While we Mets fans are getting stressed out over the current state of the starting rotation, if we would just take a step out of our little world we’d realize the Mets’ pitching staff isn’t that bad — certainly not the dire straits some would have us believe.

First of all, the bullpen — on paper — is as deep as any in MLB. Billy Wagner remains one of the top five closers in the game, and he has Duaner Sanchez, Aaron Heilman, Guillermo Mota, Scott Schoeneweis, Ambiorix Burgos, and Pedro Feliciano to bridge the gap. There’s a number of other names, but we don’t need to waste space and time going over the bullpen; the major concern is the starting pitching. However I think we’re all in agreement that the Mets’ bullpen is once again going to be a strength — even if Sanchez doesn’t come back 100%.

That said, the focus is on the starters, of which we have two 40+ year-olds and a host of question marks. On the positive side of things, the Mets have six guys aged 25 or under with a lot of upside: Oliver Perez, John Maine, Philip Humber, Mike Pelfrey, Jason Vargas, and Alay Soler. Think about it … if those six guys were on the Devil Rays, there might be some people picking the Rays to contend for a Wild Card spot in the AL. For the Mets, we’re just hoping that two or three out out of the group can prove they’re ready for prime time.

In addition to the youngsters, the Mets have Dave Williams, Jorge Sosa, and either Heilman or Schoeneweis lined up as a backup plan, in the event a fifth starter doesn’t emerge. Sosa may be underwhelming, but he did go 13-3 as a starter just two years ago. Williams is also unspectacular, but isn’t far removed from being a solid #4 starter, and his performances in the second half last year indicate that he should be adequate enough to fill up the innings left behind by Steve Trachsel — if necessary.

Now take a look at the rest of the NL East, which is the Mets’ main concern.

On paper, the Phillies and Marlins probably have the best starting pitching in the division. However, the Marlins’ success last year was due to a number of raw young arms that may have snuck up on people — and there’s no guarantee that they’ll continue to develop in their second year of Big League competition. Often, young pitchers take a step back before moving forward again. An obvious example is Jason Vargas, who was rushed to the bigs in 2005, did well, then fell flat on his face in 2006. A more glaring point is the fact that history has shown lower performance and more injuries to young pitchers in the year after they have completed their first full season. Young arms simply aren’t ready for the stress of MLB, and usually have thrown more innings than they ever did before — a recipe for a downfall. And while the Marlins are talented, they aren’t deep; if a few of their top guys go down, they’re dipping into AAA and AA for help, as they have no veteran arms on the roster. In addition, even if the Marlins youngsters do stay healthy and continue to pitch well, they still have to turn the ball over to a bullpen made of cheesecloth.

The Phillies, on the other hand, have put together a nice mix of veterans — Freddy Garcia, Jamie Moyer, Brett Myers, Jon Lieber, and Adam Eaton — to go with up-and-comer Cole Hamels. That’s a solid staff of innings-eaters, but hardly anything to get excited about. Moyer just turned 44 and his best days are behind him. Myers has talent but has been inconsistent throughout his career. Eaton has had recent injury problems and never won more than 11 games in a season. Lieber is a solid workhorse but has been shopped and may be squeezed out before spring training ends. Hamels has fantastic potential, but because of his youth is just as much a question mark as, say, Mike Pelfrey or Philip Humber. Freddy Garcia projects as their ace and top starter, and in my estimation could very well contend for the NL Cy Young — assuming his workload over the last five years doesn’t catch up with him. In the end, the Phillies’ rotation looks solid — good, not great, but not without question marks, either — and like the Marlins their bullpen leaves a bit to be desired. Beyond Geoff Geary and Ryan Madson, the Phils don’t have much to bridge the gap to Tom Gordon — who by the way isn’t getting any younger, and has perennial injury issues.

Outside of the Phillies and the Marlins, the next-best pitching staff is the Braves, who also have an over-40 guy, John Smoltz, anchoring their staff. OK, there’s every reason to believe Smoltz will have another fine season, but after him, questions abound. For example, which Tim Hudson will show up? The one who went 20-6 in 2000, looking to have several Cy Youngs stacked up by this time, or the one who struggled with his mechanics and location and became a .500 pitcher in 2006? Hudson’s gradual demise since his Oakland years are startling to most, and strike fear into the hearts of Atlanta fans. Sure, he has great talent, but there may well be something physically wrong with him. He, Mark Mulder, and Barry Zito threw a lot of innings for those Oakland teams in the early 2000s; with Mulder suffering shoulder problems last year, is Hudson next?

