"When the Mets announced on Wednesday that Carlos Delgado's comeback attempt from hip surgery had been derailed by a right oblique strain, the impulsive reaction would have been to label it as bad news. And it is — for the 37-year-old Delgado, whose contract expires after this season. He wants to play in 2010, although it is unlikely the Mets are interested, and a September's worth of at-bats could have shown that he was healthy, thus improving his odds at landing another deal somewhere else.

But how bad is this latest injury for the Mets? Now that they, too, are playing for 2010, the Mets are using the next seven weeks to assess their roster. If Delgado had returned, the Mets probably would have felt obligated to start him at first base a good deal of the time, thus taking playing opportunities from Daniel Murphy.

Which might not have been the best thing for Murphy or the Mets. However murky his future is at the moment, Murphy at least has one with the organization. With Delgado out, the Mets can play Murphy every day, continuing to evaluate how he fits — and even if he fits — into next year's plans."