A DECADE ago it cost $45 million to assemble The Worst Team Money Could Buy. This year it cost $102 million. Thus, we have another case of inflation for deflation.

The misery grew worse Friday night. The Mets lost 3-2 to the Dodgers to fall into a last-place tie with Florida. Those would be the Marlins managed by Jeff Torborg, who presided over an overpaid, over-hyped 72-90 Met flop in 1992 that spawned jokes, a book and, ultimately, a change in course for an organization.

What will this sequel bring?

“Sometimes a bad year is just a bad year and does not determine next season,” Mets GM Steve Phillips said. “But we have to put it all on the table and absolutely break down every issue [to figure out what went wrong].”

It is an apt time for the Mets to delve their history to help explain what has gone wrong in the present. Before last night’s game against the Dodgers, the Mets introduced their All-Amazin’ Team, celebrating the best of their 40 years amid some of the worst.

This year they have a team that is neither Amazin’ nor amusing. They began last night having lost six straight overall, nine straight at home and any fleeting hope this season could have the kind of miraculous hue associated with 1969, 1973 and 1986 Met squads, whose stars made up the bulk of those honored at Shea.

From the Amazin’ Team, only John Franco and Howard Johnson were part of the 1992 mess. And probably the first lesson we should learn from that group is that, indeed, things could get worse. In 1993, the Mets sank to 59-103, the worst record for a non-Stengel team in their history.

Often this season, I have heard a Met loss described as their poorest performance or a particular incident depicted as the low point. Yet soon there is another worst loss, another lowest point. And if you think you have seen the bottom than know in 2003 the Mets have many of the same problems coming back, but at bigger salaries and a year older.

Mike Piazza, Mo Vaughn and Jeromy Burnitz – a trio that has not provided enough power/run production – is due to make $40 million. The total becomes $50.75 million with the toothless Roger Cedeno and Rey Ordonez, and $62.5 million with the graying Franco and Al Leiter. Armando Benitez and David Weathers make it $71 million. Options for Roberto Alomar ($8 million) and Pedro Astacio (at least $5 million) make it at least $84 million.

Well, you see the problem. How much higher will Fred Wilpon go, especially since he will have to pay much more in revenue sharing/luxury tax if a new collective bargaining agreement is ever finalized?

The last time his team suffered this kind of backward step, Wilpon stopped throwing green at the problems and threw Dallas Green at them. This time, he says he is committed in 2003 to Phillips and Bobby Valentine. He has not discussed money, but here is a vote to not simply try to solve this with dollars.

That is how both the 1992 and 2002 teams got in trouble. In the early 1990s, the Mets were desperately trying to hold onto the glory of the late 1980s, reaching into their pocket to obtain failed patches such as Bobby Bonilla, Vince Coleman, Eddie Murray and Bret Saberhagen. This time around, the Mets have tried to retain the 1997-2000 success by patching with folks such as Burnitz, Cedeno, Vaughn, Jeff D’Amico and Shawn Estes.

The lesson is that massive overhauls are tough to pull off. It is too difficult to be right about so many different players. The Mets need a more conservative approach to acquisition and – more than anything – they need to improve at bringing players through their system whose personalities and toughness they should know best. That concept is at the root of the long-term success enjoyed by the Braves and Yankees.

The surest way back to contention is if players such as Aaron Heilman, Jose Reyes, Justin Huber and David Wright perform so well that they become considerations for the 50th anniversary all-Amazin’ team.

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NIGHTMARE IN FLUSHING

A look at how “The Worst Team Money Could Buy” stacks up against this season’s Mets through 121 games (Parenthetical player stats: batting average, home runs, RBIs):

1992 (72-90) -2002 (58-63)

C -Todd Hundley (.209, 7, 32) -Mike Piazza (.285, 23, 73)

1B -Eddie Murray (.261,16, 93) -Mo Vaughn (.255, 19, 57)

2B- Willie Randolph (.252, 2, 15) -Roberto Alomar (.274, 8, 41)

3B -Dave Magadan (.283, 3, 28) -Edgardo Alfonzo (.323, 10, 42)

SS – Dick Schofield (.205, 4, 36) -Rey Ordonez (.251, 1, 36)

OF -Bobby Bonilla (.249, 19, 70) -Jeromy Burnitz (.207, 11, 37)

OF -Howard Johnson (.223, 7, 43) -Timo Perez (.302, 6, 36)

OF -Daryl Boston (.249, 11, 35) -Roger Cedeno (.259, 5, 30)