Before this season there was talk about an crowded outfield as soon as the Mets signed Jason Bay. Of course back then, things looked different. The problem then was Bay moved Murphy to first base and then the outfield was filled out by Beltran and Francoeur. However, Fmart was coming up, and it wasn't clear (especially during Spring Training when Fmart was rolling) when Fmart would actually show up. If he came in 2010 (which was not a realistic possibility) there would be no spot for him. If he came up in 2011 (more realistic) then probably Francoeur would be the odd man out.
The situation then went into the opposite direction at the start of the 2010 campaign as it became obvious that Beltran would be out much longer than mid to late May. The question was if Pagan or GMJ could round it out in CF. The outfield went from being crowded to sparse. While GMJ struggled (and some how managed to still get playing time, bewildering) Pagan started to heat up. Now he is the only player in the Mets lineup actually hitting above .300 and he has 35 RBI's (more than Bay, Reyes, Davis, etc). With Francoeur now heating up, raising his BA from .200 something to .275 in the past month, and Bay making a good amount of money, the Mets find themselves with an interesting question:
With Beltran returning in 20 days (knock on wood) where does he fit? If he is hitting, he is one of the best players in the game.
This problem is shaping up to look like its going to be a rotation isssue. Or will be at least for the first few weeks as Bay, Beltran, Francoeur and Pagan will probably shuffle around in the OF, probably based on who's playing second base or who's catching (ie, different substitutions in other positions impact which offensive pieces they will need from OF). The other “logical” option is well Francoeur gets benched. However, when he is in the zone, he is in the zone and needs to be in that lineup. Also, his prescence alone causes third base coaches to hold up those stop signs at 3B. Thats a huge assest. The Mets would also be in dangerous territory again with two CF. Communication hasn't been one of our stronger suits over the last few seasons.
Pagan's hitting, defense, and overall ability presents another problem for the Mets. Remember that old crowded outfield problem? Well now its Bay, Francoeur, Beltran, Pagan, and Fmart (and maybe Carter and Murphy, but not really). The offseason could be interesting for the Mets now because they have 5 peices to plug into three positions.
To me personally, the decision would be to have Bay, Francoeur and Beltran rotate while keeping Pagan in CF the entire time. He has become very valuable in the number 2 spot, and it would really hurt to remove him.
