It looks like Pedro Martinez may be placed on the 15-day DL any minute now, though it may not be as bad as we feared.

So now we’ll assume the Mets will promote Nelson Figueroa to fill the fifth starter role — which is fine with me.

At this time I feel it absolutely necessary to regurgitate a sentence written by me at the start of spring training (I thought was kind of witty at the time):

“No one has any idea why Cazavos, Figueroa, and Field are in camp, but I suspect they really weren’t invited but rather were inspired by the movie Wedding Crashers.”

Well, MetsToday reader hdarvick — who I suspect could possibly be Nelson Figueroa himself — set my a$$ straight with this retort:

# hdarvick Says:
February 20th, 2008 at 12:12 pm e

NELSON FIGUEROA, drafted by the Mets out of Brandeis University in 1995, was invited because he pitched 10 complete games for Chihuahua, 8-6, 3.87 ERA, (24.5 games out of first) in the 2007 Mexican Triple A League, then went to Taiwan where he went 4-0 and then won games 1, 4, and 7 in the 2007 China World Series in October and was voted MVP. He pitched the only game Taiwan won in the 4-game Konami Cup Asia Series in the Tokyo Dome in November. In the Dominican Winter League, he won two games in the playoffs, including the championship game for Aguilas Cibaenas on January 25, 2008, compiling a 4-0 record in the series (4 starts) with a 1.45 ERA, 31 innings pitched, 24 hits, 33 strikeouts, 7 walks. 1.00 WHIP. He pitched the only complete game in the Dominican “Round-Robin” championship series. He had to pitch for Yaquis of Mexico in the Caribe World Series earlier this month (February 2008), not for Aguilas, because he had pitched in the regular season for Mexico. His record was 1-0, 11 innings pitched (9.1 in one game, 1.2 in relief in the other), 0.83 ERA, and was voted the Caribe Series MVP over players like Miguel Tejada, Tony Pena Jr. and Nelson Cruz. THAT’S WHY HE WAS INVITED and why he’ll be at Shea in 2008.

Kudos to hdarvick — whoever you are — for your foresight. I am happy to eat a large piece of humble pie, while rooting for Figgy to finally make his mark in the Majors.

Assuming the worst — that Pedro Martinez will be out for a significant period of time — what are the Mets options for the starting rotation?

Orlando Hernandez is already down until mid-April, and no one’s convinced he’ll be healthy or effective when (if?) he returns. Mike Pelfrey still hasn’t shown a second Major League pitch — and there’s some dispute that he has one.

When pressed for an alternative to Pedro, manager Willie Randolph spat out the name Figueroa first. We’re assuming he means Nelson Figueroa as opposed to his ex-teammate Ed Figueroa — though right now I’d take either.

We’ve been addressing the starting pitching depth all spring … and winter … and yet the best the Mets can come up with is Nelson Figueroa — with Brian Stokes next in line. Yikes!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of Figgy and hope he can surprise some folks. But an overachieving Nelson Figueroa is not enough to get the Mets through a full season.

Here’s what’s left after Figueroa:

1. Brian Stokes (?)
2. Adam Bostick
3. Jonathan Niese
4. Bobby Parnell ?
5. um?

Jorge Sosa might be a consideration, had he and not Pelfrey been given the temporary #5 slot in the rotation and Steven Register kept in the bullpen (rather than returned to the Rockies). I suppose Sosa could still be a starter, with Ricardo Rincon or Stokes or Figgy brought up for bullpen depth — but it’s still a shell game, in that you slide one strength over by weakening another.

It’s time to sign someone — anyone. Jeff Weaver? Horacio Ramirez? Robinson Tejeda (for you, Mic)? Heck, let’s get the national anthem auditioners on the mound and see what they can do.