Mets: Can't Anyone Here Play This Game?

Angel Pagan fails to touch home plate. Josh Thole pops up a bunt and Jose Reyes gets doubled off first. So much for Terry Collins' vow that the Mets would play the game the right way. Bobby Parnell said that he was experiencing discomfort and numbness. Join the club.

I hope Parnell is all right and doesn't have a blood clot. And I hope against hope that Jason Bay returns as the 2009 Bay. But aside from the loss of the irreplaceable Johan Santana, this team can't blame their woes on injuries. They are not a great team, but they are better than this. The Mets are seriously underperforming, and the uncertainty surrounding the team likely has something to do with it.

Earlier Wednesday, MLB took over day-to-day operations of the Dodgers, a team that has been cutting payroll and losing fans the last few years. Met players and fans look at their team and wonder what lies ahead. If Citi Field looks empty now, just wait until the payroll is cut in half and all the good players are gone. The Mets will be nostalgic even for the fans with bags on their heads.

Earlier today, the Post's Joel Sherman suggested it was time for a Mets' fire sale. Sherman is right to say that this team should not delude itself that it is close to winning. But it's one thing to move a Carlos Beltran who is not what he once was and is pretty certain to be gone from the team next year. It's another thing to get rid of most of your best players for the vague hope of a good future.

Now there's word that the Mets aren't interested in locking up Ike Davis to a longterm deal as many other clubs are doing with their young stars. On the face of it, that's not unreasonable. Davis hasn't yet demonstrated that he belongs in the same category as an Evan Longoria. But it's hard not to notice the pattern of consistently choosing the option that doesn't involve spending money.

Fans were willing to buy into a lack of spending this offseason because the team already had a high payroll. Now that lack of spending has helped create the team with the worst record in baseball. And that's before a fire sale.