Welcome to the Mets, Pedro

If the Mets staff can remain healthy, the nominal rotation is

Martinez, Glavine, Benson and Zambrano.

The Mets won't win anything unless (i) the rotation does in fact remain healthy and (ii) Benson and Zambrano win more and do better than Martinez and Glavine.

No matter where Pedro pitches in the "nominal" rotation, Benson is the ace of the Mets staff. Benson is the guy who has to go 18-6.

The Yankees had a similar situation for years. Jimmy Key, and later Pettite and later Mussina were always the "aces" -- even if the Clemens and El Duques and Wellses and Cones grabbed all the headlines.

So is it worth it to pay Pedro $50 million plus to be the number 3 pitcher? If they win, of course it is. If the attendance goes up, if the MESS television network does well, if the back page coverage at the POST goes up, why not? The Mets have a tremendous financial upside in this region.

Is it worth it to pay Mike Piazza $17 million in 2005 as a back-end to what he did to save the franchise in 1998, 1999 and 2000? I think it is.

Does paying Pedro $50 million make it impossible for the Mets to sign the hitters they need, and the bullpen help Pedro needs? It's New York man. If the Mets spend the money, and win, they will make plenty of money. And as a Met fan, I will have the only thing I care about -- fun.