That was awesome. I went to last night’s game with some friends. We braved the rain delay, moved down to some baller-ass seats, and watched the Mets put up 14 runs.

People talk about the beauty of a 1-0 shutout, and I get that. But to me, there’s a whole lot of beauty in a 14-6 barnburner too. Back when I was a kid, the ballplayers were massive and smashed enormous homers with ridiculous frequency, line drives richoteted around ballparks as pitchers cowered in fear. Last night was baseball as it oughta be. A real throwback.

I kid, sort of. It was fun is all. For cryin’ out loud, Rod Barajas reached base three times by the third inning. That’s a special, special ballgame.

And right at the center of everything last night was a guy who has been at the center of everything for the Mets all season. Angel Pagan had four hits including a double and a triple. He scored three runs and drove in four.

Pagan has been the Mets’ best regular outfielder this year, and it’s not even close. He has the highest OPS of the three, plays the best defense, and gains the most runs on the basepaths. He is second on the team in WAR and tied for sixth in the National League, according to baseball-reference.com. Pagan might not make the All-Star Team, but he absolutely deserves to.

Look: Maybe it won’t matter, since at this point it’s hard to assume Carlos Beltran will really return by the end of his 20-day rehab window. But if he does, there’s no way Pagan should be the man who loses the most playing time.

Pagan’s been performing like this for over a full year now. For some silly reason, a couple of mental lapses in the field and on the basepaths overshadowed an excellent season in 2009.

And still, people cling to outdated labels. Angel Pagan is a fourth outfielder, a great role player, a perfect sub. Jeff Francoeur is an everyday player.

Francoeur hasn’t been terrible this year, but he should be the odd man out if and when Beltran returns. Certainly against right-handed pitching. He torches lefties and Pagan does not, though Pagan’s exceptional range in the outfield makes up for at least some of the difference.

Beltran has been more or less equally awesome against lefties and righties in his career, but I strongly doubt he will come anywhere close to matching Pagan’s ability in center field at this point. Beltran is reportedly still running with a limp.

Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya insist Beltran will play center field. He probably shouldn’t.

Seems like Beltran should play right, both to save his legs and to get the most value out of Pagan’s range. Francoeur can spell Beltran when he needs days off — which he inevitably will — but should never start against right-handed pitching.

Pagan should be in the lineup and on the field as often as — or more than — anyone else in the outfield mix.

Many people think a tan protects them by helping block the damaging effects of UV radiation. In fact, a tan represents skin damage. Even brief exposure to ultraviolet light can cause mutations in the DNA of skin cells, including the melanocytes, the host cells for melanoma. Accumulate enough of those mutations and a cancer can result.

“As we age, the number of mutations increase and our immunity wanes,” Dr. Wagner explained — a double whammy that greatly increases the likelihood of skin cancer.

– Jane E. Brody, New York Times.

I’m not here to tell you what to do and I hate being too preachy or a total spoilsport. But it’s getting to be beach season, and in the spirit of Johan Santana’s event last night I figured I’d pass along the link.

Wearing sunscreen is way easier than dying. The only tricky part is that not all sunscreens adequately protect the whole range of sunrays that can mess you up. Look for products that boast “broad-spectrum” protection or use this guide.

But hey, don’t take my word for it. John Franco’s closing in on 50 (!) with the radiant skin of a 35-year-old. Is it weird that I asked Mike Pelfrey if he “slathered up”? Yes. Whatever. For a good cause.

“We have enough as it is right now, but there’s nothing wrong with improving what we have,” Santana said at his charity bowling tournament Monday night in Manhattan…

“We’ve been playing great, but to go out and add a guy like (Oswalt or Lee), it might put us over the top,” Pelfrey said. “You would definitely love to have those guys on your team. I think those are some of the elite pitchers in the game. It definitely can help if you go out and get them.”

