[ThePundit]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Carlos Delgado says he is "close to 100 percent" after surgery on both his wrist and elbow last November. But the question is not so much whether Delgado will be ready for Opening Night April 1. There's a chance he may not be there anyway when the Mets visit the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

The hitch in those plans is that Delgado and his wife, Betzaida, are expecting their first child, a son who will be named Carlos Antonio, and the due date is April 1. While predicting the exact timing of the birth is an inexact science, there's one thing for certain: Whenever it is, Delgado will leave the Mets for it.

Delgado could miss the opener - Newsday.com

[EmpireWF]

The Mets have known about this for some time so I assume they have been planning for playing opening night without Delgado.

If that's the case (and I'd say there's a 70% chance he won't play), Julio Franco will likely get the start.

[MJHMarc]

That shouldn't hurt his seasonal statistics.

Julio Franco will probably bat for .500 in the first game, but I wouldn't expect any incredible swings.