I always wondered why they never tried to put Murph behind the plate. He has a strong, accurate arm, and the athletic ability to at least pop from a squat. If Thole can do it Murph could do it.

As if no other team is looking for a power hitting, good fielding third baseman. Just because we trade for him doesn’t necessarily mean we would have him for the next six years. If he works out in the outfield then great. if he doesn’t he can be flipped for something of use. Then its as if Dickey was traded for that player.

Of course all this trade talk hinges on a binding verbal agreement with Dickey. Contract stipulates that the second his playing career is over, he returns to Queens as part of our broadcast team.

The OF talent pool – even at the corners – has really thinned out over the years in terms of offensive production.
Again, the biggest question is: Can Olt hit major league pitching well and what is his ceiling as a hitter ? He could be a big-time middle of the order bat , he could be a RHH version of Jeromy Burnitz or he could struggle to hit major league pitching consistently enough. That´s going to be the key in his evaluation.

Of course, first of all, the Mets & Rangers need to agree on such a package anyway, so this may well not be our worry.

Due to the strong sentiments on both sides of the issue, I’m hoping Zack can somehow separate himself from that presssure that is bound to be there when called up. Even those with high expectations won’t be carrying the burden he’s going to have to contend with, that being his success or failure being used as a referendum on Sandy Alderson. Especially with it being with the fans and media in New York.

Nobody should be placed in the middle like that. I wonder if Rameriz and Torres felt such added pressure due those circumstances as well.

What’s worse the second prospect the Mets are rightfully holding out for Leonys Martin does not have many games under his minor league belt and although he fits the defensive mold of what we need is just too much of a risk. All prospects are risk buthe has 4 th OF written all over him

but it is quite common for guys to move from corner IF to Corner OF, and always has been.

If you don’t want to force him into the OF, or move an incumbent, then ship him elsewhere, either in a 3 team deal, or in a follow-up.

Plenty of teams need a good 3B, so it should not be that hard to flip him for a comparable talent at say OF.

you can always keep moving parts as needed.

Ryan Braun came up as a 3bman through the minors and then got shifted to LF where he´s been fine.

The big key is the question what type of hitter Olt will be. The Mets desperately need another power bat – and Olt certainly has the potential for 30-35 HR annually if he makes enough contact. That´s the judgement call to make by the Mets. He´s a highly touted prospect, somewhere in the # 15 to # 40 overall in Baseball range right now.

I´d hope & expect Dickey to return more than just Olt who comes with risks beyond the position on the Mets question.

Just because the Mets tried to move some really bad defenders around the diamond doesn’t mean that it will fail always. There have been plenty of minor league 3B to come up and play the OF predominantly.

That is true, Brown was a no-brainer refusal. Do you know of what other prospects that were being tossed around for Carlos at the time as far as outfielders goes?

1) Even though Wheeler is no ordinary pitching prospect, does that address the weak issues facing us?

2) Even though we are losing Santana (and possibly R.A.) we still have Gee, Neise, Harvey with the potential of Mejia and Familia

3) Even though one never has enough pitching, considering what we do have, what good is it without an outfield that can hit?

Wheeler simply being the best prospect available dosn’t mean he was the best prospect available in terms of would be best for the team down the road. Was there, for examp[le, not an outfield prospect from this pre-season 2012 list that might be able to help us more with what our bigger needs are? Even though we have no idea if the Giants would have parted with him, how about number 43 ranked Gary Brown. Or perhaps two players not appearing in that prestigious top 120 list but still good looking on their own merits?

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/2/24/2821479/minor-league-ball-baseball-top-120-prospects-for-2012