What We Have Here Is A Dead Shark

I said yesterday that it wasn’t clear to what extent the bizarre way in which the Mets have dealt with their injuries was primarily about thee medical staff or their upper management. This strongly suggests the latter:

A source with ties to the Mets indicated that Beltran is extremely upset that he played for a month with a bone bruise after receiving a cortisone shot. The bone bruise ultimately doubled in size because of a lack of adequate rest, according to the center fielder. Scott Boras eventually had Beltran get a second opinion from doctor Richard Steadman at the Vail, Colo., clinic that performed Alex Rodriguez’s hip surgery.

Putz, who ultimately underwent surgery last month to remove a bone spur from his right elbow, had been told by team doctor David Altchek weeks earlier that he needed to immediately have the spur removed, a team source said. Instead, the Mets advocated a cortisone shot. Putz went 0-2 with a blown save and 7.71 ERA in 10 subsequent appearances before needing the procedure anyway.

Similarly, Maine twice has received cortisone shots, and was sped ahead of the doctor’s recommendation, only to be set back, a source said.

Sources say the Players Association is concerned enough to have started asking questions, although spokesman Greg Bouris declined to comment on the Mets’ injuries.

The article is also good because it makes it clear that not only is this year a write-off, but the team is in deep, deep trouble in this division in the years ahead, with the World Champions and two teams with far more young talent in the division. There’s absolutely nothing to surround the core: Murphy — though the kind of Superficially Hustling White Guy who seems to get a pass from a lot of people — is a joke at first, Castillo has been decent but has little long-term value, the corner OF are ancient, don’t hit or both, the catchers waiver-wire bait. Delgado probably won’t be back and who knows what he’ll produce if he does. Reyes is a speed player with leg problems, Wright losing all of his power while striking out a lot more is a serious concern, Beltran is great player but knee problems in a CF are worrisome. Same thing with the rotation — Santana’s as good as anybody, but behind him Pelfrey and Maine have not only pitched badly but have the peripherals of a 36-year old finesse pitcher on his last legs, Perez may have another good year but is likely to have even more bad ones. Combine that with a ghastly farm system, and it may be a question of whether it will be the Art Howe era or the Jeff Torborg era. They needed to do a better job filling out the team when their core was healthy, because they may not have another chance for a while.