Mets and Yankees at Midseason

As the Mets commence with the second-half of their season, they have a twelve-game lead in the division and barring a miracle, should coast into the playoffs. That doesn’t mean that they can just sit back and wait until October. In order to contend in the fall, New York will need to make sure that Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine are rested and ready to go. If that means keeping Pedro on the DL indefinitely and skipping some of Glavine’s starts, so be it.

Beyond that, adding another starter should be a priority. The playoffs require four starters to succeed and beyond their big two, the Mets have a lot of questions. Steve Trachsel has been inconsistent all year and while EL Duque certainly has the resume, it remains to be seen if he can dial it up again when needed. Maybe Pelfry or Maine can fill the void, but bet on Omar being active if he has a chance.

On the other side of town, the Yankees are in survival mode. Unwilling to part with their best prospects, they are finding the trade market very barren. Yesterday, they added Sidney Ponson, who had been waived by the Cardinals, to the rotation. With Hideki Matsui and Gray Sheffield expected back in late August, the Yankees could make a strong run in September, provided they are still in the race. Adding a bat or an arm now would do a lot to ensure that, but it is also nice to see Brian Cashman refusing to deal away the youth of the team for a change. The problem is, with Detroit and Chicago streaking in the Central, the Yankees may only be able to reach the playoffs by winning the division and that seems unlikely at this point.