The New York Mets probably still have a horrible taste in their mouth from the 2009 season. Disappointing is the nice version of what the fans were saying about that debacle of a season. Now that 2010 is just around the corner, the team and the fans can get back to business and look to show the world that they are still one of the favorites to take the division crown.

The Mets will once again be a contender for the East, but the competition is even tougher than it was last year. The Phillies now have Halladay in the fold and the Braves look pretty solid. However, the Mets are right there with both of these teams and if they keep it together, there is going to be some incredible baseball being played.

The Mets did not really get involved in the high priced bidding wars that other teams did, but they really did not have to do that. They have a good core of players, they just need to play. It all starts with the rotation that they will throw out there every night. Santana anchors a solid rotation and the team will only need about 4 runs anytime that he takes the mound to snag a win.

Fernando Nieve is going to get his shot this year and fans have every right to be excited about him. He has the talent to one day be an Ace and should rack up some serious wins in the bottom half of the rotation. If he is healthy and pitches to his potential, there should be at least 15 wins in the season for him.

David Wright continues to be the big draw for this team and you pretty much know what you are going to get from him every season. His home runs dipped last season for the first time ever, but he surely worked on getting the power back in his stroke during the off-season. He is the best pure hitter on the team and the offense will live and die with him.

The Mets have a great schedule to start the season. They are loaded up with many of the doormats of the league and if there are firing on all cylinders, they could come out of April with a nice little lead in the East. They play all but seven of their April games in their own house and that is something that they will have to take advantage of.

Mets fans should have quite a bit to be happy about. They have a solid offense at least two possible 15 game winners in their rotation. That schedule will allow them to get off to a monster start and hit the road with a lot of confidence. If they play up to their potential, Philly will be looking up at them in the standing when the face off on the last day of the month of April.

By Jake Kohler, sponsored by TicketSeating.com. TicketSeating.com sells New York Mets Tickets, MLB Tickets, Sports Tickets and many more tickets to just about any event in the world.