Offers On the Table

There is a smorgasboard of players rumored to be on the trading table, but this isn’t an all-you-can eat. Let’s take a quick look at some of the athletes the Mets are purportedly thinking about obtaining.

Eric Gagne
He’s going to cost, at minimum, Mike Pelfrey or Philip Humber (or both), plus another prospect. The Rangers are also reportedly interested in Carlos Gomez. Gagne’s great, yes, but as a Scott Boras client who wants closer’s dollars, he’s guaranteed to be a three-month rental. Is the potential of one of the Mets’ top prospects worth gambling to shorten games by another inning?
*** UPDATE: rumor has it that the Bosox want to speak with Gagne and/or Boras, so a deal may be done ***

*** ANOTHER UPDATE: Gagne has agreed to set up for Boston. It will take enormous creativity for the Red Sox to lose the pennant now, having to play only 7-inning games. ***

Brad Wilkerson
This is a bit of a head-scratcher. At one time, Wilkerson looked to be a future star on the Montreal Expos / Washington Nationals, but he’s the first hitter to see his numbers go down at the Ballpark at Arlington. He’s in the prime years of his career (30 years old) but the stat line doesn’t corroborate. While Mets fans may be aching to send Shawn Green to the bench (or out of town), I don’t think they’ll be happy with a guy who strikes out once every three at-bats.

Chad Cordero
The cost will be signficant — rumors claim Philip Humber and Carlos Gomez or Fernando Martinez. Is a setup man worth that much of the future? If the price goes down, the Mets will make the deal — but I doubt they part with two of their upper-echelon prospects.

David Weathers
Here we have a guy who won’t cost the Mets top prospects, and may be be just as effective as Cordero between now and October. I’d rather see the Mets deal, say, Mike Carp for Weathers than watch Humber, Pelfrey, Gomez, or FMart leave the organization for Cordero — but that’s Omar’s call.

Ken Griffey
It’s a longshot, but we could see Junior in a Mets uniform this year — especially if this rumor has any substance. And yes, I’d give up two top prospects, but only if Weathers was also part of the deal.

Joe Blanton
Word on the street is that Blanton is very available — in the right deal. Billy Beane has made no secret he wants Lastings Milledge, at minimum, in return. The Mets might consider this deal, but only if they’re also picking up a big bat and a legit setup reliever — most likely in transactions with other teams.

Jeff Conine
He should come cheap, and he’d be a very nice fit with his veteran bat, winning background, get-along personality, and versatility. If he doesn’t move today, he could be an after-deadline pickup.

Troy Percival
If the Mets fail to acquire Gagne, Cordero, or Weathers, you’d have to think they’d consider Percival, who will come cheap and might help out. Omar should be, and likely is, hell-bent on finding any kind of help for the bullpen.

Johnny Gomes
Very little has been heard at the rumor mill with Gomes, and there’s been no mention of the Mets being interested. Which is exactly why I think the Mets may get him. After all, Omar Minaya has a habit of making “out of the blue” trades for guys no one has talked about. However, the price for the heavy-hitting Gomes likely would include one of the Mets top young talents.

Jon Rauch
I’m really not interested, unless he comes very cheap and the Mets consider joining the NBA’s Eastern Conference. To me, he’s not an upgrade over Aaron Heilman.

Jermaine Dye
The Red Sox were rumored to be leading the chase for Dye, but the White Sox outfielder wants to play regularly. How the Bosox can squeeze him into the everyday lineup is questionable, and now that they’re supposedly negotiating with Eric Gagne, they may not have time to complete a deal for Dye. Could Omar swoop in and steal him for under market value? Dye might be worth it.