After Hudson, the Braves are counting on 25-year-old Chuck James to improve upon his impressive 2006 debut. He went 11-4, and looked good … but then, Jorge Sosa once went 13-3 for the Braves. The rest of the rotation is just as up in the air as the Mets — a lot of candidates, just as many questions. Among them is 22-year-old Kyle Davies, who is in the same stage of development as Hamels and Pelfrey and therefore no sure thing. The Braves do have Mike Hampton coming back from elbow surgery and a year off. If he’s healthy, he might be one of the better lefty starters in the NL. But if he’s not, well … no one else really stands out as a solid choice to fill out their rotation. The Braves did bolster their bullpen by adding Rafael Soriano and Tanyon Sturtze to set up for Bob Wickman, but Sturtze may have been burned out by Joe Torre, and outside of these three men there is not a whole lot to talk about.

Do we really need to mention the Nationals? They have John Patterson coming off a forearm injury (which often develops into elbow problems), and then it’s a complete crapshoot. There are retreads such as Jon Rauch, Tim Redding, Billy Traber, and Jerome Williams on the roster — so it’s pretty clear this team will be in a rebuilding stage for a few years.

In the divisions outside the NL East, the teams with good pitching are equally hard to find, except for maybe the Dodgers and the Padres. You normally would include Houston among the elite, but they’ve lost Andy Pettitte, probably won’t have Roger Clemens returning, and closer Brad Lidge took a step back. Arizona has Brandon Webb and some good names behind him, though there are definitely some “ifs” regarding Randy Johnson and Livan Hernandez — not to mention the fact that their closer will be one of two highly volatile people (Jose Valverde or Jorge Julio). Even the reigning World Champion Cardinals have major pitching questions, to the point where relievers Adam Wainwright and Braden Looper may be moving to the rotation, leaving a big gap to Jason Isringhausen — who happens to be fighting both injury and consistency issues.

Looking at the whole picture, the Mets’ pitching situation doesn’t look all that bad now, does it? Suddenly, their bullpen depth and stockpiling of arms appears to put them in a very good position to win, when compared to what’s going on in other NL organizations.

Sit tight … we have just 29 days before pitchers and catchers report.

If the Mets don’t move Aaron Heilman as part of a package to land a front-end starter, they would be remiss not to try him out for a rotation spot.

Nearly every other MLB organization values a starting pitcher over a setup reliever — and most feel that a pitcher with the potential to be a good starter is more valuable than even a great closer. For example, the Red Sox are having no qualms about moving Jon Papelbon out of the bullpen and into the back end of their starting rotation — this despite the fact that the young fireballer was absolutely dominant in the ninth inning, with a 0.92 ERA and 35 saves. Also despite the fact that the Red Sox already added Daisuke Matsuzaka, have an overabundance of starters, and have no one with any kind of closing experience to fill the void.

If the Red Sox situation doesn’t convince you, consider the reigning World Champion St. Louis Cardinals, who are moving BOTH of their setup men — Adam Wainright and Braden Looper — into the rotation. They’re doing this even though their main closer Jason Isringhausen is a question mark.

Oh, and before the Yankees acquired Kei Igawa and Andy Pettitte, they seriously considered moving solid setup man Scott Proctor to the rotation — again, leaving a considerable void in the ‘pen.

Still, the Mets have been wary of moving Heilman to the rotation, going so far as to allow circus freaks such as Jose Lima make several forgettable starts in 2006. And there are detractors with all kinds of reasons not to move him — from newspaper columnists to bloggers to fans. Most of these reasons are based on half-truths, however, so forthwith are truisms to dispel the Heilman myths.

1. Aaron Heilman is more valuable to the team as a reliever than as a starter
With the emergence of Duaner Sanchez and Guillermo Mota, the acquisitions of Jon Adkins, Ambiorix Burgos, Scott Schoeneweis, and Jason Standridge, and the return to health of Juan Padilla, the Mets have plenty of depth to support the shift of Heilman to the rotation. The Mets’ previous reasoning was that Heilman was much more valuable to the team by being available 3-4 times per week in relief, rather than the one or two times he’d be used as a starter. Assuming Sanchez and Padilla return to 100% health, and Mota can pitch similarly to his September 2006 performance upon his return, the Mets have three solid options for the 8th inning. Burgos closed for the Royals, and may be this year’s Sanchez in a 7th or 8th-inning role. Adkins has plenty of middle relief experience, and Schoeneweis was signed to be a vital part of the ‘pen. Assuming Sanchez is healthy, last year’s myth no longer holds water.

