provide breakfast for Toronto youngsters who otherwise normally would go to school hungry. Green has also given his time and contributed to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Special Olympics, Parkinson’s Foundation, and the United Jewish Foundation. And, he wrote a check for 75-thousand dollars to a charity for survivors of the 9-11 attack. He’s also been a worthy winner of the Bart Giamatti Award for his involvement in the community.

And who will forget how Shawn would throw his batting gloves to a child each time he hit a home run in his home park.

So long Shawn. You are one of the true gentlemen of the game.

Single: According to ESPN.com, the Mets were on the verge of giving a job to Brian McNamee prior to this season, as Willie Randolph and former Mets hitting coach Rick Down worked with McNamee while they were with the Yankees.  However due to McNamee’s reputation, Omar Minaya vetoed his hiring.

There was a time, around a month ago, when I still doubted Omar Minaya. I think he doomed us for collapse last year by preparing us with inadequate pitching.  I doubted him this offseason when it seemed more and more day by day like we wouldn’t acquire an ace.  However, he stole Johan Santana from the Twins, by out waiting a rookie GM.  And now, he had the incredible foresight and judgement to know hiring this sleezeball would be a bad idea. Major props there Omar, you have my trust. 

Double: According to the New York Post, former Mets’ OF Shawn Green has retired.  The former Met, Diamondback, Dodger and Blue Jay hit 328 career HRs, while having four seasons with 100 or more RBIs.  According to baseball-reference, Green earned over $100 million during his career.

I think he was a nice fit in RF last year, despite his declining mobility in the field.  I think he responded well to days off, and should’ve been platooned a bit more with Lastings Milledge.  At least he’s got a nice retirement fund going.  

Triple: This week we had a round of Lastings Milledge smack talk.  He said, “I can’t go through anything worse than I went through in New York. It only gets better from here.”

Jeez, I questioned the trade at first, but good riddance.  Welcome Ryan Church.  C’mon Lastings, show a little bit of class.  You wonder why you were bounced out of town? Grow up, trades happen and this explains why this trade involved you.    

Home Run: With spring training underway, the Mets have already lost to the Tigers 4-2 and the Cardinals 7-0.  They also tied the University of Michigan, Fred Wilpon’s alma mater, 4-4.

Oh no, still winless! The collapse lives on! Yeah, we lost, but it’s spring training.  But there are some nice things to pick out.  Mike Pelfrey pitched two scoreless innings, allowing only one hit.  Pelfrey wasn’t facing scrubs either, he faced a lineup with Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez and Curtis Granderson among other great hitters that the Tigers have.  Other nice facts include that teenage phenom Fernando Martinez has hits in both games against the Tigers and Cardinals.     

In a completely nonsuprising announcement, Shawn Green has announced his retirement. Green told the NY Post that he had not been looking to play outside of California, so that he could spend more time with his family. He said there had been some interest from teams however:

There was some real solid interest from maybe six or seven teams. A lot of teams were pretty far across the country.”

Green was brought in to replace the X Man, Nady, who left in the Oliver Perez deal. He hit a very respectabe .291 for the season and did well in the early and late portions of the season when many of the rest of the team struggled. He is most remembered for his salsa dancing with Carlos Delgado.

His defense was average, and he really couldn’t hit for power anymore. But I liked Green. When used correctly, he seemed like he was able to hit when they needed him too, and that he’d be good in more of a platoon with a younger player. You have to wonder if his fear of having to reshave his head came into play when he made this decision.

Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune has been told to expect a 50-50 chance that the Rays make another trade before the meetings are over in Nashville tomorrow.

Lancaster believes the Rays may be close to landing an outfielder or super-utility guy that they are seeking.

Of the most recent rumors, the Rays have been linked to outfielders Shawn Green, Geoff Jenkins, and Cliff Floyd who are on the free agent market and may look to go that direction if no trade happens.

Jeff Passan over at Yahoo Sports reports that the Rays are looking at Shawn Green to fill their right field hole. While there are other candidates vying for the spot, he believes Green is a higher choice due to the shorter contract he is asking for. Brad Wilkerson and Geoff Jenkins are the other two mentioned probables for the Rays.

According to rotoworld, the Mets declined arbitration on Paul Lo Duca, Shawn Green, Mike DiFelice, Aaron Sele, Jeff Conine, Sandy Alomar Jr, and Jose Valentin. Reports from last month indicated that Jeff Conine was planning on retiring.

No surprises here. With the acquisition of Church and Schneider, that left no room for Lo Duca, Green and our pair of minor league catchers. Likewise, the Castillo deal combined with Stache’s heath problems pretty much sealed his fate. Of the list, chances are only Green and Lo Duca end up on a MLB 25 man roster next season.

Six Mets filed for free agency today, Marlon Anderson, Luis Castillo, Paul Lo Duca, Ramon Castro, Damion Easley and Shawn Green. It is unlikely that Easley will be pursued by the team, however Castillo is being targeted as a reacquisition.

Not terrible much to add…if Green and Castro are brought back its most likely as bench players not starters. Of that group I’d assume Castillo and Anderson are the ones the team will put the most effort towards bringing back. With Easley’s injury being as severe as it is I don’t see much of any team giving him a chance till he’s healthy enough to better judge his recovery.

Randolph said Shawn Green will be activated tommorow, and that Carlos Gomez will get to stay and play for a little longer now that Endy is a card carrying member of the Injured Mets Outfielders Club (free gym bag, with membership!). So that calls up the quesion, who gets voted off the Mets bench?

We can first just rule out the no brainers, the bench guys that are not leaving us. Castro, Franco, Easley. Well, and Gomez. So that leaves us with Gotay, Johnson and Ledee.

Gotay has been looking good. His playing time has been a bit limited, spending just 10 innings at second base, and getting 43 at bats. Though he started slow, he's hitting .302 overall and has done well in the field. He has the potential to be platoon second baseman that Anderson Hernedez never quite managed to be. Decent performance by as the season continues could earn him a solid bench spot or even a surprise replacement for Stache in the future.  Though only an infeilder, if platooned with Valentin, Easley can be used as the utility OF (Chris Woodward style).

Ricky Ledee is a tough call. As mentioned the other day, he was hitting in the upper .200s in AAA, looked cold his first night out and then had a good day Saturday in the Mets loss with 2 hits.

Ben Johnson seems to have yet adjust to mlb pitching. 0-2 for the day as I type this, he's hit in just 3 of the 8 games he's appeared in so far, for a .182 average, all of them singles. He's also walked twice, and has one RBI. Younger than Ledee (older than Gomez) he has the look of someone who still needs some more time down in AAA. He had been playing well, though was on the minor league DL for a spell after a diving play resulted in a shoulder injury.  He seems the most likely candidate.  Though he could with time be a better player than Ledee, he doesnt seem ready and the time in AAA will probably do him good. He would be my bet for the one sent down tommorow.

After that, it will probably be tricky. If Alou is back, you could concievable keep Gomez despite the desire for him to play more, since his speed would make him needed more with Alou and Green both in. If he's performing expect to see him stay, and Ledee to go down. If he's not performing, its probably safe to assume he goes down. Of course, should Endy return first, Gomez goes down no matter what.  With Newhan sent down, I'd assume there's a very good chance of Gotay keeping that spot on the roster, when both Alou and Endy are activated.