Fred Wilpon spoke with Terry Collins about team on Monday

Mets owner Fred Wilpon met with Terry Collins for 20 minutes on Monday after the Mets lost to the Marlins at Tradition Field.

While Collins noted to reporters in attendance, including Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, that Wilpon was not angry, he did say that the two discussed the team and some issues – including an unimpressive lefty relief corps – that have cropped up early in camp:

"I mapped out the next four days of who’s playing and who’s not and days off. … And he asked me about a couple of spots that have been a concern. I said, ‘Yeah, they’re still a concern. We’re going to bear down on those areas.’ But I said, ‘For the most part, you’ve got to like what our starting pitching can do. And [Jeurys] Familia is throwing good, [Vic] Black is throwing good. So there’s some positives. We’ve just got to stop walking people, especially in spring-training games.’"

Wilpon and Collins also discussed expectations for the season. Said Collins:

"He expects it to be a much better team. There’s no doubt about that. He told me two weeks ago, ‘Look, I’m going to be here a lot — a lot,’ where, in the past, he’d come in and he’d be gone for a week or 10 days."

Thoughts:

First of all, the fact that Wilpon said he’s going to be around a lot tells you all you need to know about what ownership’s expectations are for this coming season.

As far as the timing of the meeting, which came on the heels of a 13-2 loss, it’s something to note but it would be silly to think Collins or the team is under fire after one poor loss in a game that doesn’t matter.

The most interesting and ironic part of Monday’s meeting is that Wilpon is worried about the team’s lefty relief, an area the team would have been able to shore up if the front office had more money to spend.