Let’s also add this: if Heilman is a starter, there’s a good chance he’ll be at least a 6-inning pitcher, and there’s enough reason to believe he might be a 7-8-inning guy. Anytime a starter can go deep in a ballgame, you’re putting less pressure on the bullpen — thereby balancing out Heilman’s departure. Looking at the current contestants for the #3-5 spots, it looks like a bunch of 5-inning starters. Even El Duque and Tommy Glavine are question marks to get past the sixth, with their advancing age. This rotation MUST FIND an innings-eater, and maybe that guy could be Heilman. We won’t know until he’s given the chance.

2. Aaron Heilman does not have good numbers as an MLB starter.
Looking solely at the numbers, that’s a true statement. However, numbers don’t always tell the whole story. While it’s true that Heilman’s career record as an MLB starter is 5-13 with a 5.93 ERA, you really can’t count any of the numbers from 2003 and 2004, because that’s when he was throwing with a more overhand, unnatural motion. People forget that the first thing the Mets did with their much-heralded #1 pick was change his pitching motion — an adjustment that never really “took”. Just before camp broke in 2005, Willie Randolph, Rick Peterson, and Heilman had a discussion that saved his career as a Met, when it was revealed to Randolph that Heilman had been pitching with a different style from his successful years at Notre Dame. On the brink of being sent back to the minors, Randolph suggested, “well just do what you used to do — you’ve got nothing to lose”. Within a week, Heilman was not only throwing more effectively, Randolph was impressed enough to plug him into the rotation for a while.

So forget the career stats, and look at Heilman’s numbers as a starter FROM THAT POINT FORWARD:

7 GS | 42 IP | 34K | 12 BB | 4.37 ERA | 1.19 WHIP | 2-3 W/L | 1 CG (SHO)

It’s a VERY small sample — but consider that many fans, writers, and pundits are penciling Oliver Perez into the rotation based on 7 regular-season games and two postseason starts that totaled 11 innings.

What do you think … if you didn’t know those were Heilman’s numbers up there, would you consider adding a pitcher to the rotation with a 1.19 WHIP, 7.3 K/9 ratio, 4.37 ERA, and one complete-game shutout out of seven tries? And a guy who averaged 6 innings per start? Sounds a lot better than Joe Blanton, eh? In fact, it’s comparable to what Danny Haren has shown.

3. Aaron Heilman doesn’t throw enough pitches to be a starter.
This is based on the idea that all Heilman throws is a fastball and a change-up. Well, here’s a newsflash: he also throws a slider — though he rarely has used it in his relief role.

And in any case, a starter doesn’t need more than a fastball and change, provided that those two pitches are excellent. That said, consider that Heilman doesn’t just throw a fastball — he throws a nasty sinker, as well as a tailing fastball and a four-seamer. That’s three pitches, all of which range from 92 – 95 MPH. His changeup is considered by many to be one of the top 5 in all of MLB. He hasn’t used the slider much as a reliever because his #1 and #2 are so good, he doesn’t need it to get guys out. In the early 1980s, Mario Soto was considered one of the most dominating starters in the NL — and he threw “only” a fastball and a change-up. When you throw a sinker as nasty as Heilman’s, and can place it as well as he does, you don’t need much more than to change speeds. Watch Brandon Webb sometime, and count how many times he goes to his curveball — not many. 90% of his pitches are sinking fastballs and changeups — and he is one of the best righthanders in the NL. Similarly, Johan Santana relies mostly on his fastball and changeup, and mixes in an occasional slider. Now I’m not saying that Heilman’s talent approaches Santana’s — all we’re pointing out is that he does have three pitches, and a starter can not only survive but reach elite status with a limited repertoire.

4. Aaron Heilman is a selfish whiner with a bad attitude, and doesn’t deserve to start.
This is one of the more ridiculous claims. First of all, Heilman has never publicly complained about being in the bullpen. He has said that he prefers to start, but never said he didn’t want to be in the bullpen. He’s always added to his statements “… but I’ll do whatever is necessary, whatever is best for the team.”

