Marty Noble has surely painted a negative picture for the Mets come the 2010 season. It's hard to find fault with anything he has said. And in case you are not familiar with his point of view, all you need to do is read the last couple of Mailbags from Marty on Mets.com.

Marty has covered the Mets for a long time. He is a student of the game, whose insights are always well thought out. But I do think it is fare to say if the Mets can stay injury free next season, it is possible for them to have a bounce back year.

Unfortunately, most opinions in sports writing is based on what have you done for me lately. Once Mets players started dropping like flies last season, it was inevitable the Mets season would end up as it did.

Marty points out the Mets need a catcher, a left fielder, and a number two pitcher. I agree. They also need David Wright to get back to where he was two seasons ago. They need Carlos Beltran to stay healthy for an entire season. They need Jose Reyes to be ready to go by March 1st. And they need pitchers John Maine, Oliver Perez, and Mike Pelfrey to step up and pitch the way they are capable of. If all of these things happen, the Mets could have one mighty fine season. It's tough to assume that all those things will happen but it is possible.

Just as things went haywire last season, it could all come together the next. The one thing the Mets have going for them is they do have talent. The roster does not resemble the 1978 Mets when no matter how healthy the Mets were, it made no difference. The Mets have enough talent that Sports Illustrated predicted they would win the World Series. Personally I think that was a bit of a stretch even if the Mets had not suffered so many injuries. However, they would have contended and they would have likely made the playoffs with the additions made to the bullpen.

At the moment, it's all potential. But it is not out of the realm of possibility that the Mets could turn it all around next year and find themselves in the post season. This idea that the Mets are completely barren and must totally rebuild is a bit of an overreaction because of what Mets fans have just suffered through this past season.

I am not suggesting the Mets do not pursue Matt Holiday, Jason Bay, or whomever. I think they should be as aggressive as possible. At the very least, the Mets should do so to show the fans that they are willing to do what is necessary to get the job done.

We are at the foothills of the hot stove. Fifteen days after the World Series ends this week, players will be declaring their free agency. Even before that, GMs will be laying the ground work for trades to be made. Omar Minaya has no choice but to be aggressive. I believe the slim light at the end of the tunnel that Marty Nobel refers to is brighter than he thinks.