One assumes that playing in New York, a stage he’s always wanted to perform on, and being on a new team will propel him back to his Cy Young form. But even if he reaches that level, the Mets still have a lot of questions to answer.

The team is essentially the same as last year’s with the exception of catcher Brian Schneider, who replaced Paul Lo Duca, and outfielder Ryan Church, who will fill Shawn Green’s role. That means the same pitching staff that didn’t get it done last year is back, including Orlando Hernandez, who could be 50 years old for all anyone knows and isn’t going to make it through the season without three or four trips to the DL. And backing up that staff is closer Billy Wagner, a modern-day Armando Benitez who saves every game except the ones that truly matter.

Lest we put too much pressure on Wagner, let’s not forget an offense that includes Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran. Both can be premier hitters, and both have also been accused of wilting under pressure.

Delgado is one of the guys saying the Mets are going to erase the bad taste of last year. He’s talked about playing hard and being more focused. But that’s like that headline about the team being ready to put 2007 behind them — what else can he say?

Talk is all we have right now, and it’s all we will have until the season actually begins in April. That doesn’t mean it still isn’t as cheap as it ever was. The reality is the Mets have been talking a good game for three years now, and they have yet to live up to their rhetoric.

Philadelphia is ready to give them a run. Atlanta is always dangerous. And the power in the NL last year shifted dramatically to the West. When people talk about toughness, they talk about the comebacks the Phillies and Rockies put on last year. When they talk about softness and disappointment, they talk about the Mets.

They’ve got to win. Not next year or the year after, but now.

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