How the Mets’ season might play out:
DAVIS IS REAL DEAL: Daniel Murphy does not hit well early and the Mets sorely ache for lefty heft, so Ike Davis is called up on May 15 and goes on to finish fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year race.
DOIN’ A NIESE JOB: Jon Niese wins more games than John Maine or Oliver Perez.
MEJIA’S A MISS: Jenrry Mejia begins to show cracks as the eighth-inning man and ends up back in the minors as a starter. He fails to fully regain the glean he showed in spring training.
ARROYO’S ARRIVAL: Needing a starter in July, the Mets have a strong chip to deal in July with Fernando Martinez. But the market lacks a true difference-maker when the Astros refuse to discuss Roy Oswalt. So the Mets sift through the Jake Westbrooks and Gil Meches and Chris Youngs, and settle on Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo — but for far less than Fernando Martinez.
YEAH, BAY-BY!: Jason Bay is not cowed at all by the Citi Field dimensions as he hits 28 homers, drives in 105 runs and handles all that comes with New York with aplomb. However, Jeff Francoeur’s free-swinging style becomes as big a factor in New York as it was in moving Atlanta to finally get rid of him.
CORE’S MIXED RESULTS: Carlos Beltran returns on May 15 and initially plays well before his knee becomes a problem again. Jose Reyes plays with joyful abandon and finishes 10th in the NL MVP race. David Wright does not come all the way back to his All-Star form, hitting 16 homers, striking out too much and raising the specter that he already has played his best baseball at age 27.
joel.sherman@nypost.com