K-Rod - 2008 - Los Angeles Angels. 2009 salary - $8.5M: The Mets are convinced the bullpen was the beginning and end of all last year’s problems. Never mind the fact that the team’s slugging percentage drops to .365 in innings 7-9 and that they couldn’t buy a run in the last three innings of baseball games. It’s totally all on the bullpen. I do know that Billy Wagner had proven himself to have a little bit of the Trevor Hoffman in him. He could rattle off ten to twelve perfect saves at the beginning of the season. Then, cosmically, give up things like game-tying RBI to Grady Sizemore in the All-Star Game. I’ll leave it to my esteemed colleague from the West Coast who follows the western division of the Homerunderby-ball league to fill me in on the quality of the Mets acquisition, but for now I’m happy with it. Besides, the Mets have been known to have a problem with overcelebrating. They needed a bit of tempered class on the mound to bring respect and honor to the franchise.

Prediction: K-Rod eclipses Jose Reyes as the Phillies’ least favorite Met. David Wright takes at least two HBPs for this.

JJ Putz - 2008 - Seattle Mariners. 2009 salary - $5M: In possibly the greatest indication of the Mets’ feelings on their bullpen, they banished Aaron Heilman as far away as they could possibly send him and incarcerated poor Joe Smith in Cleveland. Heilman was then flipped to Chicago, where he’ll finally get his chance to start… probably. I look forward to him going 26-4 this year… or 4-26 — I could see either. Honestly, the Putz trade is probably a better deal than the K-Rod one. The Mets’ middle relief was terrible. Last year, getting from the starter to Wagner was an adventure. This was really an underrated, key pick-up.

Prediction: The Mets try to pick up Putz’s extension early in the season and sign him for another two years on top of that.

Sean Green - 2008 - Seattle Mariners. 2009 salary - $471k: Another piece of the JJ Putz trade, Green is a 29-year-old right-handed reliever. All I got is that he’s a relief pitcher with a league-average ERA. I’ll take it and like it. I’d like to extend a thank you to the Seattle Mariners for their part in rebuilding the Met bullpen.

Prediction: Sean Green takes Shawn Green’s jersey number and the Wilpons save part of their 300 million Schrute Madoff bucks.

Pedro Feliciano: Takes the role of “lefty specialist” from Scott Schoenweis, who was shipped to Arizona for Connor Robertson. Schoenweis, who appreciably took last season hard going so far as to break in to tears after the final game, will be remembered in New York for his final pitch to Wes Helms — a tie-breaking, eigth-inning shot that might still be traveling. I don’t blame Schoenweis for this because he never, ever should face right-handed batters in any circumstance. Lefties hit .178 off him. Righties hit .333. Obviously, he was the correct guy to be facing a righty in a must-win situation. Feliciano goes between long-relief and lefty specialist. He’s been a reliable bullpen guy for the last few seasons, so huzzah.

Prediction: Feliciano remains our Latino poor-man’s Scot Shields.

Bobby Parnell, Carlos Muniz, Brian Stokes: The three guys left in the bullpen. They all played a small bit part in the bullpen last year, but nothing to hate them over quite yet. I’m sure I’ll hate them quite soon, but for now, I pretty much got nothin.