Just a few days remain before the curtain rises on four key experiments the Mets and Yankees are conducting in 2003, experiments that have turned New York's teams into baseball's biggest spenders.

	Big $, big expectations • Stark: Thome's new world • Klapisch: Year of the Dollar • Prospectus: Top 10 properties • Poll: Who earns their money?

This is the Year of the Dollar in the Big Apple, but even so -- if the Mets are writing checks like the Yankees and owner George Steinbrenner has turned into Bill Gates -- does any of this guarantee another Subway Series?

The Mets have fattened their payroll to $119 million, a franchise record, thanks primarily to the additions of free agents Tom Glavine and Cliff Floyd. Even though the Mets are some $50 million short of the Yankees' investment, their payroll is still second in the major leagues. And dollar-for-dollar, their financial strain is far greater than the Yankees'.

Of course, the Bombers aren't sweating the dollars -- when have they ever? -- but adding Jose Contreras, Cuba's best pitcher, and Hideki Matsui, Japan's best hitter, has delivered a hauntingly clear mandate to manager Joe Torre: win or else. Steinbrenner didn't plunk down $170 million just to witness another first-round playoffs exit.

In that respect, the Yankees and Mets are leaning heavily on their newcomers.

	Tom Glavine will be the Mets' starting pitcher on Opening Day.

Probably no one, not even the internationally known Matsui, carries a greater burden than Glavine. By default, the left-hander became the Mets' ace the day he signed a three-year, $35 million contract last December. And all during camp, Glavine has proven to be everything the Mets dreamed of -- mature and professional, so revered by manager Art Howe he practically choreographed the Mets pitchers' workouts through February and March.

But Glavine, who allowed the Giants 13 runs and 17 hits in 7 2/3 innings in last October's NL Division Series, arched eyebrows by pitching poorly for most of the exhibition season. The Mets might've been hoping for something better than a 6.85 ERA from Glavine in Florida, but no matter now: He's taking the mound on Opening Day Monday at Shea, and at least publicly, the Mets are sure his changeup will resurrect once the games count. Besides, the last outing against the Cardinals on Wednesday was vintage Glavine, as he allowed just one hit and one walk in four innings.

Indeed, scouts don't doubt that Glavine will raise the Mets' presence around the league. But it remains to be seen how much Glavine will suffer by having Roger Cedeno instead of Andruw Jones tracking fly balls in center field. Baseball people further wonder if Glavine can flourish with Mike Piazza, who threw out only 17.8 percent of base stealers last year. And who knows if Glavine will still be afforded a wider strike zone, now that his former Braves manager Bobby Cox is no longer intimidating umpires on his behalf?

To his credit, Glavine doesn't shrink from such questions. He knows the Mets' hopes live and breathe on his win-loss record.

"There's a lot of optimism about this season," Glavine said, "and I'm part of that optimism."

The Mets are equally hopeful that Cliff Floyd can improve an otherwise bloodless offense, which finished last in the division -- and 13th in the league -- in runs in 2002. Adding Floyd ballooned the payroll to its current $119 million, but Mets owner Fred Wilpon decided the left fielder was the final component to turn the team into a contender.

Wilpon is clearly gambling on a championship -- this year. But whether the Mets can actually afford Floyd is another matter. One team official admitted, "we're just going to have to draw more fans" to generate more cash.

	Hideki Matsui arrived in the majors as an established, well-paid player.

Can they? The Mets drew a healthy 2.8 million last year, even as a last-place team. Only twice in franchise history have they exceeded three million in attendance, 1987-88. So how much more money can the Mets realistically extract from the turnstiles?

Apparently, they will worry about profits later and, for now, are focused on Floyd's offensive profile: With the Expos and Red Sox in 2002, he slammed 18 homers in 366 at-bats against right-handed pitchers and hit .306. That prompted Wilpon to add the final $7 million to the 2003 payroll -- Floyd signed a four-year, $26 million contract -- as the left fielder will likely bat fifth, behind Piazza. The Mets believe Floyd will help Piazza recover some of the 41 points he dropped off his career average last year.

The Yankees' reliance on Matsui is somewhat different than the Mets' on Floyd. After all, the Bombers won 103 games last year and seem destined to score 1,000 runs in 2003. Indeed, Matsui was lured to the United States not so much as an offensive upgrade, but as an international marketing tool.

Can he hit? Well, sure. Matsui blasted 50 HRs in Japan last year, although the Yankees are rightfully giving him breathing room as a big-league rookie. Torre made sure to emphasize Matsui's bat speed instead of his power, saying, "I like how quick and compact his swing is. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes at the plate."

In other words, the Yankees are characterizing Matsui as a line-drive hitter, capable of hitting .300. Because of the Stadium's favorable dimensions to left-handed hitters, Matsui is being projected to hit 25 HRs. GM Brian Cashman calls the Japanese star "a perfect fit in our lineup with our ballpark."

"Is he going to hit 40 or 50 home runs? Probably not," Cashman said. "But we think 20-25 is realistic."

The biggest challenge Matsui faces is the unrelenting scrutiny of the Japanese media, which has attached itself to the slugger like a second skin. He has had to conduct two sets of interviews every day -- one for the English-speaking media and the other in his native language -- and the Yankees are still unsure how thick the army of Japanese reporters will be once the regular season begins.

So far, however, Matsui seems fine with world-wide attention, and the Yankees themselves haven't minded the added noise.

"He's just a great guy, a great teammate," said Jason Giambi, which is more than anyone has said about David Wells lately.

	“	There's a lot of optimism about this season, and I'm part of that optimism. ”
		— Tom Glavine

Contreras is equally popular with his teammates -- as quiet and shy as fellow countryman Orlando Hernandez was moody and volatile. Contreras seemingly has no ego, despite coming to the Yankees with the reputation as the international community's best pitcher. In retrospect, Contreras was wise not to boast: he struggled all spring to live up to his billing. With a 7.71 ERA in March, he pitched himself out of the starting rotation.

For now, as a long reliever, Contreras solves the problem over which of the Yankees' six starters to banish from the rotation. The right-hander admitted the other day, "I think the other five have done a better job than I have." But the Yankees aren't paying Contreras $8 million a year to languish in the bullpen.

In fact, the Yankees still think Contreras has the stuff to eventually become their No. 2 starter, if not this year, then in 2004 and beyond, when he and Jeff Weaver will fuel the Yankees' pitching engine. But if Contreras has learned anything this spring -- besides not leaving his changeup in the middle of the strike zone -- it's that next year doesn't exist in the Yankee universe.

Not when Steinbrenner is writing the checks. Not when the Boss' mandate resounds throughout the organization.

Win.

Win now.

Win now or else.

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