Eight 2009 Mets filed for free agency: Alex Cora, Carlos Delgado, Elmer Dessens, Ramon Martinez, J.J. Putz, Brian Schneider, Gary Sheffield, and Fernando Tatis. Let’s go through them briefly, one by one.

You may or may not know that the construction of Citi Field was a central part of a redevelopment plan in the gritty, commercial area of Queens known as Willets Point. Part of that plan included the “eviction” of many businesses in the area, particularly the auto repair shops and salvage yards that are viewed as eyesores by many — particularly the well-to-do who can afford the high price of tickets behind home plate.

A group of businessmen being forced out of Willets Point via eminent domain brought a suit against New York City, citing that their Constitutional rights had been violated. However, that suit has been thrown out by a Federal judge in Brooklyn.

I haven’t done enough research on the redevelopment plan, nor do I know much about Willets Point (other than what’s found via Google and the NYC tabloids), so I’m not going to get on a soapbox and argue for one side or the other. Generally speaking I don’t like the concept of eminent domain and really don’t like small businesses going out of business. But I’m assuming there’s much more to the story, and it would be great to hear from all sides.

That said it’s “open mic day” here at MetsToday — if you have any locally derived or personally connected information on the subject, and/or an opinion, please use the comments section as a platform.

Back in January, the Mets made a series of blockbuster moves to sate the hunger of disgruntled fans. First they picked up lights-out LOOGY Casey Fossum, then they brought back Argenis Reyes, before capping the excitement with the signing of Cory Sullivan.

At the time, the Mets were unaware that Jeremy Reed was part of the trade with Seattle — they were so excited and busy patting each other on the back after hoodwinking the Mariners into handing over J.J. Putz that Reed was an afterthought. Further, the person who inked Sullivan had not yet received the telegram from the department of the organization that drafted Carl Loadenthal in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft (perhaps the message was sent by Pony Express, which tends to be slower in the snowy winter months).

We assume these things because Sullivan, Reed, and Loadenthal are all essentially the same player:

Entering the 2009 season, the Mets were one slugger short of a championship lineup. They didn’t bother acquiring one during the winter because Daniel Murphy was going to hit like Wade Boggs and the Fernando Tatis – Ryan Church in right field was going to be the best seen in Flushing since the days of Ron Swoboda and Art Shamsky.

But when Gary Sheffield was released outright by the Detroit Tigers, the Mets snapped him up — much to the chagrin of nearly every fan, blogger, radio personality, journalist, and pundit within earshot of Citi Field (note I said “nearly“).

After all, Gary Sheffield was a loafing, selfish, evil, degenerate senior citizen who was going to cause a major disruption in the delicate Mets’ clubhouse and poison the minds of the precocious young ballplayers. There were also fears that he would steal everyone’s wallets, molest the players’ wives, put a cap in David Wright’s head, eat the Wilpons’ babies, and otherwise completely disgrace the Mets’ brand image — all while confined to a body cast and wheelchair resulting from his first attempt to walk up the dugout steps and onto the field.

As it turned out, Sheffield was

According to a “high-ranking official” cited in an article by The National Post, the Toronto Blue Jays will take as much time as needed to trade Roy Halladay — if they trade him at all.

Would they actually keep Halladay through 2010 and allow him to leave via free agency next winter?

When the Mets sent 7 players to Seattle and Cleveland last December in a three-team deal centered around J.J. Putz, Jeremy Reed was an afterthought. As it turned out, Reed had more of an impact on the Mets than the closer-turned-setup man.

Though, that wasn’t a difficult feat, considering that

After providing stellar defense and hitting .256 through 41 games as a replacement shortstop / utilityman for the Mets, Wilson Valdez was not re-signed and given the chance to test the market.

It didn’t take long for Valdez to find a taker — he’s been signed by

So far, the Mets are making good on their promise to overhaul the entire organization, from top to bottom.

It is no coincidence that a number of former managers — such as Bob Melvin and Eric Wedge — were considered for Jerry Manuel’s coaching staff, nor that at least two possible replacements for Manuel (Wally Backman, Terry Collins) have been hired for ancillary positions in the organization.

Such moves and considerations make it crystal clear that Manuel is on the hot seat, and will be under a magnifying glass from the beginning of spring training. Some might call it “motivation”.

But Manuel is not the only one on the hot seat — his boss Omar Minaya may be similarly “motivated”.