The Milledge Trade Looks Worse Today

If you haven't heard there's news from the winter meeting that the Tigers and Mets are talking about a possible trade that would send Dontrelle Willis to the Mets.

What's the catch? Well, the catch is the Tigers have found themselves with a payroll overload and need to cut back so any deal involving Dontrelle would also include taking Pudge Rodriguez and his +$13MM salary. Now Pudge has a no trade clause, but would waive it if he was offered a contract extension from a playoff team (i.e. New York Mets).

So how does this make the Milledge trade any worse? Well we now have an overload at catcher so for this deal to happen we'd either a) have to cut one of our existing catchers under contract b) find a way to package one of them in a deal for Willis/Rodriguez. The problem with option B is we just signed Castro to a contract and just traded for Schneider and are stuck with his contract. This is not about Ryan Church. Church will bat .270 for us and knock in 60 RBIs. This is about getting a middle of the road catcher early in the offseason before knowing what's really out there.

Of course hindsight is 20/20, but it just compounds the bad feeling I'm getting from the Mets this offseason. I have a horrible feeling that come April 1 we will not have acquired a top notch starting pitcher. Livan Hernandez will be in the rotation. And our bullpen will be very similar to last year.

I'd love for the Mets to make this deal with the Tigers. The Marlins were packaging Willis and Cabrera because they wanted to dump payroll. The Tigers don't really need Willis and now find themselves wanting to dump payroll as well. This is a perfect scenario for the Mets. The Mets could try and send Castro, Heilman, and Mulvey to the Tigers for Willis & Pudge. The Tigers don't need any more bats or big time contracts.

Will this happen? Who knows. But if it doesn't happen in the coming week, it will be less likely that it ever will.

Mr. Milledge Goes to Washington

This was not the trade we've been waiting for and it perplexes me more than interests me. Today the Mets sent Lastings Milledge to their divisional rival, the Washington Nationals, for C Brian Schneider and OF Ryan Church.

Why? Who knows. And please somebody explain it to me if you do know.

Now the Mets will have 3 catchers on their roster in Schneider, Castro & Estrada so I'm assuming one of them has to go. And we've replaced a potential young star in Milledge who was one of our best hitters with runners in scoring position last year with a slightly older, but still young outfielder who bats around .270.

I know Ryan Church has hit well against the Mets in the past, but I think every National looked like a Hall of Famer against the Mets the last week of the season. Is there something in Ryan Church that we don't see? Would you rather see Church in right field than Gomez or Milledge?

It just doesn't make any sense, but I trust Omar has a great plan in place that us plebeians cannot contemplate. The only player on the Nationals that I'd even remotely be interested in is Chad Cordero.

Instead I got Brian Schneider (who is at least a somewhat younger catcher and can play some D) and a middle of the road outfielder in Ryan Church.

Someone wake me up when we sign Dan Haren.

Who Would You Trade?

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.

The Youthful Outfield

While we are celebrating the recent winning streak, Bleed Orange & Blue looks a little farther into the future as what could be next year, specifically when it comes to the Mets outfield.

The potential starting outfield for the Mets next year could be Gomez, Beltran and Milledge which might be the fastest outfield in the majors. With Milledge and Gomez both getting significant playing time this year it opens up the doors for a potentially great year next year.

I personally love Gomez and just thinking of he and Reyes at the top of the lineup makes me salivate. It's reminiscent of Vince Coleman and Willie McGee at the top of that old Cardinals lineup in the late 80's.

So if you want to take a look into the bright future, click here to read the full post on Bleed Orange & Blue.

I Love Wins Like This

With the Mets down 2-0 last night, they showed to me that these are no longer the Mets of June & July. The Mets rallied to tie the game and then open up the flood gates to beat the Astros 11-3.

It was the type of game I love to see. It was close at first, the Mets come back, and then they crush their opponent like a grape. That's the killer instinct the Mets need to continue to have as the season comes to a close in 3 weeks.

Lastings Milledge showed he wants his starting job back making a stellar diving play in right field and then crushing a 3 run home run a little bit later. Milledge's catch was remarkable and I loved the fact that he popped right up after he made the dive to show everybody that he actually caught the ball. He looked like an excited little leaguer who was just as surprised as everyone else that he caught the ball.

The only concern I have from last night's game is Jose Reyes. Keith Hernandez pointed out an error in his swing in that he leans too far over the plate and tops curveballs while getting under fastballs. Reyes looks like he's trying too hard to crush the ball instead of slapping the ball the opposite way. I wish Reyes would take some tips from Luis Castillo who just continues to impress me as a hitter. I know Reyes will get out of the slump, but I'd like it to be before we play the Phillies again.

A day game today so be prepared for team B to make an appearance. I'm hoping Carlos Gomez gets the start in left. I've missed his energy and excitement.