The signing of former Angel Francisco Rodriguez to a three-year, $37 million deal -- and the trade for ex-Mariners closer J.J. Putz to serve as K-Rod's setup man -- should better secure those late-inning leads.

"You go out and get two top closers, you're going to address a serious problem they thought they had last year," Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said. "They did it in a big way. We, as the Braves and Phillies, have to concentrate on winning the game in the first seven innings so we don't have to worry about the eighth and ninth."

After re-signing left-handed starter Oliver Perez on Feb. 3, chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon projected the Mets' 2009 payroll at $143 million, which is comparable to last year's total. Despite the sizable expenditure, Mets fans clamored for the organization to sign Manny Ramirez as well, which general manager Omar Minaya definitively ruled out.

"We really accomplished what we've set out to do this winter," Minaya said. "We're going to look around for some of those smaller pieces, but as far as big moves, our priorities have been met."

With Perez back for three years at $36 million, the Mets rotation will look similar to the 2008 model. The lone exception: Freddy Garcia or Tim Redding replaces Pedro Martinez, whom Minaya said the Mets are now unlikely to re-sign.

The starting lineup stays intact, too. That means the Mets will count on production from a left field platoon of Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis. They also will need improvement from Luis Castillo, and for Ryan Church to put behind him a pair of concussions that marred his 2008 season.

WHERE, WHEN: Tradition Field, Port St. Lucie, Fla. First exhibition game is Feb. 25 against the Orioles in Fort Lauderdale.

TOP CANDIDATE TO SURPRISE: RHP Sean Green didn't get much hype when he arrived from Seattle with J.J. Putz in a December trade, but Mets officials expect the 6-foot-6 right-hander to play an integral role in the bullpen. Green, 29, went 9-7 with a 4.32 ERA in 160 relief appearances for the Mariners during the past three seasons.

TOP CANDIDATE TO DISAPPOINT: Picking up 1B Carlos Delgado's $12 million option for 2009 became a no-brainer after he hit .313 with 24 homers and 70 RBIs over his final 300 at-bats of last season. Still, Delgado was hitting just .228 entering July last year, and it's possible his age and a career spent primarily playing on artificial turf in Toronto could catch up to him at age 36.

AUTHORITY FIGURES: Manager Jerry Manuel, who posted a 55-38 record after taking over for fired Willie Randolph in June, runs his first spring training camp as Mets skipper. The former American League Manager of the Year with the White Sox wants to run a disciplined camp that focuses on fundamentals, but most of his top players will miss significant time to participate in the World Baseball Classic, making that objective more challenging.