There were even people who thought Heilman purposely pitched poorly in relief, especially after Jose Lima, Alay Soler and Jeremi Gonzalez were given chances to start. Those people did not realize that BECAUSE of those replacements turning out poor performances, and taxing the bullpen, Heilman was used more often than ever before. Heilman wasn’t purposely pitching poorly — he was being overused! Heilman was being put into games more frequently than any time in his life, and as a result he was getting tired and his mechanics were breaking down. Anyone watching closely could see his arm angle dropping — a primary signal of fatigue. After getting some rest — Duaner Sanchez was doing most of the dirty work — Heilman returned to form, just after Sanchez went down.

Still, there are those who think Heilman should “just consider himself lucky to be in the bigs and keep his mouth shut”. Yeah, well, I think there is something to be said for a guy who believes in himself, is unwavering in his goals, and has the chutzpah to stand up to management and express his feelings. It’s the mark of supreme confidence, of cockiness, and leadership. Aren’t these the qualities you want from a starting pitcher?

There you go … four of the most popular Aaron Heilman myths debunked. Feel free to drop me a line or post your own opinion.

After signing Scott Schoeneweis, it was only a matter of time before the Mets-A’s rumors involving Danny Haren, Rich Harden, Aaron Heilman, and Lastings Milledge started up again.

However, these are just rumors, built on speculation and conjecture. Following is my own conjecture, based on logic (something few deals are based on):

During the winter meetings, Omar Minaya and Billy Beane were supposedly trying to get a Milledge-for-Joe Blanton deal done. Beane, however, wanted Aaron Heilman in the deal. Minaya was not moving Heilman as long as Duaner Sanchez was a question mark. And in any case, he wasn’t moving Heilman and Milledge unless he was getting a top-of-the-rotation starter. Beane countered with either Rich Harden or Danny Haren, but insisted on also getting more prospects — presumably a combination of Phil Humber, Mike Pelfrey, and possibly Carlos Gomez. Beane was, and is, in a position to make ridiculous demands for Harden/Haren, based on this winter’s market — one that saw mediocre backend starters (Ted Lilly, Gil Meche, Jason Marquis) getting huge contracts, and Jason Jennings getting traded for a starting CF plus two top pitching prospects. The Jennings deal, in fact, was probably the impetus for Beane’s willingness to talk Harden/Haren. He’s willing to give up one of those guys — but only for a package similar to, or in excess of, the one Houston put together for Jennings.

With that in mind, the Mets will still have to give up at least Milledge, plus Humber AND Pelfrey, or Milledge, plus Heilman and Humber or Pelfrey. Most likely, he’s opening with Haren for all four guys, and won’t leave the table with less than three.

So although the Mets now have another reliever as insurance against Sanchez’s health, which therefore may make Heilman expendable, a deal with the A’s for one of the “H” boys still seems far-fetched. It’s highly doubtful Minaya will part with either Humber or Pelfrey, and he certainly won’t part with both. And Beane has no reason to come down on his demands — his team is in a great position by keeping their starting rotation intact.

Many of Minaya’s moves this offseason have added depth to the bullpen, suggesting that Heilman will be moved. However, if the bullpen is now strong enough to lose Heilman, why not give Heilman a shot to start?

A similar scenario to last year’s spring training could easily unfold: take a look at Heilman as a starter, and if he appears to be among the best options, then he earns a spot. If it doesn’t look like the best idea for the team, shift him back to the bullpen. Only this time, don’t pull a Brian Bannister on him — make it a legit competition. Overvaluing Bannister’s 14 spring training innings was a clear indication that Heilman was never really getting a fair shake in his aspirations. If it weren’t for Bannister, the Mets would have found someone else — maybe even tabbed Darren Oliver for the rotation. But I digress …

I believe Omar Minaya is trying very hard to pry away a top gun such as Danny Haren or Rich Harden — possibly even Jake Peavy — and is now comfortable including Heilman in the package. At the same time, it appears that if that blockbuster deal doesn’t happen, Heilman will finally get a legitimate chance to break into the rotation. If Heilman responds as well as he believes he can, it may not be the worst turn of events.

So there you have it: the Mets’ 2007 rotation may very well be filled by a starter whose last name begins with H … though it could be Haren, Harden, or Heilman.

We’re all concerned about the Mets’ starting rotation right now. However, it’s still more than a month before pitchers and catchers report.

On January 3rd, 2006, the Mets’ “penciled in” , or “projected” rotation looked like this:

1. Pedro Martinez
2. Tom Glavine
3. Kris Benson
4. Jae Seo
5. Victor Zambrano or Steve Trachsel

By the time pitchers and catchers reported in 2006, it looked like this:

1. Pedro Martinez
2. Tom Glavine
3. Victor Zambrano
4. Steve Trachsel
5. Aaron Heilman

That’s a big change in a little over a month’s time, eh?

