The Mets have signed righty starter Claudio Vargas to a minor league contract. The 29-year old righty pitched in 29 games (23 starts) for the Brewers last season and he was 11-6 with 1 save, a 5.09 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. Vargas has now pitched in 153 games (110 starts) in his major league career and he is 43-38 with 1 save, a 4.95 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. He will likely tune up in the minors before getting called up soon to help the Mets rotation which is hurting due to injuries.

The Mets have placed Matt Wise on the 15-day disabled list with a right forearm strain. Wise pitched in 2 games for the Mets this season and he was 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA and a 3.00 WHIP. To replace Wise in the bullpen the Mets have recalled AAA stopper Carlos Muniz. Muniz has pitched in 1 game for the Mets and he worked a scoreless inning in which he gave up nothing. Muniz also has pitched in 2 AAA games this season and he is 0-0 with 2 saves, a 0.00 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP.

The Mets are essentially going with the same bullpen as last season except that they substituted Matt Wise for Guillermo Mota and that’s a good tradeoff for them. 36-year old lefty Billy Wagner returns as the closer for the Mets. He pitched in 66 games (0 starts) for the Mets last season and he was 2-2 with 34 saves, a 2.63 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. Wagner also whiffed 80 batters in only 68.1 innings which shows that he still has good stuff.

29-year old righty Aaron Heilman will be the top set-up man for the Mets this season. He pitched in 81 games (0 starts) for the Mets last season and he was 7-7 with 1 save, a 3.03 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Heilman could be the Mets’ closer of the future.

31-year old lefty Pedro Feliciano has been a great specialist the last few seasons for the Mets. He pitched in 78 games (0 starts) for the Mets last season and he was 2-2 with 2 saves, a 3.09 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. Look for another solid season out of him in 2008.

32-year old righty Matt Wise was signed as a free agent in the off-season and he should provide some quality innings out of the bullpen for the Mets in 2008. He pitched in 56 games (0 starts) for the Brewers last season and he was 3-2 with 1 save, a 4.19 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP.

34-year old lefty Scott Schoeneweis will be the #3 lefty in the pen for the Mets this season. He pitched in 70 games (0 starts) for the Mets last year and he was 0-2 with 2 saves, a 5.03 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. The Mets shopped Schoeneweis all off season and no one wanted him.

24-year old righty Joe Smith will be the likely long man in the bullpen for the Mets this season. He pitched in 54 games (0 starts) for the Mets last season and he was 3-2 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: B+

If the Mets’ starting rotation stays healthy, not many teams can match up with them. 29-year old lefty Johan Santana was brought over in the mega trade with the Twins in the off season. He started 33 games for the Twins last season and he was 15-13 with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. He has now pitched in 251 games (175 starts) in his major league career and he is 93-44 with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. He also has whiffed 1,381 batters in only 1308.2 innings which shows what kind of stuff he has. With this Mets lineup and bullpen behind him I expect him to win 20+ games and win the National League Cy Young Award in 2008.

36-year old righty Pedro Martinez injured himself in yesterday’s start and the Mets hope it isn’t serious because they are depending on him this season. He started 5 games last season and he was 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. Martinez now has a career record of 209-93 with a 2.80 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. It will be interesting to see how Martinez adjusts to life without his once big time fastball.

27-year old righty John Maine was a very pleasant surprise for the Mets last season. He started 32 games last year and he was 15-10 with a 3.91 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. Look for Maine to duplicate those numbers for the Mets again in 2008.

26-year old lefty Oliver Perez really pitched well last season as he threw more strikes than ever while maintaining his good stuff. He started 29 games for the Mets last season and he was 15-10 with a 3.56 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. He will have another really solid season as long as he doesn’t try to whiff everyone.

38-year old righty Orlando Hernandez will start the season on the D.L. but the Mets would be happy if he could start around 25 games this season. He pitched in 27 games (24 starts) for the Mets last season and he was 9-5 with a 3.72 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. “El Duque” now has a 90-65 career record in the majors with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. He is still a solid pitcher when healthy.

24-year old righty Mike Pelfrey will open the season as the #5 starter for the Mets and they need him to live up to his potential. He pitched in 15 games (13 starts) for the Mets last season and he was 3-8 with a 5.57 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP.

30-year old righty Tony Armas will start the season in AAA and wait for an opportunity to show what he can do. He pitched in 31 games (15 starts) for the Pirates last season and he was 4-5 with a 6.03 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. He is a better pitcher than he showed last season. He has now pitched in 182 games (166 starts) in his major league career and he is 52-65 with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP.

25-year old lefty Jason Vargas will open the 2008 season on the D.L. He started 2 games for the Mets last season and he was 0-1 with a 12.19 ERA and a 1.84 WHIP. He also pitched in 24 games in AAA last season and he was 9-7 with a 5.11 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: A-