Blockbuster Coming?
The trading deadline (and my wife’s birthday) is 10 days away. The Mets are currently in a tie for first place with the Phillies, and go into Philly return to Shea for a three-game series on Tuesday. Omar Minaya has been remarkably quiet.
I smell a trade coming … a big one.
While it’s true the Mets have no chips to trade, I have a funny feeling that Omar will pull off something, and get something big in return. And not Raul Ibanez big.
Carlos Lee big.
Huh?
Before you poo-poo Gotham Baseball’s latest rumor, consider this: Lee is 32 years old and signed through 2012, for a total of $74M after this season. Houston owner Drayton McLane has to be re-thinking that contract, and with the Astros 12 games behind and nowhere near the talent level of the Brewers and Cubs, he might be thinking of trading away Lee while his stock is high.
No doubt the cost would include the Mets’ top prospects — i.e., Jon Niese, Mike Carp, F-Mart — but there’s an outside possibility they can pull off something that doesn’t include crown jewel Fernando Martinez. For example, the Mets might instead put Aaron Heilman and a few of their very young hurlers (Nathan Vineyard, Bobby Parnell, Brant Rustich) into a package. Why would the Astros bite? Think about it — there are only two other teams in MLB who would take on that kind of contract for a player on the wrong side of 30 — the Yankees and the Red Sox. The Bosox won’t do it because they can pick up their two options on Manny Ramirez. The Yankees could be a suitor in the offseason, but right now seem uninterested in dealing away any more of their youth.
Gotham also suggests Willie Bloomquist — a guy I never considered but does seem to be a decent fit. Still, I think we’ll see something bigger, and keep looking at the Baltimore Orioles and all their bad contracts. Furthermore, the latest news that Billy Wagner needs an MRI on his shoulder means the Mets are suddenly in the market for a closer. Could Huston Street be in their sights? Or at the least, Rafael Betancourt?
Most likely, what the Mets do before the 31st will depend directly on what happens this week. If the Mets have a strong series in Philly, and take at least two, they might just stand pat — or make a minor deal. If they lose at least two, though, you can bet your bottom dollar that a panic deal will be made. Minaya’s job is on the line this season, and he MUST get the Mets to the postseason. My best guess is Aaron Heilman is on the way out, as well as either Scott Schoeneweis or Pedro Feliciano. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ryan Church was put into a deal for the right player (i.e., Street … with Matt Murton, or Carlos Lee). Think I’m nuts? You would have thought the same thing on this date in 2006 if I said the Mets would trade Xavier Nady for a 41-year-old reliever and a starting pitcher sent to AAA after posting a 2-10 record. Crazy things happen this time of year.
But Lee DOES fit the type of player the Mets are going after — meaning, someone with a huge contract. Remember they don’t have the chips to compete with other clubs, but they do have the cash to relieve someone of a bad contract. Omar WILL NOT HAVE A JOB if the Mets don’t go to the postseason, so if there’s a player out there available to the Mets in the Lee / Holliday category, I wouldn’t be surprised to see F-Mart go.
Also have to disagree on Church. Yes he’s having neurological issues now but a team that is selling is not looking at this year. I suppose there is some concern but doubt anyone thinks his career is over. A team in last place could deal for him and shut him down for the year, thinking toward 2009.
Yeah, this is all REALLY whimsical but again, no one saw that Nady deal coming in ’06. Anything can happen in the next 10 days.
Even more amazing, Omar, rumored to be clinging to his job (presumably for overspending and mortgaging the future on yesterday’s over-the-hill has beens) is now poised to “save” his job by doing what??? Well, by overspending and mortgaging the future on tomorrow’s soon to be over-the-hill has beens, of course. Makes perfect sense …. if you’ve had a lobotomy!!!
No, this movie would never fly. No one would believe anyone could be that moronic.
I was thinking something along the lines of a corner outfileder, as well. Or a starting pitcher (A.J. Burnett?).
But, Omar’s best chance is to stand pat and not give up any of the young pitchers or FMart.
MDKidd, Minaya would not lose his job if he depleted the farm system but put the Mets in the postseason in the year before the opening of Citi Field. But he chose this road the day Pedro was signed.
This is not to say I am in favor of Minaya’s ways … I would like to see more from the farm system — in fact I’d have been happy to see Mike Jacobs given a shot at first rather than traded for Delgado. But you can’t build an organization in one year — it takes several years of good drafting. With Citi Field opening, ticket prices going through the roof, the economy in a downturn, what is Omar going to do, today? Tell the Wilpons, “hey, we’ll compete this year, and if we make it to the playoffs, great … if not, we’ll have some really exciting players in 2011”. Don’t think so. His guy (Randolph) is gone and he’s next if the team doesn’t perform.
BTW I don’t think the Mets should be trading away any more of what’s left of the farm — and have said as much several times in recent weeks. I’m looking at this from the front office perspective — the people that overpaid Pedro, Beltran, Schoeneweis, Delgado, etc., because they thought we Mets fans didn’t have the patience to wait for a team to rebuild from within.
Anyway, here’s my contribution to the trade proposal banter.
And Joe, it would definitely be a blockbuster if it were to happen:
I heard this one today in a casual conversation among a Mets fan, Yankees fan, Red Sox fan and Orioles-turned-local-NY fan that The Sox are again considering moving Manny. There are only a few teams that can afford him, including the two NY teams. Both NY teams need a left-fielder this year. Obviously, the Red Sox would not trade him to the Yankees, so let’s look at the Mets:
– The Mets definitely need a left fielder
– Omar has previously expressed interest in Manny
– Remember Joe’s point about Omar possibly needing to get to the post-season this year to save his job.
But then the counter response:
What do the Mets have that the Red Sox want/need?
Maybe not much of a fit, so let’s bring in a third team:
The Rockies, with Matt Holliday.
The Sox move Manny to NYM.
The Rockies move Matt Holliday to Boston.
The Mets and Red Sox move a combination of major league and minor league players to the Rockies to make up the difference.
Just a thought.
We all know Omar loves Manny, and has been after him for three years, and I kept thinking “could it happen, but how?” … Murph you may be on to something there with the 3-way. It makes a heckuva lot of sense from a number of angles, the main one being that the Mets can foot the bill. Yes, Manny’s deal has a club option, but there’s no way the Bosox let him go free — even at $20M he’s a bargain. But if they can part ways with him and bring in Holliday — I think they’d be OK with parting with a couple prospects.
And the Mets can get away with dealing Scho or Feliciano (the Bosox being in the market for a LHP), Heilman, and a couple of those high-ceiling A-ball guys (Vineyard? Rustich?). Church might have to be part of the deal, but for Manny it’s tempting. Colorado would LOVE Church’s dedication to the Christian faith and he has a great name for a team that thinks Jesus helps them win.
BTW, the Carlos Lee rumors are not unfounded … just because Ken Rosenthal isn’t reporting it (yet) doesn’t mean it’s a conjured story. My somewhat reliable sources tell me the ‘stros are putting EVERYONE on the block and listening to offers — Lee, Tejada, Oswalt, heck, they’re even open to dealing Hunter Pence. Naturally,they’re looking to shed bad contracts, and as good as El Caballo is hitting this year, that’s a bad contract. I don’t think that the Mets have what it takes to get him, but, now that Murph has opened my eyes to a three-way with the Bosox … maybe they’ll end up with Manny and Lee goes to Fenway. Stranger things have happened.