After missing the playoffs for three seasons in a row, the New York Mets are looking to stay healthy while their new big bat, Jason Bay, shores up the middle of the lineup.

Offense

New York was one of the worst home run hitting teams last season, finishing the season with just 95, good for last in the majors. The addition of Jason Bay should help instantly in that regard, as his 36 home runs from last season represent more than a third of the entire Mets roster.

While Bay’s numbers might decrease as he moves away from hitter friendly Fenway Park and into Citi Field (where home runs apparently go to die), his power and RBIs should, at the very least, put some fire in the Mets’ lineup.

However, David Wright will be the true key for the Mets’ hopes of challenging for the NL wild card spot — the division seems far out of reach for a team with one real pitcher. While Wright hit .307 last season, his ten home runs and 72 RBIs were career lows.

Wright has changed his approach at the plate and will be looking to be more aggressive this summer. Expect improved power as he returns to his all-star form.

With Carlos Beltran batting in line with Wright and Bay, the Mets have one of the more dangerous 3-4-5 combos in the majors.

Unfortunately for the Mets, Beltran is still recovering from surgery, and could be out anywhere from four to eight weeks. In half a season last summer, Beltran blasted 10 home runs with 48 RBIs, and hit for an uncharacteristic .325 average.

When healthy, though, Beltran’s combination of power and speed makes him one of the most dangerous players in the game. He will need to recover from injury quickly and get on the field to help the Mets make a push.

Rod Barajas, who played in Toronto last season, is coming off of one of the best seasons of his career and will be starting behind home plate.

Luis Castillo will start at second, Alex Cora will fill the gaping hole at shortstop as long as Jose Reyes is out, and Mike Jacobs, who hit 19 home runs with Kansas City last season, will start at first.

Gary Matthews Jr. and Jeff Francoeur will start in the outfield.

Pitching

Johan Santana shut himself down early last season to clean up his elbow.

Now healthy, he is looking to return to the form that made him the best pitcher in baseball just a few years ago. In 25 starts, Santana won 13 games (with one of the games worst offenses backing him up) while keeping a tidy 3.13 ERA.

Look for his slider to have more zip this year, and for his numbers to return to elite status.

After Santana, there is a serious drop in the quality of starts in the Mets’ rotation. Mike Pelfrey will start in the No. 2 spot, trying to break out after winning 10 games for each of the past two seasons.

Pelfrey will need to get control of and lower his 5.03 ERA if he is going to rise to the level that his potential says he should.

John Maine and Oliver Perez will be pitching third and fourth for the Mets, respectively, with each looking to have bounce back years after a very disappointing 2009.

Francisco Rodriguez, who saved 25 games last season, returns as the Mets’ closer.

Prediction

New York is going into the season with a different outlook in 2010.

They are looking beyond their enormous payroll and trying to get back to playing consistent baseball. As they will not start the season at full strength players such as Bay and Wright will have to step up early if the Mets are to keep up with the Phillies.

Look for a more consistent Mets team this year, one that will certainly win more than the 70 victories they tallied last summer. The Mets will battle it out with the Atlanta Braves for second in the division, but will ultimately fall victim to their lack of pitching and finish the season third in the NL East, missing the playoffs for a fourth season in a row.