NEW YORK -- The room was more like a jungle of TV cameras, microphones and notebooks -- wall-to-wall questions and answers about the New Look Mets.

On Friday, it was Mo Vaughn's turn to be unveiled in the beefier, more powerful line-up. New face, new bat, a new philosophy that's part of the most dramatic changeover in the Mets' history. They were the lowest-scoring team in the major leagues last year, but suddenly, the 2002 Mets are, in Bobby Valentine's opinion, "the best hitting team (the franchise) has ever had."

	Mo Vaughn has hit 299 home runs in his 10-year career.

Strong words -- and that's even without Juan Gonzalez, who continues to intrigue the Mets. Steve Phillips and agent Jeff Moorad have had what the GM calls "conceptual" discussions of Gonzalez's worth, although it's already clear the Mets won't pay more than $11-$12 million a year.

That would be a meager raise over the $10 million Gonzalez made with the Indians in 2001, especially after his 140-RBI season. But Gonzalez has publicly stated how much the Mets appeal to him, and Vaughn agreed to defer portions of his 2002 and 2003 salaries to make it easier for the Mets to pay Gonzalez.

All those factors might lure the slugger to Shea, and turn the Mets into the National League's offensive superpower. That would signal the end of a long tradition of Mets teams that've flourished on their pitching -- a fastball culture that produced Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden -- although as Valentine dryly asked, "how many world championships have the Braves won?"

The manager's point? There was no chance of instantly building a pitching dynasty, and no guarantee that pitching is the only way to win. So why not pump up the offense? The Mets have already landed Roberto Alomar and Roger Cedeno, and they're willing to believe Vaughn can be the hitter he was in 1998.

That was before he suffered a torn biceps tendon injury that ended his season last year, and before Vaughn became disheartened by the laid-back atmosphere in Anaheim. After eight seasons with the Red Sox, the first baseman deftly indicted the Angels by saying, "I know where baseball matters, and where it doesn't."

Clearly, Vaughn is happy to be with the Mets, and the feeling is mutual. In fact, the team was so intent on acquiring Vaughn, Phillips and Valentine didn't even wait until spring training to at least see if a year's absence had dulled Mo's hitting skills.

Nor is Phillips worried that committing to Vaughn through 2004 all but forces Mike Piazza to remain behind the plate, shelving any plan to move him to first base. And no one is quite sure what to do with Todd Zeile and his $6 million contract.

	“	All I can say is that this is a great day for me. I never thought I'd have the chance to play in New York, and really, it's like a dream come true. ”
		— Mo Vaughn

Instead, Phillips and Valentine put aside those concerns as they drove to Stoughton, Mass., last week to watch Vaughn hit in a batting cage. After 2½ hours, the verdict was returned: Mo was still the same threat he once was at Fenway.

Of course, the Mets could have waited, but Phillips said, "there's no guarantee that (Vaughn) would still be there" in March or April. Meaning, the Angels, who were eager to trade the first baseman, might have found a better deal.

So the Mets moved swiftly and were willing to trade away their No. 2 starter, Kevin Appier.

Phillips doesn't dispute that's a steep price to pay, but says the acquisition of Shawn Estes will neutralize losing Appier. The GM says, "I don't feel any urgency to do anything about my pitching right now" even though the starting rotation now has four left-handers.

In fact, baseball executives say Phillips is already on the prowl for another right-handed starter. In the meantime, if the Mets are counting on Estes to replace Appier, he'll have to improve on his 2-5 record in the second half of the 2001 season with the Giants. Conversely, Appier didn't lose a game after July 24.

The Mets surely know that Vaughn himself represents a gamble. Even though he says he's 100-percent recovered from his injury, Vaughn suffered a noticeable dropoff in his last full season with the Angels.

In 2000, while batting .272 with 36 HRs and 117 RBI, Vaughn led the American League with 181 strikeouts, and his average was 26 points off his career mark of .298. He also gained 15 pounds, ballooning up to 260.

Vaughn responds by saying his rehab has made him leaner and quicker, not to mention more appreciative of his blessings as a major leaguer. In fact, the time away has convinced Vaughn that he'll actually be a better player than he was in Anaheim -- and it won't hurt that the former Seton Hall star is returning to his New York-New Jersey area roots.

"All I can say is that this is a great day for me," Vaughn said at a Shea Stadium press conference on Friday afternoon. "I never thought I'd have the chance to play in New York, and really, it's like a dream come true."

The dream is more like a fantasy, at least for Mets loyalists who've waited for the day when scoring runs wouldn't be a problem anymore. It was Valentine who put it best, when he said, "we're a much better team now than last year. We've changed dramatically, and we've become dramatically better."

Imagine what Valentine will say if -- or when -- the Mets sign Gonzalez.

Bob Klapisch of The Record (Bergen County, N.J.) covers baseball for ESPN.com.