Sorry for the lack of recent posts, but can you really blame me. Aside from Johan Santana, this season basically picked up where last season left off. They’re hitting, just not with guys in scoring position. That juggernaut of 2006 seems like a dream it happened so long ago. I don’t think we’ve seen this current incarnation of Mets play as a team since.

The Mets needed a big bat in the offseason and didn’t want to pay for it. Pay on the cheap and this is what happens. Sheffield doesn’t even fit that bill. Other than the hopes that Sheff brings the crazy to break the monotony of another mediocre summer, I could care less that he’s on the team.

Wright is moving to the five slot, Beltran to hit third. Might as well, nothing else works. Maybe we could draw the lineup out of a hat and see what works. Who knows.

Also, Manuel wants Beltran to steal more bases. I’m glad Jerry’s been paying attention because we all know how well Beltran excels when he has a minor leg injury.

Manuel dismissed any lingering patience with his veteran relievers after a loss yesterday that was unacceptable and unfathomable. The Pirates essentially were trying to surrender at Shea, yet the Mets bullpen burned the white flag and another sure victory went up in smoke.

So following a 7-5 loss to Pittsburgh, Manuel said this about who will provide the key outs late in games the rest of this season: “Everything from here on out is a possibility.” Manuel shared some options at a post-game news conference, but The Post has learned all three main scenarios the organization is now mulling:

1. Have Eddie Kunz, who has all of three major league appearances, reprise his Double-A closing role, at least until Billy Wagner returns, which is currently scheduled for Monday. This is the most likely choice.

2. Keep Brian Stokesin the rotation and call upon either John Maine or Oliver Perez to serve as a multi-inning fireman. For now the Mets don’t want to mess with Mike Pelfrey by requesting a rotation-to-pen change.

3. Summon top pitching prospect Jon Niese for the rotation and use Stokes plus either Maine or Perez to serve as the main late-inning relievers.

Kunz, Maine and Perez all said they were game for any assignment. Yet, all of these scenarios are drenched in peril. Kunz lacks experience or a dependable second pitch. Stokes has just one major league start this year and was a culprit last year in a Tampa pen that was one of the worst ever. Maine is only now ready to come off the DL from a strained rotator cuff, so you wonder how his arm would respond to a change in preparation. Perez has been the Mets’ co-best starter with Johan Santana for two months.

It speaks to Manuel’s desperation – and that of his team – that he is considering the radical with 42 games remaining. He said, “We can’t continue to perform this way late in games.” But a loss like yesterday’s is just so demoralizing and the pen problems now are so episodic that Manuel lost his serenity and put all contingency plans on the table.

Finally someone in the Mets organization is ready to face the cold hard facts. Aaron Heilman is ineffective as a closer or even eighth inning work, Pedro Feliciano and Scott Schoeneweis are specialists and not suited to pitch to more than one or two batters and that Joe Smith is over worked and under matched for the role the Mets expect him to play.

Those plans are all valid and logical options for stopping the bleeding. A few thoughts:

-Moving one of the starters to the pen is dicey as robbing Peter to pay Paul doesn’t raise the talent level.

-A better option than Niese replacing Maine or Perez probably would have Niese assigned the role of long reliever. Keep in mind, it the Mets were way in front or out of the race, Niese would be up for a cup of coffee and likely in that role anyway. The Mets desperately need a pitcher that can be called upon to get 6-12 outs per appearence. An attempt to keep him away from situational pressure is offset by the Mets competing in a pennant race in New York in late August and September. The pressure is everywhere.

-For some reason, I think a move to the bullpen might somehow affect the rock of mental stability that is Oliver Perez

-El Duque would be great here, but I have a feeling he’s done for good.

-Kunz in a more substantial role, even closer just makes sense. Even if he blows a save or two, it would have happened anyway with Heilman or Schoeneweis.

-Stokes to the pen probably won’t help much, though it can’t hurt in comparison to recent pen performance.

Bottom line is this team desperately needs an almost complete bullpen overhaul. The three options Sherman has laid out may ease the pen’s workload, but an outside arm is essential. Minaya desperately needs to work a post deadline deal or start signing players off the scrap heap if there is a prayer of saving this season.

Indications are that Texas’ trade discussions with the Twins progressed to the point where there was either agreement or near agreement on the young players going back to Minnesota. At that point, executives involved in the talks believed that the trade was very likely to be consummated if only Santana gave a more enthusiastic response when Twins higher ups quizzed him about whether he’d accept a trade to the Rangers. However, a diplomatic Santana is believed to have told the Twins only that he’d “consider” going to Texas, an answer that was seen as less than enthusiastic.
It was shortly after receiving Santana’s lukewarm response that the Twins stopped pursuing the trade with Texas. People familiar with the talks say they believe Minnesota wanted to avoid agreeing to a trade proposal that could eventually be rejected by Santana, whose full no-trade clause put the power in his hands. Such a scenario could have hurt their leverage in future trade talks.
Word is, Santana actually thought about the Rangers long enough to have quizzed his long-time Twins teammate Torii Hunter, a free agent, about his own intentions. But it appears that when Hunter, a resident of Prosper, Texas, and close friend of Rangers manager Ron Washington, was noncommittal about whether he’d sign with the Rangers (he eventually signed with the Angels), Santana appears to have followed Hunter’s lead.

I’m taking a day off work to attend the “We almost had Santana and Hunter Parade” scheduled in downtown Arlington. Tom Hicks is scheduled to ride the main float posed with his pockets turned out, shrugging his shoulders and sporting a perplexed look on his face.

Tom Hicks also shot and killed Jose Canseco for his role in bringing steroids into the Ranger clubhouse. Hicks didn’t have a gun and Canseco isn’t dead, but Hicks shot him dead just the same. That’s a true story.

Whatever, this is obvious spin out of The Ballpark in Arlington. Every year, the Rangers were hours away from signing or trading for the year’s biggest free agent until some selfish player queered the deal. The Ranger organization never had any intention to put a competitive offer in front of Torii Hunter, let alone trade prospects [read: low-priced talent] and sign Santana to the six to seven year, hundred and fifty-ish million dollar deal required for Santana to waive his no trade clause.

Every year, how do they seem to be in the running, without ever being in the running, for the year’s top free agent? Yet the team that touts its bronze medal in the Zito and Dice K sweepstakes still cries foul over “big market teams” pricing out the poor Rangers? Never mind Dallas Fort Worth is a top five market and the Cowboys and Mavericks seem to have no problem competing for top tier talent. Why the Ranger front office leaks hand-wringing stories of lament like this year after year in a pathetic and feeble attempt to appease an already unreceptive and resentful fan base goes beyond reason. As if Texans sweating out an August day game, watching a last place ball club will take solace that they could have had Santana and Hunter if it wasn’t for those damn Angels and Mets.

Furthermore, the Rangers supposed focus on developing young talent and fortifying the farm system runs counteractive toward trading high ceiling talent in order to sign a high priced free agent and diminishes the organization’s already dismal credibility with both fans and prospective players and trading partners.