So now we're .500, and once again we're praising the team. Talk is beginning to swirl around about how we need to be buyers — buy buy buy. Since when was .500 competitive? We're 9.5 games out of first place in the NL East and 5 games out of the Wild Card. 

We're really not that competitive of a team, because we need to establish a path in the future. Fortunately, Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez are not part of our future, and it's time for Mets fans to get that through their heads. I understand we've suffered injuries, and we'll have Wright and Santana back near the All Star Break, but that doesn't mean we should suddenly be buyers. In fact, this is the same type of mentality we have held for the last 5 years, and it is exactly what has put us in this position. If the player is not in our future plans, then pack his bags and bring in somebody who will be a part of the future — it's that simple. 

Payroll is expected to be lowered to a maximum of $120M next year, from what Sandy Alderson has told us. So obviously, K-Rod and Beltran will not be a part of the roster, and it's time to get something back. Beltran has been solid this year, and I think a team like the Rangers or Angels could use a rental player for the last two months of the season. The Angels have lacked power to sustain their outstanding aces Dan Haren and Jered Weaver. Both of those teams have the financial flexibility to acquire Beltran and give up a solid prospect, so Beltran would fit into their situations perfectly, giving them a boost and playoff experience as well. He can DH, and still play well in RF. 

We've talked a lot about moneyball and when it will be implemented — but the thing is, I think it already has. Alderson used small money in a big market to acquire the likes of Chris Capuano, DJ Carrasco, and Justin Turner. His young players have stepped up — Dillon Gee, Jon Niese, Daniel Murphy, and Jason Pridie. This is exactly what we've wanted to see out of the Mets for a long time — small players with small contracts making a big impact. Kids from our farm system getting the call-up and proving something. Kids like Turner and Gee have that fire and tenacity that we haven't seen in the Mets since 2006. They have something to fight for, not to be paid for. Why try to buy, and add to payroll, when we can walk into next March with more young talent from our minor leagues auditioning for a chance to do the same — to prove they can create a spark, light up the fire and create a little magic? Should we worry about putting people in the seats, or winning games? If big name players like Prince Fielder are what it takes then I don't want to see them win — I'd rather see them struggle to put fans in the seats with a team of no-names who improve each and every year, building chemistry and all fighting for the same thing regardless of their payroll. Those fans that stick around will be the true die-hard fans, not the bandwagoners who suddenly love us because we paid $18M on one free agent. One month we talk about rebuilding, the next we talk about adding to what we have. We talk about what will make the roster better in the future, although that in no way includes Beltran and Rodriguez. They are not a part of our future. So let's stop flip flopping between Buy and Sell each year, and settle on sell. Let's have a clearance sale, and build for the future. The small man has helped us this year — please, don't turn your backs on them. 

*In our first installment of the Future Impact series: How does R.A. Dickey factor into the future of the Mets?*

• Born (Age): October 24, 1974 (36) (Wiki)
• Current Contract: 2 years, $7.8M (2011-2012), $5M Club Option (2013) ($300K buyout) (Cot's Baseball Contracts)
• Season Statistics: 75.2 IP, 4.04 ERA, 48/24 K/BB, 1.388 WHIP, 4.16 FIP (Baseball-Reference)

I thought I'd start off the series with one of the more interesting cases on the team as far as future impact is concerned. As you probably know, Dickey is old. He's 36 year's old to be exact. So what kind of future can Dickey really have in the Mets organization? Actually, he could have a lot more value going forward than some might think for a couple of reasons. 

The first reason is he's a knuckleballer. Knuckleballers tend to last longer, showing the ability to pitch into their 40s. Joe and Phil Niekro are obviously prime examples both pitching into their 40s (43 and 48 respectively). Another example would of course be current Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield. He's currently 44 years old and is still chugging along for the Red Sox. He's now the longest tenured member of the Sox sticking on the roster since the 1995 season. So there is clearly a precedent for knucklers to hang around. Granted, these are some of the best to ever let the ball flutter, but Dickey has shown in his two years with the Mets that he can be effective. Speaking of which…

In his two years with the Mets, despite a shaky start to this season, R.A. Dickey's gotten back on track and he has shown that he can be a very good pitcher without overwhelming velocity. He does have a mid-80s fastball which is rare for a knuckler to employ, if not completely unprecedented. This is really the key to his success in my opinion. His uniqueness as a pitcher really throws off opposing hitters. Not only does he get a strong differentiation between the speed and movement of his pitches. But unless you've seen him a few times as a batter, it's incredibly difficult to compete with him given the fact that there aren't any other pitchers like him in the majors right now. Batters just aren't used to facing a pitcher like Dickey.

So what does all of this mean for Dickey and the Mets going forward? It means that maybe you should get used to seeing Dickey in a Mets uniform, because there's a possibility that he's going to stick around for awhile. He's under contract for next season with a club option for 2013. He'll be 40 years old in the 2015 season. Anyone want to bet against the fact that he's still a Met by then? I don't…

Yesterday, the Mets placed center fielder Angel Pagan on the DL with… you guessed it, a strained left oblique muscle. Pagan is expected to miss at least two weeks. To take his place on the roster the Mets recall Jason Pridie.

Pagan has been struggling so far in 2011, hitting just .159 with a .259 OBP. Maybe this time off will be good for him and when he comes back we'll see the 2010 Angel Pagan. I like that version a lot better than this one.

Adam Rubin reports that the Mets have called up starting pitcher Dillon Gee. In order to make room for his the Mets have designated for assignment Pat Misch, who was called up when Chris Young was put on the DL. Misch pitched in game one of the double header against the Braves and went two innings, giving up one run on one hit, one walk and two strike outs. 

In two starts in AAA, Gee has pitched 11.2 innings, six earned runs on seven hits, five walks and has struck out eight. He has a record of 1-1, his ERA is 4.63 and a 1.029 WHIP.

I feel like Misch is a good pitcher and the Mets should give him a shot in the rotation while Young is on the DL. I could understand is Gee was dominating down in the minors and he deserved the call up, but his numbers aren't great.

Another team might pick up Misch, put him in the rotation, and he'll be good. I feel like this is Heath Bell all over again.

According to Steve Popper of the Bergen Record, Johan Santana's throwing hasn't been going well and could be shut down for the rest of the season.

First off, obviously I want to see Johan on the field and healthy as soon as possible. When he's healthy, he's an utterly fantastic starting pitcher and can be a true difference maker on the mound. There is a reason he got the contract he has now. But as far as I'm concerned, the only thing that was important was getting Johan ready to be the ace once again in 2012.

We already knew he was going to miss about half the season whether or not his rehab went well. And if and when he comes back this season, no one expects to see vintage Johan out there at Citi Field. He'll still be working himself back into game shape at that point. On top of that, no one expects much out of the Mets in general this season. The front office is expected to have money to spend after the season when a lot of money is freed up from expiring contracts. And when this team has reloaded, they'll need Johan Santana to be their ace if they expect to compete in the tough NL East. 

So, if Johan's rehab really isn't going well (and there are reports to the contrary), I'm not going to be terribly worried at this point in time. If we here the same thing a year from now I'll get worried. Until then, the Mets need to keep doing what they're doing with Johan. Take it slow and build up his strength. You want him to be healthy beyond this season for the final two years of his contract. Remember, this is a guy who has had some sort of surgical procedure done every year he's been with the Mets. That's something I'm sure the Mets want to avoid going forward. For now, don't get too worked up about this. True or not, the Mets have bigger worries about this team in my opinion.