ESPN New York’s new addition, former NY Daily News beat reporter Adam Rubin cites unnamed sources as claiming the Mets’ starting rotation looks like Johan Santana, John Maine, John Niese, Mike Pelfrey and Oliver Perez, in that order. Pelfrey and Perez — one of the more well compensated no. 5 starters in baseball — have “underperformed” this spring in Rubin’s diplomatic words, though were it not for the club’s lack of depth, you have to figure one or both would’ve been candidates to start the season at Buffalo.
A just-diagnosed knee injury to Daniel Murphy probably means the reacquired Mike Jacobs is Jerry Manuel’s Opening Day starter at first base, a development that probably won’t set off celebrations in Sam Page’s household.