Sorry Ken Davidoff, you are missing the boat here.  Yesterday the Mets did something that was unexpected but the right thing to do.  The finally stood up in front of their fans, took their fingers out of their ears and told the folks who have been supporting the team all year just what those fans already knew.  By shutting down Santana and, yes, trading Billy Wagner,  the team finally acknowledged that their season is over.  It is time to focus on 2010, and make sure that everyone is ready to play for the Mets next April.  Filling the new stadium suddenly was not the Mets priority, it was taking care of their players and being honest with their fans- and that is something to cheer about.

Davidoff points out that if the Mets had kept Wagner they could have offered him arbitration and gotten two draft picks.  First, that is not a definite yet.  As even this Nick Cafardo article points out, the formula for determining who is a Type A free agent and thus gives two draft picks back to his team, and who is a type B and gives one is a complicated one… and determined by who else has been playing in the league.  A type A is one that is in the top 20% the past two seasons, based on statistics and time on the disabled list.  Missing nearly a year might be enough to push Wagner down to the next 20%, which would mean he is only worth one compensatory pick.

That being said, the Mets got two bodies back.  They got one who can help them finish the season as he is a AAA lifer who can play 1st and outfield.  He has some power, something that not many on the team presently can actually say.  With his versatility, he can help add immediate depth, even though he really isn’t major league quality.  Or pehaps, he just need to get out from behind Kevin Youkilis and David Oritz and can be good enough to play everyday.  We will see.  The second prospect, still to be named, come from a much lower level.  And though all reports are that he, too, is not an all-star in the making, he’s at a low enough level that one can’t be sure of that at all.  Anymore than one can be sure of someone they draft.

The bigger point is that the fans who love the Mets, and we all know there are many, don’t have to feel like they are rooting for a team who’s front office is living in lala land- or worse trying to cheat them into buying more tickets.  By laying out all the bad news yesterday, in one fell swoop, it feels like the team finally came clean.

The call up of Nick Evans, the last of the touted prospects, and a few starts by Bobby Parnell  will help fill the time at Citi for those still loyal to the team and give them a glimpse into next season.  I admit it’s not much.  But now that everyone has finally started talking about the state of the emporers new clothes, Mets fans can breathe a little more easily, and go to sleep at night dreaming about what 2010 has in store.