Now let’s look at what the rotation WAS by the time spring training broke and the boys went north:

1. Pedro Martinez
2. Tom Glavine
3. Victor Zambrano
4. Steve Trachsel
5. Brian Bannister

Hey, where did Bannister come from?

Even that rotation didn’t last very long … by the first week of May, Bannister and Zambrano were gone for the season.s People like Jeremi Gonzalez, Jose Lima, and Alay Soler were making starts — and not just “spot” starts, they were IN the rotation. And we all know that when the NLCS closed, the only one left standing was Glavine.

The point is that in 2006 the Mets’ rotation was in a state of constant flux — there were points in the season when even Willie Randolph wasn’t sure who was starting until hours before game time. Yet, the Mets still managed to blow away the rest of the NL.

On January 3rd last year, the rotation looked very stable, and solid, if unspectacular. We were counting on Benson to be one of the best #3s in the NL, Seo to continue developing as a good #4, and hoping that Trax could come back healthy from his back surgery and be an innings eater. We also hoped against hope that Zambrano and Peterson would finally spend those ten minutes together, and VZ would emerge as the biggest surprise on the staff — perhaps knocking Trax or Seo out of town.

Looking back, could things have turned out any differently?

This year, we’re focusing on Ollie Perez, John Maine, and Dave Williams to fill out the back end. We’re hoping Phil Humber or Mike Pelfrey will pull a Justin Verlander and grab a spot.

But for all we know, Jason Vargas might emerge as a bonafide candidate. Aaron Heilman might finally get his shot to start. David Cone could come out of retirement again. Heck, Blake McGinley could pull a Brian Bannister and come out of nowhere. Or Adam Bostick could be this year’s John Maine.

So, while you’re spending your January days writing down the “projected” rotation for 2007, make sure you’re using a pencil (or erasable ink). How things look today could be very, very different by February 15th, Opening Day, the All-Star break, and, hopefully, postseason time.

In other words, no need to panic. While we wait to see how the Mets’ 2007 starting rotation evolves, do as Vin Scully says: pull up a chair … we’re going to be here a while.

The signing that seemingly came out of nowhere — for Scott “The Show” Schoeneweis — is likely more of a stepping stone than a final piece of the puzzle.

Last year at this time, the Jae Seo deal was one week old, Kris Benson was still on the roster, and the Mets were about to announce that they finally came to terms with first-round draft pick Mike Pelfrey. In other words, Omar Minaya was just getting warmed up.

This is the down and dirty time for Omar.

After seeing Seo shipped off to the Left Coast , Mets fans were ready to rip Omar’s head off. What was he doing, sending away a young, up-and-coming starter in return for a couple of unknown relievers? The deal seemed to solidify the idea of Kris Benson remaining the #3 starter, despite his wife’s Santa costume. There had been speculation that Benson would be the one to go, and the Mets would count on their youthful arms — Seo and Aaron Heilman — to fill out the rotation. Sending away Seo also meant that Victor Zambrano was more or less guaranteed a rotation spot — an even worse thought.

This year, Omar is a little off schedule, but nonetheless is still on course to make some moves that may significantly alter spring training. Compare the Schoeneweis signing to the pickup of Chad Bradford, which occurred right at the end of December 2005. We didn’t realize it at the time, but the Bradford deal — coupled with the equally “minor” signings of Pedro Feliciano, Jose Parra, and Darren Oliver the week before — was the catalyst for the Seo and Benson deals. By getting Bradford and the others, Omar had depth in the pen, creating flexibility.

Bradford provided the insurance against the Duaner Sanchez acquisition that was about to take place. The Mets knew Sanchez had great talent, and would someday be a fine setup reliever or possibly closer. He might be ready to slide into the setup role Heilman would vacate, if Heilman won the #5 starter job. In case Heilman did make the move, and Sanchez wasn’t ready to shut the door every 8th inning, the Mets now had Bradford — who despite coming off a so-so season, had plenty of experience getting out the tougher batters of the American League, and was highly recommended by Rick Peterson. Getting Bradford meant the Mets could seriously consider moving Heilman to the rotation, and therefore made Seo expendable.

