In acquiring Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran, Mets General Manager Omar Minaya did almost everything right this off-season. But his failure to land Carlos Delgado may turn out to be the defining reason why the Florida Marlins, and not the Mets, will make the playoffs in 2005. With Delgado heating up, the Marlins have won six in a row and lead the NL East with a 26-16 record. After a quiet start, Delgado is hitting .324 with 7 home runs and 29 RBI, anchoring a balanced team that already leads the league in E.R.A. The Mets, meanwhile, have fallen five games off the pace and are in desperate need of another big bat. The kind of bat Delgado could?ve supplied. Cliff Floyd carried them through April, but he?s cooled off faster than Alaska in October. While the Mets have smacked 56 home runs and are hitting a respectable .262, it?s not enough to compensate for a weak pitching staff and the diminished play of starters like Mike Piazza, once their most feared hitter, and Kaz Matsui, once their most promising rookie hope. Instead of Delgado, the Mets first baseman is Doug Mientkiewicz, who happens to be a great guy in the midst of a horrific slump that has dropped his average below .200, including a .130 mark with runners in scoring position. Acquired for his Gold Glove fielding abilities, Mientkiewicz made a costly error that contributed to a loss in the first game of the Subway Series. After a recent loss to the Braves, Mientkiewicz issued a tormented apology to the media, blaming himself for everything but being born. The thought of Delgado hitting cleanup between Carlos Beltran and Cliff Floyd is enough to make a grown Mets fan weep. The Mets? inability to find a dependable No. 5 hitter to protect Floyd is almost enough to induce tears. Piazza, once the cleanup man, is more the forgotten man. Sophomore David Wright has shown flashes of power, but he?s a No. 6 hitter at best. Kaz Matsui?s deficiencies at the plate has forced Randolph to insert Mike Cameron into the No. 2 spot. Meanwhile, as I write this, Delgado has beaten the Phillies with a two-out, 10th inning single. Did I say something about grown fans weeping? Back in January, Minaya was seriously close to pulling off a free-agent trifecta. With Beltran expected to sign with the Yankees, and Martinez to return to the Red Sox, Minaya stepped up to the plate with offers they couldn?t refuse. The suddenly Latin-centric Mets turned their attention to what would be the final prize in their off-season renovation: the power-hitting Delgado, who would not only give the Mets the most formidable lineup in the National League, but would possibly restore them to post-season glory. Sure, he would never be confused in the field with, say, John Olerud, but after the trauma of the Mo Vaughn years, being ambulatory would be a major improvement. But Minaya got cocky. He had won the hearts of Martinez and Beltran by making special trips to their hometowns, but he was content to sit down informally with Delgado in a San Juan hotel. Nevertheless, the Mets offered the Blue Jays free-agent a four-year deal worth more than $52 million, and the slugger was impressed. More than anything, Delgado wanted to play for a World Series contender, which might make you wonder why he would even consider the Mets in the first place. Sign with us, the Mets implied, and you can help get us there. Enter the Marlins. Only two years removed from their World Series win, they had the pedigree the Mets lacked. As the hours passed without a response, Minaya got nervous. He imposed a 24-hour ultimatum for Delgado to respond. The power play move irked Delgado?s agent, David Sloane, who tersely told the media the Mets had dropped out of the bidding, which was news to Minaya. Though Sloane and the Mets made up the next day, the damage was done, and the reverberations have been felt in the National League East ever since: the Marlins, with a rejuvenated offense to complement outstanding pitching, look like the greatest threat to dethrone the Braves? 13-year hold on the division title. The Mets, even with their blue-chip additions, are treading water at .500. Heading into their first major test of a young season ? 10 games against the Yankees, Braves, and Marlins ? they?ve already dropped four of their first five. They?ll get another look at Delgado this weekend in Miami, where Mets fans will do what they?ve grown all too accustomed doing for years ? lamenting what could?ve been.