Guillermo Mota and Mike Piazza both received 5 games suspensions early this week, as a result of the incident that started a brawl between the Mets and Dodgers last week. Mota hit Piazza with a pitch during a Spring Training game, prompting Piazza to charge the mound. Other members of the Dodgers successfully prevented Piazza from inflicting bodily harm on their teammate, who backed away from the situation, while both benches cleared.

After Mota and Piazza were tossed from the game, Mota quickly cleaned up and was driven away from the ballpark by Brian Jordan, who left the still on-going game to assist the pitcher. Their hasty exit was quickly proven to have been a wise course of action, as Piazza later arrived at the Dodger clubhouse and went in search of Mota, hunting through it to verify that Mota was no longer there.

Last season, Mota also hit Piazza with a pitch during a Spring Training game. Piazza did not charge the mound at the time, instead waiting until Mota left the game to grab him. He stopped only when other players intervened. Piazza's anger evidently stemmed from an incident earlier that exhibition season when another Dodger pitcher had hit him. The Mets had retaliated by hitting Brian Jordan and Piazza seemed to believe that Mota was continuing the feud, though he had not even been a member of the Dodgers when the first clash occurred.

Piazza reportedly intends to appeal his suspension, but he is waiting until the last moment to file in order hopefully to postpone a ruling until after Opening Day, which would allow him to participate in that event. After the previous incident, Piazza received only a fine and not a suspension, which obviously failed to register with him. I would have handed down a much more severe penalty than a mere 5 game suspension, and if there were some way to penalize him for abuse of process for his frivolous appeal, I would do that as well.

Piazza's behavior indicates a premeditated intent to inflict harm on Mota beyond the immediate emotional on-field response. Only a lack of opportunity appears to have prevented him from achieving his goal. While I grieve for the Mets' fans, who would be denied his performance on Opening Day, Piazza needs to be smacked down hard.

I discussed my opinion on HBP and mound charging earlier this spring in conjunction with discussion of the Montreal/Florida brawl. While Piazza avoided injury and will likely manage to play on Opening Day, his suspension could have a devastating affect on the Mets when he ultimately serves it. Although they've improved this off-season, they do not have a particularly strong team and Piazza's absence from the lineup easily could cost them every game he's out. Several people have given Mota a hard time for running away from the situation, but I think he should be applauded for not letting any concern for his pride stand in the way of avoiding injury or a longer suspension.

The Mets appear fairly healthy heading into the regular season. Reliever Grant Roberts was a strong candidate to make the team heading into Spring Training. However, shoulder tendinitis has prevented Roberts from participating in any spring games. He has begun throwing batting practice, but he's expected to begin the season on the disabled list.

Pedro Astacio developed tendinitis in his right biceps in early March, which has prevented him from participating in most of Spring Training. Astacio postponed a scheduled bullpen session yesterday, but he is expected to take the mound sometime this weekend. Even if he doesn't experience further set backs, he'll need to make a few starts in extended Spring Training or AAA in order to compensate for missing his spring starts. As it will probably be at least another week before he's ready to begin pitching in a game situation, he is expected to miss at least his first two starts of the season and more likely all of April.

Tom Glavine, Al Leiter, and Steve Trachsel will fill the first three spots in the rotation with Astacio opening the season on the DL. Several pitchers are still competing for the last two slots, including Mike Bacsik, David Cone, Aaron Heilman, Jason Middlebrook, and Jae Weong Seo.

Cone has had a strong spring, so he apparently will break camp on the roster and in the rotation. I am concerned about Cone's endurance as a starter and expect him to fade in the later innings of his starts. Astacio's injury allows the Mets time to audition another starter, so if Cone struggles in April while Astacio's replacement does well, there's a chance Cone could move to the pen after Astacio returns.

Neither Bacsik nor Middlebrook have pitched particularly effectively this spring, but spring stats rarely provide a precise representation of a pitcher's abilities. I've stated in the past I believe Middlebrook is more prepared for the rotation. However, it appears likely one of the two will win the rotation job while the other substitutes for Roberts in the pen. Their performances while the other pitchers are on the DL will determine whether they're kept in the rotation or bullpen rather than sent to the minors.

We took a look at Seo when he received a brief promotion last season. He appears to have solid skills, though he isn't a particularly dominant pitcher. However, he hasn't received a lot of work this spring and the Mets appear to favor the left-handed Bacsik.

New York drafted Heilman out of the University of Notre Dame with the 18th overall pick of the first round o f the 2001 draft. He spent the remainder of that season at A+ St. Lucie in the Florida State League and began the 2002 season at AA Binghamton in the Eastern League. After a strong performance at AA, he advanced to AAA Norfolk where he also displayed solid skills. However, he only had time to make seven starts at AAA before the season ended, so he should return to AAA for additional seasoning to start this year. While he might be able to handle the jump to the majors, returning to AAA will likely allow him to reach his peak faster and will also delay his arbitration and free agency clocks.