Here's how the Mets can become contenders

This one carried the classic feel of a 2007-08 Mets loss. The Mets fell short to the Nationals last night, a 3-2 loss to cede the National League East's second-place berth to Washington (18-14), because they failed to execute and displayed the rancid depths of their roster.

With that in mind, the Mets (17-15) need to remember their past mistakes and not repeat them. If they want to seriously contend for a playoff position this season, and not just lurk on the periphery of the postseason conversation, they must make proactive personnel moves.

Realistically, they won't be able to make high-impact acquisitions from outside the organization until June, at the earliest. However, they can pull the trigger on a few maneuvers right now that would improve the team's chances of winning every night.

I could go on a rant on why Jerry Manuel should be replaced right now as the team's manager. Question why he used Gary Matthews Jr. in a big spot last night. Wonder why he didn't burst out of the dugout - or why first-base coach Razor Shines didn't bolt out of his box - the moment Jose Reyes began to express his anger at plate umpire Laz Diaz. By the time Shines arrived, Reyes, called out on a third strike to end the seventh inning, had been bounced.

But look, Manuel deserves a sliver of credit for helping the Mets crawl out of that 4-8 hole in which they started the season. And management loves him, so Manuel will be filling out Mets lineup cards for a while longer.

The replacement of Willie Randolph with Manuel, back in 2008, marked the most significant, in-season move that took place during the two-year Collapse Era. After that? Probably getting Luis Castillo in 2007.

That should change this season.

The Mets lowered their payroll over the offseason, acquiring Jason Bay and doing little else, because they professed they saw no other clear upgrades. And, they promised, they'd have more in-season flexibility to make moves.

So if Seattle makes Cliff Lee available, the Mets should be all over that. They have a deeper farm system now, giving them more trade chips, and they can replenish it (if they trade someone) with the seventh overall pick in this upcoming draft.

And if an outfield bat becomes available - shoot, even Kansas City's Jose Guillen, if the Royals expressed a willingness to pay enough of the freight - then the Mets should consider that, too. Don't look now, but Jeff Francoeur, popular as he may be, is falling back to his old profile as a below-average offensive player.

Right now, though, the Mets should . . .

1. Promote Chris Carter. He's hitting the heck out of the ball for Triple-A Buffalo, and he'd give Manuel a better potential weapon off the bench than Smithtown native Frank Catalanotto.

2. Release Matthews Jr. As expected, he has been positively dreadful for the Mets. Monday night, Manuel used Matthews as a pinch hitter in the seventh with Mets on first and third and none out, and Matthews struck out against Doug Slaten.

3. Prepare Jenrry Mejia to be a starter. Yup, again. Oliver Perez is a time bomb, and last night's starter John Maine, though better lately, lives on the edge. The Mets could wind up needing to replace both. If it's Mejia and an outsider - Lee, Baltimore's Kevin Millwood, Houston's Roy Oswalt or someone else - then that's pretty good.

These Mets fight, and you'd think they have more coming from Bay and Reyes, in particular. They can hang around. To do more than that, though, they need help.