New Mets On Deck

So, barring an expansion of the dog-and-cat trade awaiting out-of-options Jon Adkins, the roster appears set. And Moises Alou, David Newhan, Damion Easley, Chan Ho Park, Aaron Sele, Joe Smith and Scott Schoeneweis are ready to join the exalted ranks of The Holy Books.
Last season Philip Humber was the final addition to the orange and blue, bringing the all-time Mets count to a close-but-no-cigar 799. Barring something startling, Alou should claim the 800th spot, hopefully in the top of the first a week from tonight. (Because then the Mets would have baserunners and possibly an early lead, y'see?) THB Occupants 801 through 806 should follow within the first week's patchwork schedule. (I know the off-days are there for rain, but if the weather's nice Monday April 2 is going to be agony, and Thursday April 5 will be worse.) Humber's pal Mike Pelfrey (THB #792) will start the year in New Orleans or in extended spring training, a brief furlough that should end when the fifth-starter slot comes around for the first time right before Tax Day.
So, some early-season storylines already.
* The Shawn Green Watch? It's already on. Lastings Milledge will keep Pelfrey's roster spot warm and get some starts. If Lastings hits and acts like he has in St. Lucie, and Green stays cold, how long can right field really stay Green's? If Lastings is sent to New Orleans, can he keep his head?
* Is Pelfrey ready? Lots of guys have found April's rather different than March.
* Can Chan Ho succeed in the Darren Oliver role? Can he accept that? What's Aaron Sele's role on the team? Can they and Aaron Heilman get a discount on t-shirts that say PELFREY WENT TO THE ROTATION AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY BULLPEN SPOT?
* Who'll wind up playing second? Is there anything left in Jose Valentin's tank? Has there ever been anything in Damion Easley's tank? Anderson Hernandez's got the glove — can he make things interesting by hitting in New Orleans the way he never has on U.S. soil?
* When will I learn to spell Schoeneweis without cribbing? (I had Mientkiewicz down by May, but I was younger then.)
* Will Joe Smith step up as the third legitimate Brooklyn Cyclone to play a real role on the Mets roster? For the trivia-minded, Mike Jacobs and Brian Bannister are the others so far. Danny Garcia and Joe Hietpas didn't do enough to merit discussion as Mets, Matt Watson was moved down to Brooklyn to pack a postseason roster (shameful Yankee move, that), and rehab cameos like those of Tsuyoshi Shinjo, Mike Stanton and Cliff Floyd don't count. Certainly nobody's ever made the leap quite so quickly as Smith seems poised to do.
A month from now some of these questions will be answered. They'll have gone from storylines to stories, just like the story of 2007 will have started to emerge, pieced together from Ws and Ls on the now-blank schedule. Can't wait.