With Seo’s departure — and the arrival of Sanchez — the Mets still had six starters for five spots in the rotation: Pedro, Glavine, Benson, Trachsel, Zambrano, and Heilman. The Mets and Orioles had been chatting up a Benson-for-Jorge Julio deal for months — long before the notorious Christmas party. But the deal didn’t happen for two reasons: first, the Mets wanted more than just Jorge Julio in return, and second, the Mets needed to add more depth to the bullpen before moving Heilman into the rotation. They liked Julio, but knew he was a project and might not be ready for the stress of 8th innings for a New York team. After acquiring Parra, Feliciano, Bradford, and Sanchez, and thinking that Juan Padilla would be back, the Mets were now comfortable shifting Heilman and trading Benson — if the O’s would include another young arm who could compete with Heilman and Darren Oliver for the fifth spot.

Of course, that arm turned out to be John Maine, and a year ago the deal made no sense to anyone. Why give up a solid #3 starter for a failed prospect and a ticking bomb like Julio? It was all part of the grand plan.

Looking back, things didn’t quite turn out the way Omar planned. Most noticeably, Heilman never made it into the rotation. Neither did Oliver. In fact, Maine was in AAA for half the year, coming back from an injury. It was Brian Bannister who came out of nowhere to fill in the peg that was earmarked for Heilman, and in the end the Mets had one of the deepest and strongest bullpens in the NL.

Based on the flurry of events from the end of December 2005 to January 21, 2006, I’m guessing that Omar’s signing of Scott Schoeneweis is a prelude and catalyst to a shrewd deal or two — it’s the calm before the storm.

Maybe Lastings Milledge is finally going to be packaged with an arm (Heilman?) for someone big. Remember last year the Benson rumors began in November, before coming to fruition in late January. So perhaps Jake Peavy will soon be a Met, or Alex Rios, or one of the Haren – Harden – Blanton triumvirate. We’ve been waiting for Omar to make a move all winter, and it seems like he’s been sitting on his hands. In reality, he’s been a duck on a pond — you see the duck effortlessly gliding across the water, but you don’t see the feverish kicking of his legs underneath.

In my opinion, the Barry Zito signing was not as big a deal to Omar Minaya as it was to Mets fans, because Zito was “Plan C” on Omar’s list. I think his real #1 target — based on the amount of money the Mets were willing to commit — was Daisuke Matsuzaka, and failing at that, was figuring to get Kei Igawa. This is why Omar is “behind schedule” — he’d hoped to have at least one of the Japanese imports by now, and was only interested in Zito on his terms. Playing the waiting game with Zito would have worked, too, if it had not been for the insanity pill Scott Boras slipped into Peter Magowan’s drink one night. As it is, he’s missed out on all three, but the legs have been moving underwater the entire time — so he’s still only about a week or two behind last year’s plan.

Watch and wait patiently … Omar’s biggest move is coming soon.

Unfortunately, it’s not Barry Zito, but you already knew that.

However, it’s also not Mark Mulder, who should be deciding between the Cardinals, Rangers, and Indians shortly. And it’s not David Wells, whose belly has grown so large he cannot get out of his front door. Thankfully, it’s not Bruce Chen, either.

It’s Scott Schoeneweis.

I SAID, IT’S SCOTT SCHOENEWEIS !

Sorry, I only stated it louder because your lack of a reaction made me think you didn’t hear it the first time.

According to Buster Olney’s sources, the Mets and Schoeneweis are on the verge of completing a three-year deal to bring the little lefty to Flushing. No report on the dollar amount, nor is there a shred of logic attached to the rumor.

Hmmm …. the mind races ….

The 33-year-old Schoeneweis was once a mediocre starter for the California / Anaheim / Los Angeles Angels whose career was about to end before the Angels moved him to the bullpen. He wasn’t much better there, but since he only threw an inning or two, the damage seemed less impactful. The Chicago White Sox acquired him and put him back in the rotation for almost 20 starts in 2004, and he responded with a 6-9 record and 5.59 ERA (and that was back when an ERA that high was considered awful). He has not started a game since then, instead being used strictly as a LOOGY, compiling a 3.32 ERA in 80 games, then 4.88 ERA in 71 for the White Sox and Blue Jays. Last year, Toronto released him after 55 games and a 6.51 ERA.

However, the Cincinnati Reds were desperate to put warm bodies in their bullpen, and picked him after checking for, and confirming, a heartbeat. In 16 games he pitched 14 innings and gave up one run — on a homer — while also picking up 4 saves. Somehow, this 16-game renaissance made him a very sought-after pitcher.

