Ummm sometimes? Wake up DiComo it’s most of the time! And even more so when the Mets are concerned!

You are a simpleton. What an obtuse way of looking at that trade.

Now as Joe D said, you can’t ever trust what you’re hearing from a GM on any given subject at any given time – none of them should be vocalizing their game plan unless it’s a benefit to do so – but having said that, there was absolutely no hedging that I remember on this one rumor – both camps were denying it. I do remember just about every Met fan I read saying: ‘Omar, get ‘er done!’.

“It was just last week when SI.com reported that the New York Mets rejected a deal that would have sent four of their top prospects for Halladay. The radio shows buzzed. TV commentators opined. The Mets’ prospects wondered if they needed to get their visas and pack their bags.

There was just one problem.

There wasn’t a shred of truth to the report.

“It was absolutely wrong,” Ricciardi says. “We didn’t exchange names with the Mets. I felt so bad for [Mets GM] Omar [Minaya] because there was no truth to it. None. Now, he’s the one who has to answer why they didn’t get Halladay.”

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2009-07-27-base-trades_N.htm

The 2 teams were in different places. The Phillies were World series contenders and the Blue Jays were restructuring and trying to bulk up their farm.

The Phillies got themselves a perennial Cy Young candidate that made them a lot better.

The Blue Jays got more talent for their farm.

Yes, so far, the deal looks to be paying off better for the Phillies. But it could have easily been the opposite. The fact is, both teams made the right move and both teams took a risk.

Once again, all I’m saying is that #1 ranked prospects are no sure things.

Simple as that.

Kyle Drabek was my example in this post because I decided to look him up after reading Anthony DiComo’s post.

But there are hundreds more #1 busts like him and hundreds more to come.

“Once again, all I’m saying is that #1 ranked prospects are no sure things.”

“But there are hundreds more #1 busts like him and hundreds more to come.”

I do not disagree with you but, when was Kyle Drabek the Phillies #1 Prospect?

In January 2009 he was 5th behind Dom Brown, Carrasco, Marson and Jason Donald. D’Arnaud was 7th

In November of 2009 Drabek was #2 behind Dom Brown. D’Arnaud was 4th.

Pretty sure, Drabek didn’t crack the Top 100 until 2010.
And again, I don’t think it is fair to call Drabek a bust yet.

But don’t think 30+ year old pitchers are sure bets. And don’t tell us now that it was obvious Toronto got a raw deal.

At the time, it looked like a deal that worked out for everyone involved.

How old was D’Arnaud when Toronto got him? 20.

And c’mon “I wouldn’t say he lit up the league. He batted .311. The 2011 batting leader in the Eastern League was our own Juan Lagares who led the EL with a record setting .370 mark.”

Tell me PLEASE that you’re better than this lack of research?

Juan Lagares played in 38 games in AA this year. 38 Joe. 170 Plate Appearances. You’re gonna use his batting average as the benchmark?

D’Arnaud: 114 G, 466PA .311 Avg, .371 Obp, .542 Slg, 21HR, 78 RBI .914 OPS

That’s 4th in BA, 11th in OBP, #1 in SLG, #2 in OPS, #4 in HR, 6th in RBI.

I’d say my comment is fair based on his performance in AA.

I wouldn’t say he lit up the league. He batted .311.

The 2011 batting leader in the Eastern League was our own Juan Lagares who led the EL with a record setting .370 mark and .335 overall across two levels last season. Josh Satin also finished 8th in the league in batting with a .325 average.

Before last season, d”Arnaud batted .259 and .255 in 2010 and 2009. He’s far from a sure thing at this point and still has a long way to go.

But as I explained to Donal, my post is not about who won, it’s about the volatility of hanging your hopes on a #1 organizational prospect like Drabek who was the centerpiece to that deal for the Jays.

Lagares on the other hand:

Safest bet? Probably. Hindsight is 20/20 and all.

I read that in an average year 40% of starting pitchers miss more than 5 starts every year. That is a solid month. Halladay was 32 at the time of the trade. It is not unreasonable to fear he’d miss significant time.

But, Philly was in win now mode, Halladay wanted to go there and the Blue Jays got to bulk up their farm.