Pelfrey made sure to stress that such a decision is “above my pay-grade,” while adding, “I feel pretty comfortable with the guys we have … so I don’t know if it’s a necessity. If they’re able to bring them on board, it’s great. If they don’t, I think we’ll be fine.”

– Peter Botte, N.Y. Daily News.

Breaking: Mike Pelfrey respects the chain of command. Also, Pelfrey and Johan Santana both think Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee are good pitchers who would help the Mets, but that the Mets are doing pretty well without them. Nothing shocking here.

Speculating about the trade market is one of the most fun things about being a fan and often one of the most frustrating things about talking to other fans.

Anyone can argue that the Mets should push to acquire one of Oswalt, Lee or Dan Haren, and hey, any of those guys would significantly increase the Mets’ chances of sustaining a pennant run in 2010.

But it’s never that simple, obviously. First, it’s important to consider the costs and risks involved. As well as the Mets have been playing, there’s always some chance that they’ll fall out of contention even with an additional front-line starter.

Though the added depth in the rotation will undoubtedly make the team better, Santana and Pelfrey are both outpitching their peripherals this season and it’s eminently possible that more than one of Hisanori Takahashi, Jon Niese and R.A. Dickey will struggle as the league becomes more familiar with their repertoires. And the threat of injuries always looms. Trading a gaggle of prospects means jeopardizing the team’s long-term success, and it would be a shame to do so in the name of anything less than a playoff berth.

Then again, success in baseball can be fleeting, and there’s an understandable urge to go all-in when things appear to be falling the right way for a team — as they are for the 2010 Mets. I generally rail against the idea of trading prospects for quick fixes and rentals, but since prospects are never guaranteed to pan out and championships should trump everything, there are times when it’s right to trade for established stars.

Regardless, lumping Lee, Haren and Oswalt together as though they are interchangeable is silly. They are different pitchers and they have wildly distinct contract situations that will impact both their cost on the trade market and their value to their team.

Lee is awesome and enjoying a spectacular season. In 2010, he has more wins than walks allowed. His 2.55 ERA is actually a half a run higher than his FIP.

But Lee is only signed for the rest of this season. It’s a safe bet he’ll continue being awesome — though probably not this awesome — for the rest of 2010, but he reportedly hopes to test the free-agent market in the offseason. The upside to that, for an acquiring team, means he essentially comes with two high draft picks. The downside is that he’s a rental in the purest sense of the term, and whatever established prospects it will likely take to land him will be a more known quantity — and likely closer to the Majors — than the 2011 picks.

Oswalt is very good and having an excellent season after two in which he showed signs of decline. But Oswalt is set to make $16 million in 2011 with a $16 million option for 2012 that will require a $2 million buyout.

That’s a little above the market rate for a pitcher of Oswalt’s caliber, and he is 32 and not getting any younger. Trading for him means taking on his contract, which, while far from a disaster, will make any team a whole lot less flexible to spend money in the offseason. Of course, the size of his contract should also lower his price in prospects on the trade market.

Haren is excellent, but having a season below his usual standards. He has been one of the best and most durable starters in the National League for the past several years, but in 2010 he has been victimized by career highs in BABIP and home run/flyball rate — indicators of bad luck.

Haren’s contract will pay him $12.75 million in 2011 and 2012, and includes a $15.5 million club option for 2013 with a $3.5 million buyout. He’s only 29, so it’s reasonable to expect him to maintain something close to his standard exceptional level of performance for the length of the deal. Haren represents a massive bargain to any acquiring club.

Of course, there are few signs that the Diamondbacks are ready to enter sell mode, and since Haren is a valuable commodity on a reasonable contract, it’s hard to see what — short of a complete fire sale — would motivate the club to trade him. Even if they don’t aim to contend in 2010, Haren should be a big part of their plans for the future.

Lee, Oswalt and Haren are not the same. Haren should cost the most in terms of prospects, but also appears to be by far the most worthwhile acquisition for any team’s future. Lee should cost less, but will provide less. Oswalt should come cheapest of the three due to his expensive contract.