In each of the last four seasons, the time comes when the Mets become utterly unwatchable. In 2005 that point seems to have come right about now. The Mets are just playing so poorly right now that I can't bear to even watch the games. I do, of course, but that's mostly because I'm a glutton for punishment and ugly baseball.

The Mets are having a lot of trouble hitting with runners in scoring position. This is normally a fluke, as a hitter (or a team) should be expected to hit approximately the same with runners in scoring position as not. Of course, there are plenty of full seasons where this isn't the case, and the 2005 Mets might just be one of those seasons.

Everyone's pressing right now, from the first man all the way down to the 25th man (yea, I'm looking at you DeJean). To make matters worse, the Mets are playing shorthanded, with Kaz Matsui and Carlos Beltran not healthy enough to play but not hurt enough to go on the DL.

Willie doesn't want to put Carlos on the disabled list, but Carlos was quoted as saying that it'll take around three weeks of rest for his quad to fully heal. So what's the hold up? Put him on the DL and call up Victor Diaz to play right. When Beltran is ready to come back and play at full strength, give Eric Valent the axe. These aren't really difficult decisions to make here.

As badly as the Mets are playing, there's really no reason to cash in their chips until at least the trading deadline (July 31). At that point the Mets will need to really take a step back and evaluate their chances of competing this season. And for God's sake don't delude yourselves into thinking you can stay in the race when you very clearly can not.

If the Mets are more than five games out of a playoff spot at the deadline, the odds are that they will be watching the postseason from home like the rest of us. Trade off pieces that have some value. Offer to pick up some or all of a player's salary if it means getting some solid prospects back in return.

The Mets take on the Marlins in Florida tonight in the first game of a fairly important four-game series. I previewed the series at MetsGeek.com today, so check that out as well as the other links below.

Also, I want to take this opportunity to thank John Sickels for taking part in the AQA thread yesterday. He answered a lot of questions and I think everyone had a really great time. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did, and I welcome those of you who just discovered this site as a result of that chat. Last night's game chatter was the most successful to date, and I want to thank all of you for contributing and making this site such a blast to be a part of. Cheers.

Amazin' Avenue Daily Web Links
- MetsGeek.com: Upcoming Series: Florida Marlins Pitchers (Eric Simon)
- FlushingsFuture.com: Minor League Notebook: May 26, 2005
- Mets.com: Beltran not likely to start in Miami
- The Hardball Times: Ten Things I Didn't Know Last Week (Studes)