You might see him in September, perhaps earlier if the big league team doesn't pick it up. He, reliever Eddie Kunz and outfielder Fernando Martinez are the franchise's primary prospects. Some might say the only prospects.

This one is on Omar Minaya. He's been the general manager 3 1/2 seasons, and the Mets' farm system has offered little help when the team needed it. So we've seen a procession of retreads fill in -- Angel Pagan, Brady Clark, Fernando Tatis, Trot Nixon, Andy Phillips -- with predictable results.
-- Bob L.

Tatis has had his moments, but generally, the retreads have produced, as you said, predictable results. I can tell you this: Before Nixon was assigned to the disabled list and while it was possible that either he or Phillips would be removed from the roster, one of the Mets' regulars said, "I hope it's not [Nixon]. We need more guys like him. He plays hard."

The more I watch these Mets of 2008, the more evident it becomes that Willie Randolph was not to blame, and that Jerry Manuel can't fix the multitude of problems that exist with this team and its flawed and limping roster. Minaya has made many questionable moves, and he seems to take very little heat for it.

With each passing day, second baseman Luis Castillo's contract looks more foolish. First baseman Carlos Delgado is past his prime, and while he still has power, is not the hitter he once was. Left fielder Moises Alou, while still amazingly productive when healthy, can't stay healthy enough to be a major contributor. It is time for the Mets to get younger and start building through their farm system.

What is most troubling about these Mets is how little they look like a team. Every opponent seems to play with more energy, discipline, fire and effort. The Mets are extremely sloppy -- 59 errors entering Monday -- and don't deal well with adversity. Their 4-39 record -- or something close to that -- when trailing after six innings is a terrible record for a team that believes it is good enough to be in the postseason.

Have a question about the Mets? E-mail your query to MLB.com Mets beat reporter Marty Noble for possible inclusion in a future Inbox column. Letters may be edited for brevity, length and/or content. First Name, Last Initial: Hometown: Email Address: Question:

Their lack of execution is embarrassing. The Yankees put on a clinic for productive outs and execution in the Subway Series. The number of runs the Yankees produced on outs was impressive. And that Manuel has to "work on" getting Carlos Beltran to play shallower in center field is something the Mets seem to struggle with tremendously. In the team's 8-7 loss to the Cardinals on Monday, David Wright tripled with one out, and they couldn't even get a ground ball to the right side or a fly ball to bring him in. This would have allowed the Mets to call on Billy Wagner to save the game rather than sending out ineffective rookie Carlos Muniz to give up three fly balls, the last of which made it over the fence.

I am also disturbed by Beltran and his seemingly selfish ways. You have noted in the recent past how Beltran has made statements about not wanting to steal more often because he doesn't want his stolen-base percentage to go down by running more and risk being caught more as a result. That is a selfish approach.

What are your thoughts on the many things I have just gone on about?
-- Ben M., Allentown, Pa.

You've been watching, you've been reading and the conclusions you've reached are consistent with what I've seen. If the season were 362 games, Manuel might have sufficient time to fix all that's broken, and by then, Castillo, Delgado, Alou, Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez will have even less left. The change of manager has changed the atmosphere. But Randolph wasn't at fault.

With Oliver Perez's performance seeming to rise and fall with the perceived importance of the "game" or the level of competition, do you think this would make him more suited to the role of closer rather than the role of starter? I know it's been said that a closer has a certain mental makeup, thriving in high-pressure situations, and we've all known top-notch closers who falter in non-pressure, no-save opportunities, which seems to draw a parallel to Perez's starts. Perhaps this is how the Mets can best harness his talent.
-- Bruce W., Fairfield Conn.

Closers also have to throw strikes. Right now, Perez's no-walk start against the Yankees is an aberration.

Since Davey Johnson made the final out of the 1969 World Series and managed the 1986 World Series champs, shouldn't the Mets hire Marty Barrett as the next manager? What's Barrett up to these days, anyway?
-- Jonathan Z., Bethesda, Md.

Great question. For those who don't know, Barrett struck out for the final out of the '86 World Series. And he, like Johnson, was a second baseman. Alas, Johnson was No. 15, and Barrett wore No. 17 when Jesse Orsoco struck him out. But your e-mail did strike me as funny.