If Schoeneweis can continue to give up only one run every 14 innings, then this deal makes great sense. However, looking at his career history, there is nothing to indicate that he will go an entire year with a 0.64 ERA.

Strangely, the Mets are reportedly giving Schoeneweis a three-year deal just a few months after refusing to go to a third year for Chad Bradford — a guy who had an outstanding season over 70 games and showed no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

So why would the Mets let the great ChadBrad walk away after such a great year, yet give three years to someone who is certain to be a mediocre LOOGY — on a team that already has a mediocre LOOGY in Pedro Feliciano?

It boggles the mind.

Let’s get something straight: I like the idea of getting another arm. What I don’t like is letting ChadBrad walk because three years was too much, then turning around and giving three years to a guy who in any other year would be lucky to receive a spring training invite.

My guess is that the Mets have realized that they made a huge “oopsy” in not giving Bradford that third year. It was fairly early in the free-agent market — the end of November — and Omar Minaya’s crystal ball could not have possibly seen the Orioles’ overexuberance as a trend-setting indicator for the remainder of the offseason. However, when you look at who made the offer — Jim Duquette — you realize that this isn’t the first time a GM grossly overextended for a pitcher and in turn radically changed the market (um, anyone remember the Kris Benson deal?).

Omar is desperate for experienced arms, even if they are mediocre, and has come to understand that he will not have a choice in giving too much for too little when it comes to a veteran pitcher. No doubt his recent discussions with the agents for Jeff Weaver, Tomo Ohka, and Tony Armas, jr., has greatly changed the mindset since late November. Looking at the bottom-feeding options available at this point, it’s understandable why Omar will overpay for Schoeneweis: he’s healthy. No matter what he does, if he’s going to sign a free-agent, veteran pitcher, he’s going to have to give a 3- or 4-year contract. He may as well get someone like Schoeneweis, who is likely to stay off the disabled list, then commit to glass joes such as Ohka, Armas, or Mark Mulder.

Where Scott Schoeneweis fits in, however, is another matter. If indeed he can continue the brief dominance displayed in Cincinnati, he may well be anointed as more than just a LOOGY, and be put into situations previously extinguished by Bradford. It’s also possible that the Mets aren’t counting on another strong year from Pedro Feliciano (personally, I thought Feliciano stunk last year, but I’m in the minority). Also likely is that he’ll be the backup plan to replace Darren Oliver’s role in the event that Dave Williams wins a spot in the rotation. Less likely, but nonetheless possible, is that Schoeneweis will provide extra depth to enable the Mets to consider moving Aaron Heilman back to the rotation.

That last idea is pure wishing well stuff conjured by me, the self-appointed President of the Aaron Heilman Should Start Institution. But hey, a guy can dream.

Most likely, the Mets are seeing Schoeneweis as another healthy, stable, veteran arm that will provide flexibility in the ‘pen. They know the rotation is full of question marks and bound to suffer at least a few injuries and other setbacks. That said, it’s a good bet that Dave Williams will start at least a few games — probably a dozen or more — before the year is out. With Schoeneweis on hand, it will be very easy to swing Williams, Heilman, Jason Vargas, or whomever else is in the bullpen, into the rotation as needed. Heck, there’s even a chance that Schoeneweis himself is used as a spot starter — he’s done it before. Furthermore, Schoeneweis has been a career AL pitcher — and since the track record of pitchers moving from AL to NL has been pretty good, Schoeneweis’ mediocrity in the American League could well translate into dependability in the Senior Circuit.

A Higher Reason?

There is one other interesting tidbit … Schoeneweis would represent the second signing of a Jewish baseball player by the Mets in a week (following David Newhan), and their third acquisition in six months. The Mets had gone some 25 years without a Jew, before Shawn Green came to town. Perhaps Minaya is forming a minyan to surround Green, in hopes of lifting his spirits and batting average. Maybe he’s trying to reverse the bad karma of the longtime omission … though the Mets certainly weren’t much even with Elliott Maddox and Dave Roberts. Or he realizes the fanbase has a high percentage of Jewish peoples, and is seeking to give those fans more players to identify with — much in the way he’s added a number of Latinos to the team. And didn’t he add Paul LoDuca last year because of all the fans from Little Italy? OK, maybe not, but these player pickups certainly don’t hurt the promotion of the various “Heritage Nights” — and they’ve been quality players to boot.

Nah, I think Omar sees it as a good idea to add another lefty to the squad.

