What Do the A's Want for Dan Haren?

According to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark, the Oakland Athletics have made it clear what they want from the Mets if they want to get Dan Haren.

According to Stark, Billy Beane has said that it will take Carlos Gomez and top minor league prospect, Fernando Martinez, to secure Dan Haren in a trade.

I found it a little surprising that Beane wouldn't require a pitcher in return since it appears he's wholesaling his entire starting rotation. If the Mets made this deal they'd in essence would give up their entire outfield of youth (Milledge, Gomez, Martinez).

Long term what this means is that they'll need to make a deal next year to replace Moises Alou, and if Ryan Church has a bad season and bats .230 we might need to replace him as well. I'm hopeful about Church, but I'm cautious to give up both Martinez and Gomez. I'd much rather package in a pitcher or two instead of one of them.

If the A's offer is legit it's not an unreasonable one, and you have to ask yourself is it easier to replace young outfielders or a young starting pitcher?

Still there's much left to be decided and we just have to sit and wait for the cards to be dealt.

The Mets and Baseball's Winter Meetings

It's finally here. The most wonderful time of the year. GMs are scrambling and media's waiting to hear of a deal! It's the annual baseball winter meetings.

This year the Opryland hotel in Nashville, TN is host to baseball's winter swap meet. This is the place where deals get done. Nobody wants their team needs looming over them during the holidays so every GM will be looking to have a deal done by this Friday.

So what are the Mets looking to get? Pitching, pitching, pitching. As we all know a top notch starting pitcher is the number one need of our beloved Mets, but it looks like Johann Santana is out of the picture as he's now saying it's either the Yankees or the Red Sox.

The interesting news is the Erik Bedard of the Orioles appears to want to get out of Baltimore ASAP, and we know that Billy Beane loves to chat up the Mets. Even Miguel Cabrera is a name that is being tossed around as someone the Mets are interested in, although I'm not too crazy about that. Unless it's for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider, then Omar is a genius.

In a perfect world I'd like the Mets to get Erik Bedard and Chad Bradford from the Orioles. If they were able to pull that off, I'd be satisfied with the team as is. It would fill needs in both the rotation and the bullpen. If Bradford is not open for dealing, that Octavio Dotel would be my second option.

Of course this all speculation until something gets done, but let's hope Omar is a busy man this week.

Would You Give Up Your Youth For. . .

In a totally hypothetical situation, yet possibly plausible, the Mets starting rotation next year could be Pedro Martinez, Dan Haren, Joe Blanton, Dontrelle Willis and Oliver Perez.

I know what you're thinking. The answer is no I'm not high. But this is a scenario worth considering. That hypothetical starting rotation consists of 4 pitchers with young arms and one solid veteran. It's a rotation that's pretty much set for the next 3 years with Pedro's longevity being the only question mark.

What will it take to get them? Ha, here's the kicker. The Mets would more than likely have to give up Fernando Martinez, John Maine, Lastings Milledge, Carlos Gomez, Ruben Gotay, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra. The A's would want Maine, Gotay, Mulvey & Gomez for Haren & Blanton. The Marlins would get Guerra, Milledge & Martinez for Dontrelle Willis.

So the Mets would give up basically their top 3 position prospects, their top 2 pitching prospects, and one solid starter for three young stud pitchers. Would you do it?

At first my knee jerk reaction is it's a crazy idea, don't do it. But after thinking about it the Mets would have 3 solid pitchers, 2 potential aces, on their staff that would be locked up for the next 3 seasons. What are they really giving up? They're giving up the potential for one of those young players to become an All Star, but there's not guarantee that they will.

John Maine is the guy that really makes this deal tough for me. I think Maine has the potential to be a #2 guy on a staff but I don't see him being a #1 starter into the future. I love John Maine and his performance on the second to last game of the season this year was legendary. If somehow this could be done without Maine it would make it so much easier to do.

As we have learned over the past two seasons, starting pitching is the key to a championship. If these deals could be made we'd still have the core of our lineup in tact, but we're potentially mortgaging the future for the present.

Still I think I'd do it.

Santana First, Haren Second

A lot of people are talking about how the Mets should go after Dan Haren of the A's instead of Johan Santana. They offer some good reasons including the fact that Haren will take less prospects to get and is locked up until 2010 in a reasonable contract. With Santana it will take 4-5 top prospects and a $150 million dollar contract. Both pitchers are aces and reasonably aged with Haren at 27 and Santana at 29.

To that argument I say, who would you want on the mound in game 7 of the World Series? If you answer Haren, you're on crack. You know you want Santana.

The Mets have the rarest of rare opportunities to get THE best pitcher in baseball. Period. When's the last time the Mets had the best pitcher in baseball? Hmmmm. 1986, Doc Gooden. It's been over 20 years, and the Mets in that time frame have often settled for second best (or third, fourth or sixteenth best).

Where has that gotten us? No championships. One World Series. And a few playoff births.

The Mets need to start thinking championships. We have the blue chip prospects to offer without depleting our entire arsenal. We have the money to offer Santana a big contract. And we're opening up a new stadium in a year with a potential Cy Young champ from the year before pitching opening day.

I do like Haren, a lot. And he can start for me on any day, but there's no way I'm choosing him over Santana. To those who say, "But the Yankees are already talking to Santana. We're doomed!" I reply, "Remember Carlos Beltran." The Yanks were supposed to sign Beltran. It was all but done, until Omar swooped in and picked him off.

I expect and trust that Omar will do the same here. Go get Santana. If he doesn't want to come, fine we'll go get Haren. But let's not settle for a porterhouse, when a perfectly good filet mignon is right within our reach.

Breakout the platinum American Express. Let's get the best pitcher in baseball in orange and blue.