1. Done Deal. The Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers kicked off my 31st birthday/trade deadline weekend with a bang, swapping former All-Star closer Francisco Cordero, Kevin Mench, and Laynce Nix to Milwaukee for All-Star Carlos Lee and prospect Nelson Cruz. This move is a bit of a head-scratcher for me. The Brewers traded an impending free agent to Texas and got their future closer, as well as the serviceable Mench and a former prospect (Nix) who has a chance to still produce in the big leagues. I get that. But why did they have to give up a prospect? Cruz isn’t great; frankly, at 26, he’s a little old to still be playing in Triple-A right now, but still, the Brewers might’ve’ given up a bit too much here.
On the other hand, Texas depleted their bullpen and bench in one fell swoop. Lee’s a nice bat for the middle of the order but since he’s a free agent, unless he sticks around with a long-term deal, I’m not sure that Nelson Cruz was worth Cordero, Mench, and Nix. Oh well, I suppose that’s just part of the reason why the Rangers and Brewers rarely, if ever, join the ranks of relevant franchises in baseball.
2. Shakespearian Drama. To deal or not to deal, that is the question. Several GM’s have the next 24-48 hours to frankly assess their team’s likelihood of making the post-season. Depending on what they come up with will determine if they’ll be buying, selling, or standing pat. We all know that the Angels, Tigers, Mariners, White Sox, Astros, and Yankees have been associated with the Nationals in a potential deal for Alfonso Soriano. We all know that the Angels, Astros and White Sox have inquired about the Orioles’ Miguel Tejada. Apparently Phillies GM Pat Gillick has decided that the off-season will be the best time to trade Bobby Abreu. What we don’t know is what the Mets and Oakland A’s are thinking about Barry Zito.
If I were Omar Minaya, I would be all over Barry Zito right now. Sure, the Mets have the division locked up but beyond that, their playoff future is very murky. Pedro Martinez is making his first start in a month tonight. Tom Glavine has been ineffective since mid-June. Steve Trachsel is the Mets’ third-best pitcher and he certainly isn’t someone a team with World Series aspirations can depend on. To be blunt, the Mets rotation stinks and would be chopped by any number of AL teams in the World Series.
Contrary to popular belief, the Mets are not a totally homegrown team. Besides Wright and Reyes, the Mets have been almost exclusively constructed by free agency (Pedro, Glavine, Wagner, and Beltran) and trades (Delgado, Floyd, Nady, and Lo Duca). Of these eight players, all but two (Beltran and Nady) will be over the age of 34. If ever there was a win-now team, it is the 2006 Mets. Their minor league system has one true blue-chipper remaining in the form of Lastings Milledge. He’s young and he’s shot up the Mets farm system which seems to indicate that his talent goes beyond his good-but-not-amazing stats.
I think the Mets have to play to win the World Series this year. I think this is their best chance, given how poor the rest of the National League has been in 2006. Since it’s nearly a given that the Mets will pursue both Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Lee in free agency this winter, they’d be wise to lock up the best available pitcher on the trade market today and see if they can get a bit of a hometown discount after the season. With pitching coach Rick Petersen on staff in New York, the man that many credit for Zito’s success in the big leagues, and with a possible World Series ring, the Mets would be favored to retain Zito’s services if they go for him right now.
Milledge might be a great player one day but I think the Mets need to go out and lock down the NL Pennant as soon as they can. Teams only get a handful of chances to play in the Fall Classic and the Mets don’t seem to have a budding dynasty, given the age and makeup of the ballclub. I know what I would do if I were Omar Minaya...
On the other hand, Texas depleted their bullpen and bench in one fell swoop. Lee’s a nice bat for the middle of the order but since he’s a free agent, unless he sticks around with a long-term deal, I’m not sure that Nelson Cruz was worth Cordero, Mench, and Nix. Oh well, I suppose that’s just part of the reason why the Rangers and Brewers rarely, if ever, join the ranks of relevant franchises in baseball.
2. Shakespearian Drama. To deal or not to deal, that is the question. Several GM’s have the next 24-48 hours to frankly assess their team’s likelihood of making the post-season. Depending on what they come up with will determine if they’ll be buying, selling, or standing pat. We all know that the Angels, Tigers, Mariners, White Sox, Astros, and Yankees have been associated with the Nationals in a potential deal for Alfonso Soriano. We all know that the Angels, Astros and White Sox have inquired about the Orioles’ Miguel Tejada. Apparently Phillies GM Pat Gillick has decided that the off-season will be the best time to trade Bobby Abreu. What we don’t know is what the Mets and Oakland A’s are thinking about Barry Zito.
If I were Omar Minaya, I would be all over Barry Zito right now. Sure, the Mets have the division locked up but beyond that, their playoff future is very murky. Pedro Martinez is making his first start in a month tonight. Tom Glavine has been ineffective since mid-June. Steve Trachsel is the Mets’ third-best pitcher and he certainly isn’t someone a team with World Series aspirations can depend on. To be blunt, the Mets rotation stinks and would be chopped by any number of AL teams in the World Series.
Contrary to popular belief, the Mets are not a totally homegrown team. Besides Wright and Reyes, the Mets have been almost exclusively constructed by free agency (Pedro, Glavine, Wagner, and Beltran) and trades (Delgado, Floyd, Nady, and Lo Duca). Of these eight players, all but two (Beltran and Nady) will be over the age of 34. If ever there was a win-now team, it is the 2006 Mets. Their minor league system has one true blue-chipper remaining in the form of Lastings Milledge. He’s young and he’s shot up the Mets farm system which seems to indicate that his talent goes beyond his good-but-not-amazing stats.
I think the Mets have to play to win the World Series this year. I think this is their best chance, given how poor the rest of the National League has been in 2006. Since it’s nearly a given that the Mets will pursue both Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Lee in free agency this winter, they’d be wise to lock up the best available pitcher on the trade market today and see if they can get a bit of a hometown discount after the season. With pitching coach Rick Petersen on staff in New York, the man that many credit for Zito’s success in the big leagues, and with a possible World Series ring, the Mets would be favored to retain Zito’s services if they go for him right now.
Milledge might be a great player one day but I think the Mets need to go out and lock down the NL Pennant as soon as they can. Teams only get a handful of chances to play in the Fall Classic and the Mets don’t seem to have a budding dynasty, given the age and makeup of the ballclub. I know what I would do if I were Omar Minaya...
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