As Reyes goes, so go the Mets

Of all the injuries that sabotaged the Mets last year, and there were plenty, perhaps the most destructive were the ones that sidelined Jose Reyes.

As the club's shortstop and leadoff hitter, Reyes was irreplaceable. The Mets tried six different players at his position, including another Reyes - Argenis - and also used six atop the batting order.

Subtract Reyes' 35 starts, and those six fill-ins for the leadoff role combined to hit .278 in that spot with 70 runs scored, 39 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Compare that with Reyes' career batting average of .286, plus his yearly averages of 113 runs, 67 RBIs and 62 stolen bases, and it's easy to see why the Mets fell out of contention almost immediately after Reyes pulled up lame.

When Reyes left that May 20 game in Los Angeles, the Mets were a game behind the Phillies in the NL East. They closed that to a half-game by the time Reyes wound up on the disabled list May 26. He never returned, and in two months, with the additional loss of Carlos Beltran, the Mets stumbled to 10 games back.

"He's a very talented player - extremely talented," Jerry Manuel said. "It's a big presence that we missed. We tried to go different directions with that position, but he's an impact player. When he's right, he can do some special things."

The same can be said for the Mets. But as they get ready to begin the 2010 season, which is quite possibly the most critical in recent memory from an organizational standpoint, Reyes is a bit of a question mark.

After last year's roller-coaster ride in which Reyes' prognosis changed by the week, it happened again in spring training. His surgically repaired hamstring - his biggest fear - has been fine. But the Mets were blindsided when Reyes had to be shut down for 20 days because of high thyroid levels, a new condition that came out of nowhere.

That reset the clock again on Reyes to some degree, and even when he does return to the lineup, it seems that the Mets are always holding their breath. "This team is at its best when he's at his best," David Wright said. "I think in order for us to get where we want to go, we're going to need a healthy Jose Reyes."

Will this season be a repeat of 2009 before it begins? The Mets insist that is not the case despite setbacks to Reyes and Beltran even before Opening Day.

"I believe we still have great ballplayers on this team in Jason Bay, David Wright, Jeff Francoeur," Beltran said. "This has to be a team effort and it would be great to have the whole team out there. But there's going to be times during the season that one or two players are going to be out. I'm not concerned."

Wright batted .307 last season but his run production dropped considerably as he hit only 10 home runs (five at Citi Field) and produced 72 RBIs. In the final days of spring training, Manuel said that if Wright "has about .315, 30 home runs, 115 ribbies . . . we'll go celebrate somewhere.''

Beltran, who has been on his own program after January knee surgery, hopes to return by mid-May, and the Mets will lean on Angel Pagan and Gary Matthews Jr. in the meantime. The speedy Pagan is well-suited for Citi Field. He's capable of covering the spacious lawn in center and also can take advantage of the spacious dimensions at the plate. He hit .333 with 14 doubles, six triples and 23 RBIs in 43 starts at Citi last season.

As strange as it sounds, replacing Beltran, a five-time All-Star, is not the Mets' biggest worry. They are taking a leap of faith by starting Daniel Murphy at first base and are working under the assumption that Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez and John Maine - the back end of their rotation - are ready to live up to expectations. Not to mention a shaky bullpen beyond Francisco Rodriguez and lefty specialist Pedro Feliciano, who had 88 appearances a year ago.

The Mets would rather face those questions with a completely healthy roster at their disposal instead of the battered group Manuel was left with last season. Eventually, the Mets anticipate having most of their $135-million payroll on the field - even if it won't be for Opening Day.

"Just getting off to a good start and not a good finish is not a good thing," principal owner Fred Wilpon said. "We've got to sustain a winning attitude and a winning team throughout the season."