The over/under for wins in Las Vegas is 93.5 for the Mets in 2008. I think they will come out smoking this season after collapsing last September. Getting Johan Santana in a trade with the Twins and seeing Pedro Martinez getting back healthy is enough for me to bet on the over.

29-year old lefty swinging Ryan Church will be the starting RF for the Mets in 2008. He played in 144 games for the Nationals last season and he was 128 for 470 (.272 avg, .813 OPS) with 57 runs scored, 15 homers and 70 RBIs. Church didn’t appear in RF for the Nationals last season but he was an impressive defender in both LF and CF last year. He played in 41 error-less games in CF last season while showing outstanding range. He also played in 91 games in LF last season making 3 errors while showing outstanding range. He should do well in RF and improve the Mets overall OF Defense.

Angel Pagan played in 29 error-free games in RF last season for the Cubs while showing below average range. Brady Clark played in 15 error-less games in RF last season and he showed league average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B-

31-year old switch hitting Carlos Beltran is one of the best players in all of baseball so the Mets need him to stay healthy. He played in 144 games for the Mets last season and he was 153 for 554 (.276 avg, .878 OPS) with 93 runs scored, 33 homers, 112 RBIs and 23 stolen bases. He played in 141 games in CF last season and he made 5 errors while showing above average range. Look for Beltran to be a 30/30 man this season as long as he can stay healthy.

26-year old switch hitting Angel Pagan will be the primary backup in CF for the Mets this season. He played in 71 games for the Cubs last season and he was 39 for 148 (.264 avg, .743 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 4 homers, 21 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Pagan played in 34 games in CF for the Cubs last season and he didn’t make an error while showing below average range.

Endy Chavez played in 10 games in CF for the Mets last season and he didn’t make any errors while showing outstanding range. Brady Clark didn’t make any errors in 14 games in CF last season while showing league average range. Ryan Church will be the starting RF for the Mets this season but he played in 41 games in CF for the Nationals last season and he didn’t make any errors there while showing outstanding range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: A

41-year old righty swinging Moises Alou is still one of the best hitters in baseball but he just can’t stay healthy. He will miss the start of this season after undergoing surgery to repair a hernia in spring training. He played in 87 games for the Mets last season and he was 112 for 328 (.341 avg, .916 OPS) with 51 runs scored, 13 homers and 49 RBIs. He is really a DH impersonating a LF for the Mets. He played in 84 games in LF last season and he made 4 errors while showing below average range.

30-year old lefty swinging Endy Chavez will likely start a lot of games while Alou is out. He played in 71 games for the Mets last season and he was 43 for 150 (.287 avg, ,705 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 1 homer, 17 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Chavez played in 37 games in LF last season and he didn’t make any errors while showing outstanding range.

34-year old lefty swinging Marlon Anderson will also get some extra playing time while Alou is out. He played in 66 games last season for the Dodgers & Mets and he was 28 for 95 (.295 avg, .806 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 3 homers and 27 RBIs. He played in 12 games in LF last season and he didn’t make an error while showing above average range.

35-year old Brady Clark could also get some P.T. in left field for the Mets. He played in 68 games for the Padres & Dodgers last season and he was 28 for 107 (.262 avg, .698 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 0 homers and 11 RBIs. He played in 38 games in LF last season and he didn’t make any errors while showing poor range.

27-year old righty swinging Ben Johnson will likely start the season in AAA but he could get a call to the Mets at some point in 2008. He played in 9 games for the Mets last season and he was 5 for 27 (.185 avg, .455 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 1 RBI.

Angel Pagan will also likely get some P.T. in left field for the Mets this season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B-

25-year old righty swinging David Wright is the best player on the New York Mets, period! He played in 160 games last season for the Mets and he was 196 for 604 (.325 avg, .962 OPS) with 113 runs scored, 30 homers, 107 RBIs and 34 stolen bases. He played in 159 games at 3B and he made 21 errors while showing off outstanding range. Wright has gotten better every season he has played in the majors and if that continues this season he will be a serious MVP candidate in 2008.

Damion Easley will likely be Wright’s backup but he never takes days off. Easley played in 2 games at 3B for the Mets last season and he made 1 error.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: A+