My Plea to you Mr. Minaya

In case you all haven't heard, Mets closer Billy Wagner was shut down after a simulated game today and could be lost for the entire season. There is no denying it; if the Mets lose Wagner for the rest of this season it will be very difficult to remain in first place. And even if they do, a long playoff run is almost unfathomable. The Mets bullpen has been up and down all season and who knows how they will react during the playoffs. Do you trust Heilman in a big spot? How about Feliciano? Or Luis Ayala? Oh yeah, Jorge Says No! went over the Mets bullpen already.

To me, the only way for the Mets to contend for a championship this season without Wagner is to put Pedro Martinez in the bullpen for the rest of the season. The move would obviously be a risk considering that Martinez has never consistently worked out of the bullpen before and his performance this season has been shaky at best. Not to mention that hitters are hitting .353 in the first inning against Pedro, which obviously does not enhance my argument.

But here's the thing, what other option do the Mets have? As of right now they have a bunch of guys in the back end of the bullpen that no one has the slightest idea if they can get the job done. Maybe the Mets can get some lightning in a bottle with Pedro and actually have someone who the team believes can shut the door in a big spot. We all know that Pedro is well past his prime, but he's worth the risk in the bullpen. Pedro's dominated in big spots before and no one else in the Mets pen can say that. That fact alone seals the deal for me.