8
2010
Mets Have Trade Bait
An article by 
Omar Minaya became the General Manager at the end of the 2004 season. Since then the Mets have mostly been quiet when it comes to the trade deadline. Except for 2006, when Duaner Sanchez went for a cab ride, injured his shoulder, forcing Omar to make a trade with the Pirates for Oliver Perez (thanks a lot Duaner!) and Roberto Hernandez the trade deadline always comes and goes for the Mets. This year looks like it will be different.
The Mets need another pitcher for the starting rotation; there is no doubt about that. It looks like if/when John Maine returns from the DL he’s going to be placed in the pen. Oliver Perez has lost his locker as he is now on the DL and who knows when we’ll see him again. Takahashi did a great job but it looks like the league is starting to catch up to him, especially the 3rd time facing the lineup. That’s not a knock on him; if you look at his numbers the opposing team hit him better after the 5th inning. He excelled when he was in the pen as the long man and if you really think about it the bullpen has suffered a bit since he went into the rotation.
There are 3 pitchers that will be available: Roy Oswalt, Cliff Lee and Kevin Millwood. If you paid attention closely this season you can see the Mets have been busy building trade chips. Once Daniel Murphy got injured and Ike Davis became the 1st baseman the Mets decided they were going to make him a jack of all trades. Murphy is a natural 3rd baseman and he played a decent 1st base last year. The Mets also were going to have Murphy work on playing both the outfield and 2nd base in the minors. Unfortunately for the Mets Murphy was the victim of a cheap slide last week in Triple A and is out for the season.
The Mets over the weekend cut ties with Garry Matthews Jr. They also put 2nd baseman Luis Castillo on the DL. They called up Ruben Tejada from Triple A and the plan is for Tejada to get most of the playing time while in the majors. Just to remind you guys Tejada made the team out of camp and was very impressive in the field but his bat needed work. Tejada went down, worked hard and improved his offense. He had some good hits over the weekend. What some may not know is that the Mets have another 2nd baseman in the minors who is tearing it up and is projected to be the future 2nd baseman of the team, Reese Havens. I’ve read online over the last few weeks that he could be ready for 2011. The Mets don’t need 2 futures at 2nd base and I think that the Mets are showcasing Tejada to trade him at the deadline.
As of this writing there is speculation that the Mets are going to call up 31 year old outfielder Jesus Feliciano. Feliciano is a career minor leaguer who has never really gotten a chance. As he has gotten older he has dominated Triple A pitching. He has been hitting close to .400 this year in Buffalo. The Mets do plan on Carlos Beltran coming back and Angel Pagan has more than earned his spot on this roster, so once Beltran comes back they won’t need an outfielder. If I had to guess I’m guessing that like Tejada Feliciano is trade bait.
The Mets need pitching and if these guys are packaged in a trade for a pitcher then so be it. Now I would guess F-Mart and perhaps another minor leaguer will have to be part of a package for Cliff Lee. Lee would be great to have on this team. This guy wants to stick it to the Phillies. If it wasn’t for him it’s a good chance the Phillies would have been swept by the Yankees in the World Series. He has proved that he can pitch in New York and think of a front 3 with Santana, Pelfrey and Lee. Add Dickey and Niese into the equation and you have a pretty formidable rotation. I know that he will be a one year rental and that’s why the Mets cannot trade Mejia for him. If the Mets cannot sign him next year then they can get the draft picks from the team that signs him and rebuild what they lost in the trade.
I don’t want Oswalt on this team. He’s had back injuries and he’s owed a lot of money. I would rather the Mets go after Millwood. I think Millwood on a good team can help a rotation. He might not be in Lee’s league but I believe that he would be more beneficial than Oswalt.
Overall the Mets are in a good position. The Mariners wouldn’t mind cutting salary as I’m sure the same can be said about Baltimore. Barring injury, the Mets can add a good to great pitcher at the trade deadline and they won’t have to sell the farm to get him.
About the Author: Greg Pomes
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationals | 26 | 18 | .591 | - |
| Braves | 26 | 20 | .565 | 1.0 |
| Mets | 24 | 21 | .533 | 2.5 |
| Marlins | 24 | 21 | .533 | 2.5 |
| Phillies | 23 | 23 | .500 | 4.0 |
Last updated: 05/25/2012
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Write Your Own Mets Post
I agree with you,I don’t want Oswald. This team needs Lee and I think they should do what they need to get him!! I’d trade Thole,Tejada and Holt for Lee.then give him a 5year 100 million extension.
