Willie won't Choose 5th Starter until mid-April

Prior to yesterday’s loss, Willie Randolph told reporters that he might not need a fifth starter until the middle of April, since the team has three days off through the first month of season.

This will work out, because the days off are actually where the fifth starter would pitch.

I expect the Mets to stick Pelfrey in AAA to get starts, while at the same time, the Mets can hold an extra bat on the roster. The Mets wouldn’t have this problem if Julio Franco wasn’t on the roster. Many people say he should just leave because he’s way too old, but he has a goal, to play until he is 50. And its not like he’s completely hogging up the roster, because when he comes in to pinch hit, a lot of the time he comes through and gets a hit when needed… He just doesn’t make many starts, most likely because of his age. He will make less starts than other spot starters and utility players, but he’ll probably make 2 starts per month or so when Delgado is taking a day off, or just because a lefty is pitching…Delgado isn’t usually successful vs. lefties.