No one is untradeable. Ok, Derek Jeter and David Wright are untradeable. But then again the Mets traded Tom Seaver who was the face of this franchise in those horrid early years.
This offseason I am confident the trade rumors will be buzzing like an angry wasps' nest. Names will be dropped like your Dick Vitale at the Final Four. But of all the Mets I believe three names will be mentioned the most this offseason: Carlos Gomez, Fernando Martinez, and Lasting Milledge.
Why? Two words: "youth" & "upside." At this point none of them have really proven what kind of big league talent they will become. Martinez is the equivalent of an 8th grader scouting college basketball scholarships. If he turns out to be good, you got him for a prayer. If he doesn't no sleep lost. Gomez has shown signs of brilliance amidst a streak of immaturity. And Milledge? Well, is he a young Gary Sheffield or a future Bernard Gilkey?
No one has a crystal ball so the real question is who are you willing to trade at this point?
My first inkling is to trade Martinez. The kid's got talent for sure, but he's a good 2-3 years away from even being a regular at the major league level. If a team is willing to give up good, young talent that is already big league tested for a potential wonder boy, that's fine with me. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
That brings me to Carlos Gomez, whom I am enamored with. The way he tracks down fly balls reminds me of Andruw Jones when he feels like playing. The question is if he's just a pinch runner and hired glove, or will he be able to consistently hit some day. Again he's very young, but I don't think we can judge Gomez accurately just yet. He was thrown into the lineup this year straight from Double A last year. His build shows he has the potential for some pop and that kind of speed and glove are a wonderful thing to have in your back pocket.
And then there was Milledge. The often coveted blue chip prospect has now shown baseball what he can do at least for half a season. The kid was our best hitter with runners in scoring position for 3 months and seemed to get on base at just the right time. And I don't know about you but I was surprised at how well he played in the field this year. Milledge made some impressive plays at clutch moments. The kid has potential and unless there's a package for a top pitching prospect like Johann Santana or Josh Beckett, I'd hold onto Milledge.
So there you have it. This novice wants to hold on Milledge & Gomez, and gamble with Martinez. Although none of these guys are untradeable. Starting pitching is a luxury in this league. Just ask Tom Glavine.
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