On the heels of reading that the Washington Nationals are targeting Carlos Gomez and Mike Pelfrey in a deal for Chad Cordero, the Phillies send a fourth (or fifth) outfielder and a bad middle reliever to the Astros in return for Brad Lidge … and the ‘stros threw in Eric Bruntlett as well!

Am I missing something here?

Let’s examine the deal again, in case I missed something.

Phillies give up: Geoff Geary, Michael Bourn, Mike Costanzo.

Astros give up: Brad Lidge, Eric Bruntlett.

Bourn is 25 years old and speedy. That’s about it. He projects to be an Endy Chavez, at best. Geary had one decent year out of the bullpen, hasn’t done much at all since. Reminds me a lot of Jon Adkins — or Guillermo Mota, for that matter. Costanzo is considered a “power hitting third base prospect” but as a 24-year-old spent 2007 in AA. He hit 27 HRs against inexperienced pitching, but he also struck out nearly 160 times. Most scouts project him as a first baseman, and wonder if he’ll struggle at AAA.

You’re telling me the Mets couldn’t have put together a similar, or more attractive package for Lidge, who despite hitting some bumps in the road remains potentially one of the most dominating relievers in the NL? And in this market, where everyone is begging for bullpen help, the Astros give him away this early and for this crappy a package? Unbelievable.

In comparison to what the Phillies gave up, a similar Mets package would have been Guillermo Mota, Endy Chavez, and Brett Harper. Harper is a free agent so I suppose the Mets would give up Mike Carp. Yes, no one wants to see Endy go but we’d get over it, I’m sure, especially if Carlos Gomez stays with the organization. Or maybe the Astros would be silly enough to take Ben Johnson off our hands — heck, we wouldn’t even ask for Bruntlett in the deal.

Lidge was perhaps THE most dominant closer in baseball in 2005. He had a really awful 2006, and was looking just as bad in the beginning of 2007. However, his pitching coach finally found a flaw in his mechanics and he began to “get it back”, though with some inconsistencies. The talent is there, the velocity is there, and the stuff is there. Before we compare him to Mota — who also has stuff and velocity — remember that Mota never dominated the way Lidge did. It’s in Lidge, he’s done it before, and if he could have been had for such a paltry package, I think you have to make it happen.

Meantime, Omar Minaya will talk to the Nats about getting a similar closer with setting up in his future — one also on the way down — in return for the Mets’ brightest prospects. You tell me which deal makes more sense.

So Omar Minaya and Mark Shapiro had lunch and were supposedly talking about a deal that would send LHP Cliff Lee to the Mets. That would be a typical Omar move — pick up a guy who had success in the past, but is coming off a down year and whose value has sunk to minuscule levels.

But hold on here, the Indians have another guy whose value has shrunk, at a position where the Mets have a need: second base.

While watching the playoff games between the Indians and Red Sox, I completely lost sight of the fact that Josh Barfield was riding the pine — rookie Asdrubal Cabrera had stolen his job late in the season and proved to be a spark for the Injuns. It’s a foregone conclusion that Cabrera will enter 2008 as the starting second sacker.

So what does that mean for Barfield?

As a rookie in 2006, Barfield played in 150 games for the Padres and hit .280 with 32 doubles, 13 homers, and a .423 slugging percentage, while stealing over 20 bases. Yes, his OBP was abysmal — only .318 — but he was a 23-year-old rookie. After his successful inaugural season, it appeared that Barfield would be manning the keystone for years to come in San Diego, but they shipped him out to Cleveland for third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff. With the Indians, Barfield was so-so, with his offensive numbers dropping off significantly — 3 HR, .243 average, .270 OBP, .324 SLG. Yes, those numbers are ugly, and he’s still way too aggressive. But he turns just 25 next month, has enjoyed success in the recent past, and had a pretty slick glove before moving to Cleveland. Maybe the trade messed with his psyche, or maybe he pressed with the bat. Point is, he’s young enough and talented enough to reverse the slide and make progress again — and he’ll come REALLY cheap.

Back in 2005, the Indians gave up on another 25-year-old second baseman who appeared to be regressing instead of improving. He was dumped on the Reds for a PTBNL. His name was Brandon Phillips. (Ironically, Phillips was acquired by the Indians along with Lee, in the deal with the Expos for Bartolo Colon.)

