Looking ahead to the offseason, I have totaled up the numbers of the contracts for players that are on the books for next season. The most interesting part of it is the fact that it only takes seven players for the Mets to exceed the $100 million mark.

Johan Santana: $22.5 million

Carlos Beltran: $18.5 million

Jason Bay: $16 million

David Wright: $14 million

Oliver Perez: $12 million

Francisco Rodriguez: $11.5 million

Luis Castillo: $6 million

The Mets total payroll for 2010 was only about $126 million!

Not only is this a starting point for the offseason, but the Mets still have to figure out what to do with four key players in Jose Reyes ($11 million club option, $500,000 buyout), Pedro Feliciano (FA), Angel Pagan (Arb. Eligible), and Mike Pelfrey (Arb. Eligible).

Whether it be Omar Minaya or a new general manager, they are going to have the huge task of finding ways to remove some of these high-priced veteran players that should not be on the team (Perez, Castillo, etc).

The Mets can choose to non-tender Jeff Francoeur, as he earned $5 million in 2010 in arbitration and will again be arbitration eligible this year. John Maine’s $3.3 million will almost certainly be off the books next season as well. The Mets also still owe $1 million to Gary Matthews Jr. in 2011.

It’s quite simple. The Mets have their work cut out for them this offseason. Fans are demanding changes and something will need to be done.

The fact that it’s Memorial Day added to the fact that my Internet has been a total dog today will mean that I’m going to make this a quick one, so let’s get to it.

Jose Reyes is the spark plug. He’s the firecracker. He’s the fuel. He’s an unlimited amount of clichéd adjectives used to make a simple point: as Reyes goes, so do the Mets. The most important thing you need to know about him is that in the last week, Reyes is hitting an even .500, with a homer, 3 doubles, a triple, and 7 RBI. It’s clear that when he first came back, he didn’t have his legs under him right away. Now that he does, here’s hoping we don’t have to hear any more awful trade talk concerning him for awhile. Jose Reyes is my Man Crush of the Week.

The Mets have what I’m calling “dead roster spots.” 2 of them, to be exact. Oliver Perez is terrible, selfish, and flat-out stupid for thinking that he’s doing himself any good for sitting in the bullpen yawning away day after day, instead of getting himself right. I never, ever want to see him play for the Mets again, and I could only hope that brass realizes he’s a sunk cost already. Gary Matthews Jr. adds absolutely nothing to the team, and maybe the Mets should realize the Angels were so willing to depart with him for a reason. He’s hitting .179 on the year. .179! This must be some kind of joke, except it’s not. It’s a cruel, cruel punishment that we have to watch him strike out with the bases loaded and 2 outs. It’s a cruel punishment that we have to hear that Jesus Feliciano is tearing it up in AAA, yet is not with the big club because of some kind of ridiculous love affair with Matthews Jr. He and Oliver Perez need to go, so that those 2 spots can be filled with, you know. baseball players. Dead Roster Spots are my Dog House Resident of the Week.