Philadelphia Phillies Mets

Philadelphia Phillies Mets

New York Mets Tickets - With Reyes Out, Hits Keep Coming For Mets

Star shortstop Jose Reyes looks like he'll miss the beginning of the 2010 season, which couldn't come at a worse time for a team in the same division as the stacked Philadelphia Phillies. Citing significant thyroid issues, Reyes will miss anywhere from a couple weeks to six in total from baseball activities moving forward. For a team struggling to keep up with the improving NL East, which includes talented Braves and Marlins squads in addition to the Phillies, the Mets could be in for another long season.

The thyroid issue comes in the aftermath of a disappointing 2009 campaign, in which Reyes played just 36 games and didn't have much of an impact even while on the field. Reyes was hampered by a tear in his calf, which placed him on the DL for much of the season and prevented him from returning to the team down the stretch. Coming off a big 2008 year, in which Reyes stole 56 bases and had more than 200 hits, expectations were fairly large for Reyes considering terms of payroll and national prominence.

It wasn't just Reyes' calf that was a disappointment in 2009, however, as the Mets had one of the worst offenses in the entire league and finished 11 games below .500. Ace Johan Santana also missed much of the season due to bone chips in his elbow and was ineffective when he tried to pitch through the pain. Third baseman David Wright also had a subpar year in the middle of a depleted lineup. Not counting his rookie season, in which he played just 69 games, Wright had career lows in homeruns (10), RBIs (72) and runs scored (88). In a new ballpark, the Mets had high hopes for the 2009 campaign but finished fourth in the division, even landing behind Atlanta and Florida – two teams that have considerably smaller payrolls.

The other team in the NL East that finished ahead of the Mets was the NL champion Phillies, who have strengthened their roster after winning the National League pennant a year ago. Adding ace Roy Halladay, who many consider to be among the very elite pitchers in the game, the Phillies are the clear favorite not only in the NL East but the entire National League for 2010. Backed by one of the most potent offenses in the game and now with a dominant starter like Halladay for a full season, the Phillies could very well run away with the division fairly early in the season, adding to the mounting frustration for the Mets.

But the Mets didn't remain stagnant in the offseason either, however, as they nabbed free agent Jason Bay from the Red Sox and talented reliever Kelvim Escobar from the Angels. In Bay, they have a legit 30-homerun, 100-RBI guy and Escobar gives them a much needed addition to a bullpen that struggled mightily in 2009. Adding Bay to a lineup with Reyes and Wright seems to suggest that the Mets were headed in the right direction in terms of their offensive potential, though it is likely that Bay's numbers will take a hit moving to the large dimensions of Citi Field. With Bay added to the core group of Mets talent, New York Mets tickets should continue to be a commodity moving forward, even with their noted woes.

Contributing to the frustration, no doubt, is the success of the cross-town Yankees, who also opened a new ballpark last season. But while the Mets had an injury-plagued and disappointing season in 2009, the Yankees rode their tremendous payroll to another world championship, ending the perfect season in their new ballpark. Moving forward, the Yanks look to to be the favorite to win it at all once again while the Mets continue to have problems getting their talented core healthy.

Though no one can doubt the talent of Reyes, his time away from the field is starting to become a significant factor in the problems of the Mets. With a new ballpark built more for speed than power, Reyes seemed to be in prime position to help lead the Mets back to the postseason. While he still is certainly part of a bright future for the Mets, Reyes cannot do much from the bench, and the Mets will need him to recover quickly from his thyroid issues if they are to have any chance at competing in the rigorous NL East.

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StubHub has sponsored this article, which was written by David James. Stubhub.com is one of the leaders in the business of selling New York Mets tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theatre tickets, or even special events tickets.