Wouldn’t it be just like Omar to make an under-the-radar deal for Cliff Lee, and get Josh Barfield as a “throw-in” ? And then see Barfield return to the form that made him the #1 prospect in San Diego’s organization just two years ago?

From Baseball America, circa 2005:

“Barfield has a quick swing and uses the whole field, with no discernible weakness when it comes to pitch location. His power continues to develop and he projects to hit 20-25 home runs annually in the big leagues. Barfield provides an argument to those who believe that there’s no such thing as clutch hitting. He seems to take pressure situations as a personal challenge. Over the last three years, he has hit an average of 52 points higher with runners in scoring position, including a .331 mark in 2004. He’s an average baserunner, making up for speed that’s a tick below-average with excellent instincts.”

So if talks with Luis Castillo fall through, perhaps Barfield could be an option as “Plan B”.

They were two years too late, but better late than never.

The Mets finally gave Marlon Anderson the 2-year, $2M contract he sought at the end of 2005, locking him up through 2009. Considering that Anderson has been one of the top bats off the bench for several years now, and has a special affinity for playing in a Mets uniform for Willie Randolph, this deal is a no-brainer. Anderson could turn out to be the player with the best price:value ratio on the team.

In addition to signing Anderson, the Mets also announced that the option on Jose Valentin’s contract would not be picked up, and that David Newhan refused a minor league assignment to become a free agent. Add in the fact that Damion Easley was re-signed last week, and the Mets’ 2008 bench is starting to shape up. For pinch-hitting, they have Easley from the right side and Anderson from the left, and Endy Chavez most likely will be retained as a fourth outfielder. The status of Ruben Gotay is up in the air — who can really say for sure if the Mets will once again carry four second basemen, particularly if they wrap up Luis Castillo to play every day? Another spot on the bench will belong to whomever the backup catcher is, be it Ramon Castro or someone else. Looking at the potential holdovers, there isn’t much space left on the roster. Would the Mets keep Carlos Gomez around for pinch-running, or will it make more sense to get him more seasoning in AAA?

Of course, much depends on what the Mets do with their current personnel in regard to trades. But if no one is sent away, I’d imagine that besides a catcher the Mets might consider signing an outfielder / first baseman with a strong bat to come off the bench. An Eric Hinske? Or would that be redundant with Marlon Anderson around? Time will tell.

In other news, Brian Lawrence’s option was not picked up and Dave Williams became a free agent. No surprise in either case, and good luck to both of them. They’d be a nice one-two combo in a Sunday softball league.

So Carlos Beltran and David Wright have won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for their respective positions.

Wow.

Beltran was not a surprise, obviously, since he’s won it before and he remains one of the better centerfielders in the NL (take that, Mike Cameron). Wright, though, is a jaw-dropping shock.

Yes, this is a Mets website and I’m a fanatic and I should be excited about David winning the Gold Glove but it seems a bit premature — and undeserving. While there is absolutely no doubt that D-Wright works his proverbial butt off in making himself a better player, and his dedication to improving his defense is almost legendary, I didn’t see him as a Gold Glover in 2007. I definitely saw flashes of him becoming a brilliant defender, and believed that one day he would win the coveted defensive award. Just not this year. Maybe my anti-bias is based on seeing him play every day, and that’s often the only way to see the chinks in a player’s armor.

So who was more deserving? From what I had seen, Ryan Zimmerman looked pretty darn good — though that’s based on what I saw of him last year in addition to this year. With Scott Rolen injured for much of the season, 2007 was the year for “someone else” to get the gold, and I always thought it would be Aramis Ramirez’s “turn” when that happened; Ramirez has been a steady, nearly excellent if unspectacular fielder for a long time while playing in Rolen’s shadow. And don’t laugh, but I sincerely believe Pedro Feliz is better defensively than nearly everyone, other than possibly Zimmerman. But that’s based on my own two eyes and seeing him in limited games over the past few years — perhaps my eyes have deceived me. But I suppose Feliz is not a big enough name for Rawlings to honor.

And that’s really what it’s all about, isn’t it? With Rolen out of the picture, who is the best “face” for the award? Wright, of course. Well, you can’t argue with popularity, I suppose.

