Delgado To Have Hip Surgery

Not a good day to be a fan or a member of the New York Metropolitans. Read Press Release.

Carlos Delgado, the team's cleanup hitter, who resurrected his career last season with an outstanding hitting performance finishing 2008 with 38 home runs, will likely miss two months or more because of a labrum tear in his hip. Delgado will have arthroscopic surgery to fix the tear and remove a bone spur.

During the off season, there was little doubt that the Mets were to pick up Delgado's $11 million option for 2009. He was the best first baseman on the free agent market and was the best third baseman the Mets had on their roster. It seemed to make sense to bring him back, even at his age, 36.

Delgado got off to a great start this season, hitting .298 with four homers and 23 RBIs. It was clear at the time that the Mets were getting the Delgado who stunned the world in the second half with his offensive surge; the Delgado who struggled in April and May of 2008 was gone for good. Now Delgado, good, bad or indifferent will be gone for a very long time.

This leaves a huge hole for the Mets at first; it leaves a even bigger hole in the lineup. Delgado took much pressure off Carlos Beltran and David Wright, driving runners in and hitting home runs. Now both will be relied upon to provide the thunder the Mets need in order to click.

Gary Sheffield has hit well lately, raising his average to .254, but Sheffield is 40 years old; he is not the same guy who hit 30 homers and drove in 100 during his prime years with the Dodgers and Braves.

Thus, the Mets will have to go out and try to trade for a first baseman, or trade for an outfielder with power. There are not many first baseman on the market right now. Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton could be an option if Colorado fell out of it; he's hitting over .300 but no longer possesses the power that he used to have. In 2007, Helton had only 17 home runs, and, last season, he had only 7 home runs in an injury riddled year.

The Mets could move Daniel Murphy to first base since that would probably be a more natural fit for him defensively and let him become their first baseman of the future. Murphy has good instincts at the plate, can hit over .300, and drive people in. Some have compared him to Don Mattingely, the Yankees legendary first baseman, but it will be years before any comparison can be legitimately drawn.

If Murphy is at first, the Mets can go out and try to trade for an outfielder, preferably Oakland's Matt Holiday, who will be a free agent at year's end. But, Billy Beane, the A's General Manager will try to take as much minor league talent as possible if a deal were to be negotiated. That would mean the Mets would have to let go of top prospects Jon Niese, Fernando Martinez, and Bobby Parnell, something the Mets have been reluctant to do in recent years.

Either way, Delgado will be missed; his absence will be felt with each passing day, each passing game.