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Five questions to determine if Mets can be Amazin'

The Mets are viewing the benches-clearing incident incited by Guillermo Mota's plunking of Mike Piazza as symbolic of their feistiness and unity. Except which team wouldn't go out en masse to stand by/protect their best player?

No, the true measure whether the Mets have truly changed from their coma state of 2002 will come with the onset of the regular season. That question cannot be answered until then. But these five actually could turn out to be just as pertinent:

1. Is the rotation worse than feared?

The addition of Tom Glavine was supposed to make this an area of strength for the Mets. But Glavine has pitched poorly this spring (11.68 ERA). Usually, you would ignore exhibition results for a pitcher as great as Glavine. However, he is 38 and he is coming off a poor second half and atrocious postseason. But even if the Glavine-Al Leiter combo is wonderful, the Mets still have legitimate concerns from 3-5 in the rotation.

Glavine's age and poor Spring Training should raise concern for the Mets. (AP)

Alomar has talked a good game about being comfortable in his second year in New York and loving his surroundings. But he has mostly played lifeless during spring training or pretty much how he did during a sleep-walk in 2002. This is his walk year and you figured that would motivate him. Art Howe has said a player like Alomar turns it on when the season begins. Boy, do the Mets need their manager to be right about that because play like this from Alomar could undermine the whole team.

3. Can the Mets make a deal before the season?

They would love to add a more sure-thing starting pitcher, but those kinds of guys are not usually available in March. They are still being linked to Florida third baseman Mike Lowell, though they seem content to go with Ty Wigginton. The bigger item is if they can move Jeromy Burnitz. San Diego and Baltimore would seem the only possible destinations. The Mets would love to remove as much of Burnitz's $11.5 million contract as possible, open a corner outfield slot for Roger Cedeno and potentially get a player back that is more helpful overall than Burnitz.

4. How much will the defense hurt?

New York would love to slide as much of Burnitz's hefty contract as possible. (AP)

This is not a throwaway issue. The Mets also are not blessed with horses in the rotation. They are going to need good work from relievers beyond the sure four of Benitez, Mike Stanton, Scott Strickland and David Weathers. It seems Graeme Lloyd has pushed himself into the second lefty role in the pen, which would bode poorly for Jamie Cerda or Pedro Feliciano making the staff. With Astacio almost certain to begin the season on the DL, the Mets could have Cone, Bacsik and Middlebrook all make the team, with two in the rotation and one available for a very important long relief spot. Seo also has thrust himself into that competition.