Q. Why haven’t the Angels done anything besides over-pay for Gary Matthews Jr.? Do you think that they will be able to contend for the pennant with just that one signing?
— John Lopez, Hacienda Heights, Calif.

A. That’s a real good question, John — one that I’m wondering about myself. Why the Angels for the second year in a row refused to act on an obvious need for another power bat is beyond me. And so to answer your second question, no, I don’t think they will be a serious AL pennant contender.

I have seen the recently released over/under season win totals coming out of Las Vegas, and they have the Angels at 90 wins — a solid favorite over the A’s in the AL West — and I don’t get it. They finished 11^th in the AL in runs scored last season with 766 — or one less per game than the league-leading Yankees — and only signed Matthews, who isn’t a power hitter and is coming off a suspicious career year at age 31, and Shea Hillenbrand, who likely will get playing time at first base and DH. Making matters worse, they also lost key hitter Juan Rivera to a broken leg in winter ball.

There are question marks all around the diamond: Behind the plate — Mike Napoli hit .164 after the All-Star break. Who’s on first — as Hillenbrand, Casey Kotchman, Kendry Morales and Robb Quinlan all are possibilities. Third base could see Hillenbrand, Quinlan, light-hitting Macier Izturis or Chone Figgins, as prospect Dallas McPherson is out for much of the year. And all of the above figure in the DH mix. Bottom line, if fading Garret Anderson and Hillenbrand are your projected fourth and fifth hitters, you don’t have enough power in the middle of the order. The Angels really need Howie Kendrick and either Kotchman or Morales to break out with a big year.

Yes, they still have one of the league’s better pitching staffs, but Bartolo Colon won’t be ready until late-April/early-May, and who knows how effective he will be after not pitching since last June. Maybe if Colon returns to form, the Angels will deal one of their other starters and/or prospects for a legitimate middle-of-the-order threat to protect Vladimir Guerrero. But for now, I have them finishing second in the West behind the A’s, and out of the wild-card spot, too, as I see New York and Boston both getting in.

Q. Can the Mets stand pat as far as their starting pitching, or will there be a deal made for another front-line starter?
— Wally, Miami

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A. Given their obvious need, you would have thought the Mets would have signed one of the handful of free-agent starting pitchers on the market last winter. But they showed restraint, stuck to their evaluations and made what they thought were solid offers to Barry Zito and a couple of others, only to be blown away by others willing to pay more.

In a long-term view, the Mets acted wisely. Giving seven years and $126 million to Barry Zito, for example, is going to backfire on the Giants at some point. But that doesn’t help the Mets for 2007, when you have to assume that they will need help beyond Tom Glavine.

Even if you like John Maine and Oliver Perez, and feel both can fill middle-of-the-rotation spots, you still have to wonder about Orlando Hernandez’s durability, especially since he already has had a health issue this spring. So, yes, I do see the Mets making a deal for a starting pitcher at some point — possibly as early as spring training, but more likely a bit into the season.

They have outfield prospect Lastings Milledge to deal, and I also think they could part with a reliever — Aaron Heilman? — once Guillermo Mota returns from his 50-day suspension to start the season.

Q. How many good years does Curt Schilling have left?
— Dan P., Boston

A. Schilling will pitch at 40 this season, and has had health issues in two of the last four years. He also is not the workout/conditioning fanatic that other notable 40-plus pitchers Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens and Jamie Moyer were/are. So in my mind, it’s tough to project Schilling pitching at a high level for more than two-three years.

The Red Sox are showing their concern about his longevity by not offering him an extension, which could put him in the free-agent market next winter. I’m sure that we’ve seen his last great season (2004), and we won’t see any more 20-win totals from him. But I do think that he can be a 15-win, 200-inning-type starter for a couple more seasons.

Q. Why do American League fans have to watch American League rules during interleague play? Why not let the fans enjoy something they aren’t used to seeing? For example, when the Orioles host the Nationals, play by the NL rules.
— John Getz, Sparks, Md.

A. That possibility has been raised in recent years, when there were thoughts about tweaking the interleague competition. But I don’t think it ever became a serious possibility for implementation. There’s nothing wrong with the idea in my mind, and it certainly makes a lot more sense than awarding home-field advantage in the World Series on the basis of who wins the All-Star exhibition game.