The New York Yankees’ little brother is back to playing with the big dogs.

The New York Mets won 97 games last year and seemed to be planning for the World Series as early as July. They were head and shoulders better than any team in the National League; that is until the St. Louis Cardinals shocked the baseball world by taking the NLCS right out from under the Mets.

Since winning it all in 1986, this team has certainly had some lows, but they have put together some very talented teams. During the late 90’s, they had success, but when they got to the World Series in 2000 they were met by the stronger “big brother” and lost in five games.

Much of the Mets success last season can be attributed to GM Omar Minaya. The Mets have spending power, and Minaya has done exactly that. Numerous high-profile (and high-income) players grace the Mets roster, but have produced.

Manager Willie Randolph has done an excellent job managing the talent Minaya has assembled, stabilizing a position that seemed to be a media death trap at times.

The most high-profile Met may not see the field until after the All-Star Break. Ace Pedro Martinez is recovering from rotator cuff surgery and is expected to miss at least half the season. This is a big blow to the Mets especially since Martinez is getting older and it’s no guarantee that he’ll return to being the Pedro of old.

The rotation will move on without Martinez, at least for the first half. Tom Glavine will be the Opening Day starter, days after turning 41. Hitting his 40’s has not slowed him down though; he won 15 games last year. Orlando Hernandez pitched well after coming over from Arizona in 2006. He’s slated to be the number two in the rotation. John Maine had a 3.60 ERA in 16 games last year. With similar statistics over a full season paired with the Mets’ powerful offense, he could be a huge surprise. Another mid-season trade last year resulted in Oliver Perez coming over from Pittsburgh. Perez has a spot in the rotation, as the last memory of him from a year ago was a lights out performance in Game 7 of the NLCS. Dave Williams is still trying to find his niche; he didn’t work out in Cincinnati after going 10-11 in Pittsburgh in 2005 – a pretty solid season for pitching standards these days. If he returns to 2005 form, he too could benefit greatly from the Mets’ high-powered offense.

The experienced Billy Wagner was spectacular down the stretch last season. The Mets are hoping that he starts 2007 the way he finished 2006; 40 saves and a 2.24 ERA is about as good as it gets. The rest of the bullpen is filled with some “interesting” situations. One of the latest to find themselves suspended for steroid use was Met reliever Guillermo Mota; the club will be without his services for the first 50 games as he serves his suspension. It is unknown how well Duaner Sanchez will bounce back after he hurt his shoulder in a taxi crash last July. He was their best setup man before the accident with a 2.60 ERA. Ambiorix Burgos has been in Kansas City for the last two seasons and will be expected to pick up the slack in Mota’s absence and if Sanchez struggles. The Royals may have rushed Burgos a bit (he turns 23 in April); it will be interesting how he handles the “big city lights” as opposed to the forgotten market of KC. The Mets have two reliable lefties in the pen in Pedro Feliciano and Scott Schoenweis who are more than just left-handed specialists.

The highlight of the successful 2006 campaign was the emergence of David Wright and Jose Reyes. This left-side-of-the-diamond duo have made names for themselves in a city that obsesses over a guy by the name of Derek Jeter. In Reyes, the Mets have one of the most exciting young players in the game. He does it all out of the leadoff spot with a .300 average, 122 runs, 19 home runs, 81 runs batted in, 64 steals, and a sharp glove. Wright needs to avoid another inconsistent second half this season. After hitting 20 home runs before the All-Star break last year, he only hit 6 more the rest of the way. His stat line still finished at .311 and 116, but this is New York. C’mon.