In keeping with an annual tradition that no one but me cares about. And this has come to be way more about my pet peeve with many amateur oddsmakers than actually predicting who will make the Mets’ Opening Day bullpen. But whatever.

For the purposes of this exercise, I’m assuming Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch, Ramon Ramirez and Manny Acosta are in. The first three represent most of the Mets’ offseason acquisitions. Acosta pitched well for the Mets after the Francisco Rodriguez trade last year, now has 200 2/3 strong Major League innings under his belt and, perhaps most importantly for his bullpen candidacy, is out of options.

Lefty specialist and expert videobomber Tim Byrdak would have counted among the certain ins if he didn’t have surgery on a torn meniscus last week. Sandy Alderson “guesstimated” Byrdak would miss six weeks, but Byrdak has said he thinks he can be ready for Opening Day, so he’s getting thrown in the mix. Whenever he returns he’ll join the big-league bullpen, replacing someone, rendering this list even more pointless.

Here we go.

Bobby Parnell (1:4): Parnell has options left on his contract, which preclude him from being a lock, but by all accounts he’s a favorite to earn a spot in the Opening Day bullpen. He throws really hard, he pitched very well in stretches last year, and he’s yet to allow a run in Grapefruit League play. Some worry about Parnell’s ability to succeed under pressure, but I suspect those issues have been at least partly due to heavy use, since his high-leverage opportunities have largely come in response to long stretches of frequent and effective pitching.

Miguel Batista (1:2): The 41-year-old Batista is nearly as interesting on the field as he is off of it. Batista’s peripheral stats generally look woeful: He doesn’t strike out many hitters and he walks too many. But Batista has finished 10 of the last 11 seasons with an park- and league-adjusted ERA+ that’s better than league average. The Mets seem to appreciate his versatility, and leaving him off the big-league club would mean paying him a $100 thousand roster bonus and giving him a June 1 opt-out clause.

Garrett Olson (19:11): If the odds seem strange there, they are to make the math work out and to reflect Olson’s slight leg up over Edgin in the race to replace Byrdak as the lefty in the Mets’ bullpen. Olson throws hard, has an excellent beard and has pitched well in Spring Training games.

Josh Edgin (2:1): Edgin, another lefty, was the first guy mentioned by both Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins when asked who might replace Byrdak in the bullpen. He hasn’t pitched above High A ball, but he has clearly worked his way onto the team’s radar this spring with mid-90s heat and a good breaking pitch.

Tim Byrdak (3:1): I’m saying there’s a 1 in 4 shot Byrdak recovers quickly and the Mets decide they’d rather let him rehab on the roster than figure out a way to get another lefty reliever onto the 40-man. Upon the news of Byrdak’s injury, Terry Collins mentioned that he once had Mitch Williams jumping around in his office two weeks after arthroscopic knee surgery, claiming himself ready to go. That sounds like something Byrdak might do, only he’d also be wearing a silly costume.

Danny Herrera (4:1): This site endorses Herrera, a diminutive lefty with awesome hair and a screwball. But Andy Martino reported in January that the Mets believed Herrera could lose effectiveness with too much work, then a couple weeks ago that Herrera is not a candidate for the lefty specialist role. Herrera has been much better against lefties than against righties in limited Major League work, though.

Chuck James (11:1): When the Mets signed James I figured he’d have an outside chance to crack the roster as a second lefty in the bullpen, but James has not pitched well this spring and seems like an afterthought in the southpaw competition. His odds are this high mostly due to his handedness.

Chris Schwinden (14:1): Presumably the Mets want Schwinden starting games in Triple-A and ready to get the first call if any of their starters go down, but I’m allowing the small possibility they want another long reliever on the roster early in the season to take pressure off Johan Santana and/or the rest of the bullpen if the other starters endure some April shakiness.

Fernando Cabrera (14:1): Not much has been written about Cabrera this spring, at least not that I can find. He pitched quite well in Triple-A bullpens the last two years, but since he’s right-handed, he’s likely ticketed for a return to that level until a need arises. For what it’s worth, he looks like he could be a soap-opera star.

D.J. Carrasco (19:1): Carrasco is hurt and hasn’t pitched since March 10. He’s owed guaranteed money, which could earn him a spot on the disabled list to start the season. But also seems like a candidate to be cut when the Mets need to add players to their 40-man roster.

Pedro Beato (19:1): Beato hurt his shoulder earlier this spring and didn’t appear likely to make the Opening Day roster even before that. He’s still got the live arm everyone raved about last Spring, but since the Mets can now send him to the Minors to iron out the kinks, they probably will.

The field (14:1): What have you got for us, Tabasco of the Mexican League?