LOL 5YRS/$100 MIL for a 32 year old pitcher?? Seriously do you think before you type? When Lee is 35 and killing the Mets because they have no flexibilty to make mores be sure to be here whining why hes making 20 mil. You most love the Ollie deal because that would be WORSE
Okay Pete what are your suggestions?? Before i do anything else i will wait and look for your insight! Thanks for the constructive critism.Also do you think the Phillies are worried about paying a 35 year old Halladay 20 mill??
You cant compare the phillies to us right now. Amaro is making Omar look like a GENIUS. The phillies are screwed right now. They will have NO flexibilty to work with when Howards contract kicks in. If you want Lee,fine, buy 5 years and a 100 mil?? No way. Maybe 3-50 mil with a CLUB option for a 4th year.
Pete, do u have a legitimate source crediting that contract value/length speculation on Lee? it’s considerably larger than any I’ve read speculated upon.if Scott Boras was lee’s agent instead of Darek Braunecker ur speculations may have some valifity; buty in his 12/17/09 interview Braunecker seems to discount most of the inflated hyped numbers being circulated as Phillies spin to explain their discarding of Lee after acquiring Halladay.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL8GYEnHQn0
Pete, Lee’s vision & dreams certainly would need to be ascertained prior to serious trade discussions. Only, if they are determined to be within the Mets’ realm of affordability should a deal be pursued including some of our best young talent.(Davis should be the ONLY UNTOUCHABLE) for Lee or any reasonably priced top stud SP in my opinion.
it also should be considered within NYM circles the liklihood of retaining Beltran after the current deal expires adfter next yr (’11)
I was just speculating on the contract I would give Lee based on age and ability. The 5-100 was said and I just gave my opinion. I honestly dont know what Lee will get or even want. I assume it will be close to that 5-100 since he will be the #1 FA since Cain and Beckett already got extensions. Although if Lee wants something like the Beckett deal(4-68 I think) then maybe the Mets should get him even though I said 3-50. But 5-100? Thats sheer lunacy. Even Halliday, who is way better than Lee, only got 3-60
Pete,I may be all wrong; but I believe Lee could be signed to a 4 yr deal ranging bet 15-18M per for a total pkg bet 4/60 & 4/72. If that’s what he indicates, I’d be willing to top anyones offer by including both Niese & Mejia should Seattle insist. With how well Angel is performing, it appears unlikely NYM will reup with Boras client, Beltran after ’11. freeing up a ton of $$$. As Lee didn’t debut until he was 24 locking up his 33-37 yrs would seem reasonable & would ensure both Santana & Lee as a tandem set of top lefthanders long enough to contain Phl’s fearsome duo Utley,Howard. Slide Big Pelf beteween them & u have dominating pitching for quite sometime. Neither Niese nor Mejia project capable of providing that if kept & nurtured.
If read my last post. I stated I would go all in for Lee if he wanted a 4yr 68-72 mil contract.The only problem is why give up Mejia and Niese and other prospects to MAYBE sign him? I feel its best to just wait and sign him.
Pete, here’s the reasoniong, we’re 2GB positioning for, as I see it, a 5 Team sprint to the finish we’ve 17 of our last 30 at home any slot in the playoffs can eventually lead to jewelry in April as I see it, it’s a simple matter of, BIRD,HAND,BUSH logistics I’d much prefer ending this season with a frontend of SANTANA,PELFREY,LEE than beginning next year with them! None of any pkg is going to have implications for playoffs for years to come, Lee is the present gamechanger!
Nice piece Greg, thanks. i’d prefer going after Lee if we could sign him to an extension and ‘i want it all’…i’d prefer to not trade Tejada, a ripening prospect not yet 21 yrs old. i am not enamored of Havens ‘yet’; let him continue to blast AA pitching through July and then i’ll get excited. He’s 3 yrs older than Tejada and i think, if he proves out, he’s got an outfielder’s body more than an interior IF. But that’s me. Net/net, i’m ecstatic we have good prospects in the system…finally.
And, if Lee is too expensive in prospects and dollars, then i’d go after Millwood.
Lee has stated he will NOT sign with any team he is traded to because he wants to be a free agent. So the Mets can get him, then TRY and resign him in the offseason. But he wont resign until the season is over.
