AAOP: Two days in making; Trust in upside.

So over the past couple of days--while waiting for my membership to be fully active--I've spent quite some time reading other's fanpost, and alot of them have been of offseason plans. After looking through several of these posts, I've become inspired to give it a try myself.

First and foremost...

- It is almost certain, unfortunately, that Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo will BOTH be on the roster in 2010. Therefore, I won't entertain the idea of moving them. I do not want to get rid of Castillo only to get Milton Bradley, or any of the other rumored players, in return.

- A six-man bullpen could work--with pitchers who can actually pitch, and be given roles to play in the bullpen. These roles include long reliever, righty middle reliever, lefty specialist, groundball specialist (to be used with players in scoring position), set-up pitcher (preferrably a lefty, closer caliber pitcher), and closer. It would also help if Dan Warthen wasn't still the pitching coach.

- Bring Jeff Francoeur back. He is young, under salary control, and has tremendous upside. His defense, arm, power potential, and intangibles--yes, I went there--make up for his poor discipline at the plate.

- Angel Pagan makes a serviceable fourth outfielder. Giving him a starting job turns him into a detriment IMO.

- Stick with a Thole/Santos platoon at catcher. Both can call a good game and, with adequate training in the spring, can be defensively solid. I'd likely give Thole more starts--with him being younger and having a future, on top of him being more able to hit for a good average. I do not want to give up a draft pick for catchers like Barajas, Rodriguez, Hernandez, and Kendall. If any of the four are not offered arbitration, I would sign them--albeit frugally.

- Offer Delgado, Putz, and Tatis arbitration. They are all worth taking a chance on for one year, and at a reasonable price. Also, the chance is fair that all three decline arbitration--awarding the Mets three draft picks.

Here's the moves the Mets should make--in the event that all three decline arbitration.

- Sign Matt Holliday to a five-year contract potentially worth about 90M (16M, 16M, 18M, 20M, 20M), based on incentives. This should definitely land him, but if it doesn't walk away--and look into cheaper options. A Willingham trade would be a decent option.

- Trade for Roy Halladay. I would offer any three or four prospects outside of Davis, Flores, Mejia, Havens, and Thole. If Holliday isn't acquired, I would hold on to FMart as well. I'm thinking Holt, Tejada, Parnell, and Allen could get it done. If the Blue Jays cannot come to an agreement, end negotiations. Look into FA options such as Duchscherer, Hudson, and Escobar; A Roy Oswalt trade is also a good option. If neither Holliday nor Halladay can be acquired, I would approach the offeason without the desire of being a winner in 2010. Save some money in favor of a long-term plan--although Omar doesn't have that luxury, nor should he, at this point.

- Sign Randy Wolf to a one-year contract worth 9M or Jon Garland to a two-year 15M (7M, 8M) contract. If the Dodger's don't offer Wolf arbitration--which is unlikely--I'd sign him over Garland. I'd also be open to giving them a third-year option with a pay increase involved.

- Sign Mike Gonzalez to a three year contract worth 16M (4.5M, 5M, 6.5M) --or sign Kiko Calero to a two year 7M contract, and trade for two additional relievers.

- Sign Mark DeRosa, if the Cardinals do not offer him arbitration. The Mets will need a great bat, who can play multiple positions--especially with chances being taken on Murphy, Francoeur, and Castillo. It would also allow Jerry Manuel to feel more confortable with sitting Wright or Holliday a couple of games, if necessary. I would give DeRosa two years, 12M. If the Cardinals offer him arbitration, sign Hank Blalock instead to a two year 9M (4M, 5M) contract. I wouldn't surrender an additional draft pick for a bench player, even if I do intend to play him regularly.

- Acquire two utility infielders. Make a couple of low-keys trades for guys like Brendan Ryan, Brendan Harris, and Joe Inglett. You've also got Jamey Carroll, Omar Infante, and Mark Loretta on the FA market.

This would be the roster if everything goes as originally planned.

Lineup:

SS- Reyes; 1B- Murphy; CF- Beltran; LF- Holliday; 3B- Wright; RF- Francoeur; C- Thole; 2B- Castillo.

Rotation:

Santana; Halladay; Wolf/Pelfrey; Pelfrey/Perez; Perez/Garland.

Bench:

Santos; DeRosa/Blalock; Pagan; Evans; two infielders.

Bullpen:

Niese; Stokes; Misch; Feliciano; Gonzalez; K-Rod.