Pitching Problems

Right now the Mets have the surprisingly effective Steve Trachsel, the possibly fading but still going great Tom Glavine, the up-and-down but lately-up El Duque, and the injured Pedro Martinez as their starting rotation.

With Soler gone (hopefully for good) that 5th spot is up for grabs. The only problem with that is, while Pedro is hurt, a 4th spot is open as well. And because of the doubleheader, the mets actually need 6 starters this week.

Enter Jose Lima and John Maine. Neither of them has been any good in their 5 combined starts this season. And unless Pelfrey is great and Pedro comes back immediately one of them is going to be needed for at least a couple more starts.

Therefore, I think it's time to give Aaron Heilman a spot in the rotation. He is not pitching well out of the bullpen so it's not much of a sacrifice. And even if he is pouting in the pen (which I don't think he is) who cares if we'd rewarding that, the fact is, he's better than the other options.

But I don't expect stubborn Willie and stubborn Omar to break from their plan of strong bullpen, even though Heilman has been the worst reliever pretty much all season.