Mukey, I believe the “key” to dealing for Lee is to first ascertain his price range in yrs & annual remuneration. Only if his biggest dreams are in a range we’d accomodate, would I consider an “ALL IN” proposition to Seattle. I certainly wouldn’t let any young potential not named DAVIS, STAND BETWEEN ME AND WINNING A SPRINT TO THE FINISHLINE(divisional) I admit I was inaccurate in my vision for Takahashi in the rotation; byut I’ve an issue with the conclusion he’s being caught up to by opposing batters, in contrast I’d first look at taking any pitcher out of a bullpen situation where his longest outing was 3.1 IP & suddenly expecting more than twice that with continued effectiveness. Perhaps, as is more likely, he’;s sudffering from a workload tolerance issue caused by no stretchout all season making Jerry/Dan more cognizant that regardless of score, the moment he gets behind 2 successive batters, the pen is called to begin warming. I still believe Taka can be effective if used prudently with an eye towards his ‘tells’ (of running on fumes). I’m also not totally convinced Mejia is not Burgos in disguise & certainly remain concerned a SP conversion may rob him of his natural, magical movement. Once I was convinced Lee was definitly a likely retainable player, I’d certainly even include Niese if necessary, & not let Mejia be my untouchable. A lot would also have to depend upon whether the shoulder tendonitis was the decelerator inhibiting Maine’s velocity, that certainly would alter any plans for that backend enabling me to tagteam Taka & Maine into a cobbled together entity whereby they combine to provide adequate pitching every 5th day. One starts, goes 5IP, other finishes up the final 3 or 4, Order depends upon Jerry’s feel for the personalities with perhaps the more fragile Maine starts games Vs RH dominant lineups followed by Taka’s controlled possession of entire zone. Against PHL, perhaps they’d revers roles, fluidity is key; especially in a #5 spot SANTANA, PELFREY, LEE, DICKEY seem capable of holding their own if Maine needs to “hog” the long reliever for half a season. “LOOK MA, I’M OUTTA THE BOX!”
I’m tired of the Cliff Lee talk. It’s short sighted and it’s business as usual and it’s exactly the type of move we have all grown frustrated with. If he wants a 5 yr deal, he’ll be getting paid 20 million dollars when he’s 35, 36, 37 yrs old.
They don’t need to unload right now for a guy who wants to hit the open market. If he wants to hit the open market as he and his agent have implied, why bother giving up anything from the farm system for him? If the Mets do want him, they will have a chance to write a paycheck just like anybody else.
Jessep, Have u paid attention this strange season? within our division most every team has spent as much time in the cellar as they have in first or second. Streakiness isn’t just a NYM issue this yr. Fortellers of a Phl Runaway are hanging their heads, the binoculars are capped along with their offense! It’s appearing as if he that wins September, wins this division. Tighten your track shoes. 17 of our final 30 games are in Citi. “Do u feel licky, punk” The right deadline deal could cement it for anyone.
Mets62: I don’t know what that has to do with anything? Cliff Lee is not signing an extension anywhere. He’s hitting the open market. When did the 2010 Mets suddenly become 1 starter away from a World Series? Trading for this guy is silly. It’s short sighted and doesn’t guarantee anything. You’d be trading valuable young piece for other moves that may fill more than 1 hole for a guy you can just write a paycheck to next year.
You could argue that by letting Lee sign elsewhere we would be gaining prospects because we would inherit that teams draft picks. As long as your dont give up any of your top prospects (Davis, Mejia, Flores) it could turn into the smarter move as you could possibly gain back better prospects through the draft. Granted this all depends on if the Mets are finally willing to go overslot with their picks, which we will hopefully find out in the next few days.
Right….cuz the Wagner deal brought in great prospects last night….
10tract, going over slot? never. ever. Fred made a commitment & Fred typically KEEPS his commitments. right or wrong, Fred’s word is the Mets’ bond.
it’s for that very reason why the Wagner deal made more sense than those figuring on draft picks & Straussbergs would like to complain about. Fred gave his word to Wagner they wouldn’t offer him arbitration, u may recall Wags’ attempt to get Bosox to honor that commitment initially delayed the deal, they wouldn’t & Wags approved it anyway. We were destined to get nothing out of Wagner’s departure & have 3M less in coffers had the deal not been struck. Carter’s certainly been adeaquate in his limited opportunities to contribute perhaps moreso in the conming 9G on interleague w/ DH usage. Opportunities to get Bay,Pagan, Francouer, even perhaps Davis a little rest by using Carter & Feliciano as defensive fillers?
jessep, I’m more than a little tired of ALL this negativity, In case u missed it, absolutely no one is running away & hiding this season in our didision indicative of a late sprint to the finishline, though that hasn’t been our hallmark in ’07 or ’08 it is important to take note of our CiTi dominance in ’10 as 17 of our last 30 games played in Sept & Oct are in Citi’s vastness.
Did anyone in June ever consider the following as WS combatants:
AZ, ’01
FL, ’03
STL, ’04 & ’06
HOU, ’05
COL, ’06
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
WHERE IS THIS 5y/100M CRAP DESIRED BY LEE COMING FROM? Ive never seen any indication from his camp that he considers himself worthy of being the Highest paid pitcher in baseball! Lee is NOT a Boras client! Most of this spec is emanating out of the Philadelphia spin cycle to excuse their penorious nature.