As far as merit, though, I’d rather have seen Jose Reyes earn a Gold Glove at short over Jimmy “Team to Beat” Rollins. I think I’ve watched enough of both to believe Reyes is the better of the two, though I’m a bit surprised that Omar Vizquel didn’t take home another one. And if we’re talking solely defense, I’d take Troy Tulowitzki before Rollins any day of the week — as well as Rafael Furcal and Edgar Renteria. Again, all about the marketability for Rawlings. Jimmy Rollins had the big year with the bat and the mouth, Jose Reyes had a down year offensively, and no one knows who the heck Tulowitzki is — much less pronounce his name.

Let’s see, any other choices for me to criticize? Maddux is the easy pick at pitcher, ho hum. I’ve always thought Glavine deserved a few more, including this year, but whatever. Orlando Hudson is a good to very-good but not excellent second baseman, but looking around the NL there simply isn’t a defensive whiz at the position. Derrek Lee is a solid choice at first base, where no one really cares about defense — Todd Helton, Adrian Gonzalez, Lance Berkman, or a few others could have just as easily and deservedly been honored. Russell Martin behind the dish is a nice choice, though Brian Schneider might be better. And don’t laugh, but Miguel Olivo is close. As far as the outfield, I’m mildly surprised Jeff Francoeur snuck in — not because he didn’t deserve it but because they almost always vote in all centerfielders.

I’d comment on the American League but I don’t particularly care, since they don’t really play “baseball” but a modified version of the game.

Your thoughts ?

Might we have to change the name of this blog to “Yankees Today” ?

It’s something of a conundrum: on the one hand, we as fans (read: fanatics) want our team to do well. And obtaining fantastic players are obviously quite helpful toward a team’s success. On the other hand, when your team acquires those players solely by throwing money at them … the charm of the team loses its luster — at least, for me it does. If I wanted to watch a team assembled of all-stars via the almighty dollar, I’d be a Yankee fan.

The Mets are on their way toward becoming the Yankees of Queens by meeting with Alex Rodriguez and his agent Scott Boras this Thursday, according to Adam Rubin:

” … the Mets have an appointment with Scott Boras before the meetings conclude Thursday to discuss what it would take to make A-Rod a Met, according to a source close to the team.”

That’s not all. Supposedly, the Mets are also preparing to make a “monster offer” to Jorge Posada. If we’re to believe Ken Rosenthal, it will be in the $70M range.

Ugh. I’d like to see Posada come our way, but not on a five-year, $70M deal. Let’s hope that’s Rosenthal spouting off nonsensical conjecture and not actual fact.

As for the A-Rod “talk”, my dream is that Omar is simply helping out Boras by publicly entering the auction, thereby driving up the stakes for the teams in the West, who will do the “real” bidding. Maybe it’s some kind of favor that Boras will pay back in the future. After all, it would be very difficult for A-Rod to get his $30M per year without a New York team entering the picture.

Here’s my fantasy: Omar talks to Boras, finds out the the bidding begins at $300M. Omar says OK, we’re in. Boras flies out West and tells the Dodgers, Giants, and Angels that A-Rod can be had, but there’s already a $300M offer on the table from the Mets. While the Angels spend two weeks trying to figure out how to placate their current highest-paid ($15M) player Vlad Guerrero, the Dodgers and Giants are dumping salaries left and right and driving up the bidding to somewhere around $330M. At that point the Mets drop out and watch LA and SF duke it out, when finally the Giants offer a 12-year, $375M contract to seal the deal.

Unfortunately, this is what I see as the reality: Omar is still hung up on erasing the Steve Phillips / Jim Duquette era, and proving to everyone how much smarter he was than both of them. He looks at the current A-Rod free agency as a “second chance” for the Mets to “do right”. The last time, Steve Phillips failed to recognize A-Rod’s value and thereby failed to sell the idea of buying A-Rod to the Wilpons. Omar will not allow the Mets to fail this time. He sees the value of Rodriguez — both to the Mets’ chances of winning and to SNY — and has a very nice PowerPoint presentation to blow away the Wilpons. They buy the idea, and they buy A-Rod. If A-Rod does indeed return the expected value over the next ten years, Minaya looks like a genius and is offered part-ownership of the Mets. (OK that last part is actually Omar’s fantasy.)