OK, maybe it doesn’t seem like such “big” news that David Newhan has agreed to a minor-league deal with the New York Mets. But it is news, during what has been an excruciatingly slow week.

If Newhan makes the big league roster, he’ll make a significant impact off the bench. Because, the only way he’ll make the team is by bowling over Willie Randolph with his hustle, scrappiness, speed, fundamentals, and versatility — all virtues sorely missing among the current bench candidates.

With the departure of Mr. Everywhere, Chris Woodward, the Mets’ bench (not counting Ramon Castro) will likely be assembled from this assortment: Julio Franco, Endy Chavez, Damion Easley, Ben Johnson, Anderson Hernandez, Lastings Milledge, Ruben Sierra, and Ruben Gotay. You might even throw Jacob Cruz, Chase Lambin, Jonel Pacheco, and Michel Abreu into the mix, but those minor leaguers are very long longshots.

From that group, only AHern can play shortstop without embarrassing himself, but because of his weak bat, he doesn’t have much value off the bench. Easley can play some 2B and 3B, but it remains to be seen whether he still has enough pop in his bat to be worth keeping on the roster.

Newhan, however, can play nearly every position on the diamond, has good wheels, and does all the little things you need from a supersub. He’s shown a decent bat in the past, but his offense is somewhat questionable; one year, he batted .311 in extended playing time (95 games), the very next year, he hit .202 (96 games). In many ways, he’s Joe McEwing — can play anywhere, be a great team player, but will he hit?

Though many Mets fans were happy to see Chris Woodward go, if Newhan doesn’t bring a decent bat with him, we may very well miss the days Woody was backing everyone up. Much of Woodward’s demise last year could be attributed to an injury that he did not complain about, and the public did not know about, until he had surgery after the season. On the other hand, if Newhan can just bat around .250-.270, he’ll be an excellent addition to the roster. He is the type of guy you can rely on to pinch-hit in the leadoff of an inning, find a way on base, and then leave him to run the bases — whereas a guy like Franco or Sierra would almost certainly need a pinch-runner in the same situation.

Speaking of Franco and Sierra, we have to wonder whether these guys are going to really help the Mets in 2007. Sierra is a longshot to make the roster — that’s understood — but if he does, where does he fit in? He’d essentially be another Franco, only with more pop (we hope). And if Franco has another year at the plate like he did last year, it’s going to be tough to carry him throughout the season. By September and October of 2006, Franco was looking extremely weak, and in the postseason he was nearly embarrassing. Yes, he’s in better physical shape than most Mets half his age, but it doesn’t seem to help his bat speed, which is already affected by the crazy windup position where he holds his bat. At this point he is a guess hitter who can only hit one pitch — up and away. If he continues to regress, I could see him voluntarily stepping down in early summer, perhaps taking a position as a player-coach.

With Franco and Sierra creating a logjam, one wonders where the Bernie Williams talk is coming from — though it is probably just NY sportswriters speculating (i.e., daydreaming). With the Doug Mientkiewicz signing nearly official, it seems that there’s no room on the Yankee roster for Bernie. Personally, I’d love to see Bernie Williams on the team — he’d make a great corner platoon / backup to both Moises Alou and Shawn Green. True, his fielding and arm are less than mediocre these days, but he is a proven winner, knows how to play the game, is a great team player, and one of the greatest offensive performers in postseason history. He can still swing the bat a bit, and his poor defense is based on seeing him play centerfield last year; certainly he can play adequately in either of the corners.

Unfortunately, it’s doubtful we’ll see Bernie in a Mets uniform unless the Mets trade Ben Johnson. And there aren’t too many teams clamoring for Johnson. But, you never know — if he’s part of a package to land a pitcher, we could see Bernie at Shea this year.

Speaking of pitching, there is still talk that Tomo Ohka is negotiating with the Mets, as well as Jeff Weaver. However, they’re both looking for 3- or 4-year contracts, which I do not see the Mets doing. In fact, I’d be surprised if they went beyond one year for either. Supposedly, Ohka has 2- and 3-year offers on the table, and if he has any brain in his head he’ll jump for one of them. Even when healthy, Ohka is nothing more than an adequate five-inning pitcher. What the Mets need is someone who can get past the sixth, and into the seventh. Unfortunately, the Mets’ last-ditch target — Tony Armas Jr. — is just as mediocre, rarely getting through the sixth inning even in his best years. They may well stay with what they have — after all, Dave Williams and Alay Soler are fine for 5-inning starting.

41 days till pitchers and catchers report ….