5/100 wouldnt make him the highest paid pitcher in the league. Im not sure where that came from either, it was thrown out there by the first poster and turned into a debate. Im with you on the contract of 4/68. But i would try and only garuntee 3.
Taking the salary of Millwood, Harrang, Meche, Westbrook, Zambrano, etc. off the books of their respective teams would be a huge win for their GM. Any token talent exchanged should and would be minimal.
For Lee, Haren, Buehrle, Oswalt, etc. those teams are looking for a bounty of prospects…
I think the mets should really look into Haren. Locked up for 3 years with nothing over 15 mil/ He’s like the best of both worlds. With Santana, Pelf, Haren, Niese in your lineup and Dickey/Takahashi/Maine etc as your 5th man you have a pretty kickass rotation.
I like Tajada but If Havens keeps mashing the ball the way he is I think he is a no brainer to be our future 2B. Package Tajada, F-Mart and Mejia for Haren and maybe a rental of Kelly Johnson at 2nd. We got Matt Harvey in the draft who will make up for loosing Mejia and he would likely make it to the bigs as a starter almost as quickly. We kabe Capt. Kirk who is a better outfield prospect than f-mart and havens is better than tajada so while I like the guys we would give up it would be worth it.
Thoughts?
How do you know Harvey will be anything? Reports on him are so here and there that one minute he is a #1 in waiting and the next he is a power pen arm/possible closer. Our offense will be fine this year, if a trade needs to be made its for Haren or Millwood.
My thoughts are that package will get Omar laughed off the phone. As I stated in another thread, Haren is the type of pitcher that no “prospect” should stand in the way of. I’d really balk at including Ike, because he seems major league ready and there’s no replacement for him, but any four prospects in the farm can be had for Haren. Any and all. Mejia, Tejada, Thole…….whoever the D-Backs want, any four.
I agree. No one is untouchable except Ike, and maybe Havens. Other than that I tell the D-Backs pick 4 prospects other than those 2 and you have a deal. And pray Harvey turns into a #1 or #2.
No one will take F-Mart. He’s hurt again, and still hasn’t ever played an injury-free season.
If Havens is playing so well why was he not brought up to see what he has in a major league setting instead of Tejada?
Lee as a rental might be ok depending on what you have to give up.
Mets have better looking prospects compared to last few years so if we have an abundance in one area then that can be used to get a pitcher but you don’t want to make a future hole on team just to win this year.
I like your Clint Eastwood reference 62.
I know that we can’t fall in love with certain prospects that have not shown anything in majors but still we have to be smart where we help major league team without hurting future needs by trades made for rentals for pitchers, unless Lee signs an extension.
Just to harp on an earlier point Mets have to be careful to not continue to sign good starter that are in their 30′s to contracts that take them into questionable years of their lives, remember Pedro.
Havens, like FMart, has got to prove he can stay on the field as well. Tejada made the team out of ST and was bumped by the return of Reyes. Cannot fault him for that. He deserved this call. When Havens proves he can stay on the field, he will be here. Hitting is not his problem.
Hitting is what separates Reese Havens from a lot of middle infielders. He has a compact, quick swing which generates a lot of power. It can’t be taught any more than running much faster can’t be taught.
I would doubt that a healthy Havens will go into long slumps. As a comparison, Carlos Delgado had a much more complicated swing with a lot of hand and foot movements. While I’m not comparing the two beyond their batting stances, Havens probably will be more consistent at whatever level he winds up performing.
Please,don’t compare Havens to Delgado. Geesh!
Sarge, from all the quotes I’ve been able to locate, it certainly appears that both Cliff Lee & his agent, Darek Braunecker are reasonable, realistic businessmen preferring reality to reams of colorful brochures proclaiming the player the first unanimous HOF inductee! I’m not certain; but it would seem as if a 4Y length may be acceptable to them anywhere from 15-18M per/yr. 60-72M total investment. Much of the high spec dollars were “leaked” by PHL frontoffice as excuses as to why they didn’t entertain keeping both Lee & Halladay. U & I know that Phillips’ ply all to well, the old bad back,25th man routine drawn directly out of Get Smart Reruns. Agent vehemently denioes Phl claim of “Lee wants Sabbathia deal” as poppycock.
for a late bloomer such as Lee(debuted @ 24) locking up ages 33-37 is certainly not a far stretched gamble.
Havens is a career .262 hitter in the minors. He has only 550 career professional at-bats.
Let’s see him put in a full season or two before anointing him the next 2B for the Mets.