From JOEL SHERMAN

I think the most telling part of the Met season is going to be about the 130-or-so games that Johan Santana does not start, a phase that begins tonight in Cincinnati with Mike Pelfrey starting. We received a hint on Opening Day that the Met late-game bullpen is, indeed, going to be significantly upgraded, especially early in the year as Francisco Rodriguez feasts on opponents unfamiliar with his array of pitches. We also know that Santana is a pitching genius; it feels as if we are watching a Hall of Famer during the prime of his career.

To read the rest of this item, or for more on the Mets and all of baseball, go to Joel Sherman’s Hardball blog.