The black cloud that hovered over Ike Davis and Ruben Tejada in 2013 seems to have followed them to Port St. Lucie in 2014.

Davis and Tejada had miserable seasons for the Mets last year. The Mets were counting on them to anchor first base and shortstop, respectively, but they both took a huge step in the wrong direction, on and off the field.

The MLBPA compiled a full list of players who filed for free agency this offseason. Out of those, there are several possibilities that stood out to me as players I would consider signing if I were the GM of the Mets (assuming I had a moderate amount of money to spend). Mind you, I’m not saying the Mets should sign ALL of these players – that would be impossible. But this would be the pool of players from which I would choose.

We’ll break them down by position. In the last post, I looked at shortstops. In this post, I’ll take a look at…

First Basemen

The Mets enter the offseason with the thought that they can start next year with an in-house option (or options) at first base. While they don’t have a great first baseman under their control right now, if they improve at other positions, they can live with a guy like Lucas Duda or a Duda/Josh Satin or Wilmer Flores platoon. Before you laugh, they’ll at least give you a .350 or so OBP, and Duda is good for 15-20 homers if he stays healthy. They could even take a chance on a comeback season from Ike Davis, but rumor has it they’re trying to trade him.

If they fail to upgrade in the outfield or shortstop, they may look to upgrade at first base. If they do, here are few possibilities.

The Dodgers swept the Mets in a three-game set in Chavez Ravine. But they didn’t blow the Mets away.

This isn’t meant to be a sugar-coating – the Mets don’t have the talent to match up with the Dodgers. But a lucky break here or there combined with a healthy David Wright or Wilmer Flores in the lineup could have resulted in a win or two.

Ike Davis is making another late-season surge.

Since his recall from Triple-A Las Vegas on July 5th, Davis is hitting .300 with a .467 on base percentage, but he still hasn’t hit for much power. He only has one home run in that span. His slugging percentage is on the rise, however, thanks to the 6 doubles he’s hit in his last 10 games.

The only questions about Flores are when and where.

After spending what seemed like about 20 years in the Mets minor league system, Wilmer Flores will make his debut with the big club tonight.

Flores, who turns 22 today, was signed by the Mets out of Venezuela at the tender age of 16. Flores was hitting .321/.357/.531 at Triple-A Las Vegas this year with a league leading total of 86 RBIs. He also had 36 doubles and 15 home runs.

Flores has hit at every level of the minor leagues, and has shown extra base pop along the way. He hasn’t shown outstanding home run power, and some of his 15 bombs this year could have been inflated by the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He did hit 18 last year between Single and Double-A last year, however. And at 22, he still has time to grow into his 6′ 3″ frame.

While his hit tool is largely considered legitimate, he has below-average speed and limited range in the field. He was drafted as a shortstop, but has played mostly at second base this year, with a few starts at third. He’s expected to stay at the hot corner in the major leagues as long as David Wright is on the disabled list.

He’s still searching for a permanent position on the field, but a corner infield spot probably makes the most sense, especially if some of his minor league power begins to translate to the major league level.

I think he can at least be a Daniel Murphy-type of hitter, but with more home run power potential as he gets closer to his prime years.

His MLB journey begins tonight.

I call him “Rob.”

More PED news impacted Major League Baseball this week, as several players were linked to a dodgy anti-aging clinic in Miami.  Among the players were OF Nelson Cruz, LHP Gio Gonzalez, 3B Alex Rodriguez, OF Melky Cabrera, and RHP Bartolo Colon.  A-Rod, Cabrera, and Colon have all been linked to/suspended for using PEDs in the past, so this isn’t much of a surprise.  But Cruz and Gonzalez are under suspicion for the first time.  Naturally, they issued denials, but it’s so hard not to be skeptical if you are a baseball fan these days.

The good news is, they are under investigation.  The bad news is, PED use is still happening.  Perhaps stiffer penalties are the answer, as Matt Holiday suggested.

Contrary to popular belief, PED use happens in other sports, as evidenced by the alleged use of deer antler spray by Ray Lewis.  If true, that would explain why he came back from his injury so soon, and why he always freezes when he sees headlights.  The media is actually paying attention to this story, but he’ll eventually get a pass (no pun intended), as most NFL players do.

Even golfer Vijay Singh is facing PED accusations!

Sandy Alderson didn’t need PEDs when he talked to season ticket holders on Wednesday night.  During this time he said, “The reason we haven’t spent the money is not because of Fred Wilpon,” he said. “It’s because of me.”  I wonder how much he’s getting paid to throw himself under the bus?  In this blogger’s opinion, he’s covering for the Wilpons, whose ongoing financial catastrophe has been well documented.

In other news, Wilmer Flores had a breakout season in 2012, but where will he ultimately end up in the field?

Bloggers are still buzzing about Banner Day, which has now been moved to May 11, Mike Piazza, and the World Baseball Classic.  Here’s a nice take on all of these subjects by Kerel Cooper.

Pitchers and catchers report in only 12 days, and hope will spring eternal once again.

If there’s one player in baseball capable of solving the myriad problems facing the Mets in 2012, it’s Justin Upton. He plays the outfield. He’s right-handed. He’s not Jason Bay. He’s signed to a fairly team friendly deal through 2015. He’s a childhood friend of David Wright. He’s not Jason Bay. And, when he’s on top of his game, he’s an MVP-caliber player.

Of course, most of these attributes also intrigue most other teams. So if the Mets have any intention of acquiring Upton this off-season, they better be willing to give up a boatload of talent.

So after playing armchair GM during several lecture classes, here’s what I think would constitute a reasonably fair deal for both sides:

Here are four questions/statements that you might be asking yourself two months into the minor league season.

Is there a true ace in the Mets system?

One of the biggest weaknesses within the Mets organization is the lack of a bonafide #1 starting pitcher. Many fans believe that Matt Harvey is going to be that ace. But the rest of the league looks at him differently. Most see Harvey as a 2/3 starter. But that doesn’t mean there’s not a true ace down in Binghamton. There’s the case of Zack Wheeler, the lone piece acquired for Carlos Beltran at the deadline last season.

Wheeler has dealt with control issues throughout his career and he’s dealing with them again. However, the walks tend to get lost behind the blazing fastball, and strikeout totals he pumps out in each start. After a rocky debut, Wheeler has really shined in Binghamton. He’s K’d 29% of the batters faced, keeping hitters in the Eastern League at a .189 AVG. He has a WHIP of 1.17 and his BABIP is .279, a huge improvement from last season (BABIP .361).

The negative part of Wheeler’s game is his inability to control all pitches. He walks 4.54 per game, a 3-walk increase from last season. Keep this in mind when you try to explain that he deserves a promotion to Queens. It’s one thing to have the shiny numbers, but real success is when you can locate and control all pitches. He’s starting to come into his own and Mets fans should be excited. Wheeler has dominated Double-A hitters and looks destined for a call-up. Get ready for Wheeler in 2013.