Five keys for the Mets to succeed

Not so fast with Reyes. Though Jose Reyes appears to be ahead of schedule in his return from hamstring tendon surgery, there's no need for the Mets to push their luck in spring training. It will be important to pace his rehab to make sure he's healthy for Opening Day.

Find a No. 5. Barring injury, there's little mystery involving the first four spots in the Mets' rotation, only the order after Johan Santana. Look for the fifth to come from a pool of Fernando Nieve, Nelson Figueroa, Jonathon Niese, Hisanori Takahashi and Josh Fogg.

First things first. It looks as if Daniel Murphy is penciled in as the starting first baseman. But the signing of Mike Jacobs suggests there could be competition, and Murphy gets the edge if his defense improves under the tutelage of Keith Hernandez.

On the Wright track. All eyes will be on David Wright to see if he finds his power stroke again in spring training. Neither Wright nor the Mets have ever specified what may have bothered the All-Star third baseman last season, but a big spring training would go a long way toward alleviating those concerns

Here's the catch. Don't be surprised if the Mets look to bring in a more established catcher in the coming weeks. As of now, Henry Blanco is the leading backstop, followed by Omir Santos and maybe Josh Thole. It's a shaky group, and the Mets will have to re-evaluate this position before Opening Day.