Yankees and Mets spring training: Optimism mingles with a few concerns

Thursday February 12, 2009 3:14 PM By Max J. Dickstein

By Ryan Chatelain

Reasons for excitement abound, but so do causes for caution this season for the Mets and Yankees.

3 reasons to be excited about the Yankees:

• Mark Teixeira brings another powerful, consistent bat to the lineup, and don’t overlook last year’s midseason acquisition Xavier Nady, who hit .305 with 25 HRs in 2008.

• CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, who combined to win 35 games last season, could make the rotation the Yankees’ strongest in a decade.

• Fan favorite Joba Chamberlain is in his first full season as a starter. He started 12 games last year with an impressive 2.60 ERA overall.

3 reasons to be concerned about the Yankees:

• Questions about A-Rod’s admitted steroid use may distract the team and result in boos from the stands when the new Yankee Stadium opens April 16.

• Age may catch up with a star or two. Six key players (Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter) will be at least 35 in 2009.

• The AL East is a bear. The Red Sox are tough each year, and there is no reason to believe 2008 pennant winner Tampa Bay will return to the cellar.

3 reasons to be excited about the Mets:

• No more leaky bullpen. Newly acquired Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz are All-Star relievers who should protect leads.

• The heart of the lineup — David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran — is together for a fourth straight season. That familiarity could pay dividends in a tight playoff race.

• The free-agent signing of Freddy Garcia could be one of the steals of the offseason if the two-time All-Star can return to the winning form he hadwith the White Sox in 2005 and ’06, when he went 31-17.

3 reasons to be concerned about the Mets:

• The Mets should have lobbied the Gregorian calendar to have September removed. They might not want to admit it, but you’d better believe the last two seasons’ collapses will weigh on players’ minds if they drop three straight at crunch time.

• He might have belted 38 homers in 2008, but Delgado has a .265 batting average in three seasons as a Met, a sign that his career may be on the downward slope. The Mets cannot afford for their first baseman, who will turn 37 in June, to take another step backward.

• The world champion Phillies remain in the Mets’ division, and Philadelphia’s strong nucleus is back.