Was Ben Johnson Worth The Price If He Doesn't Make The Team?
There was a great article by John Delcos this morning about the chances of Ben Johnson and David Newhan making the Mets final roster. Apparently they are both fighting for the final spot, and unless the Mets decide to carry one less pitcher than expected, one of them wont be traveling to St. Louis on Opening Night. (I hate those words, I like Opening Day much better)
"It's either be good or be gone," Newhan said.
I like both these players and I hope they both make the team, but I'm a little bit more sensitive about the subject when it comes to Ben Johnson. Unlike David Newhan who signed as a free agent, Johnson came over to the Mets along with Jon Adkins in a trade with the Sand Diego Padres. In that trade the Mets parted with their top two relief prospects in Royce Ring and Heath Bell.
For those who may not remember, lets look at what we gave up before I get more in depth about Ben Johnson.
Heath Bell made 22 appearances for the Mets last season but was mostly ineffective as his 5.11 ERA would indicate. However his numbers at Triple-A Norfolk, clearly displayed the potential of the young right-hander. He was 3-3 with a 1.29 ERA and 12 saves in 30 games, striking out 56 batters and walking eight in 35 innings. When you consider the losses of Chad Bradford, Roberto Hernandez and Darren Oliver, and couple that with the uncertainty of Duaner Sanchez and Juan Padilla (both who were expected to be ready but are clearly not), you cant help but wonder if Heath Bell might have fit in nicely in our bullpen. So far this spring for the Padres, Bell has made six appearances spanning seven innings and has struck out 10 batters while walking only 1. He lead all the pitchers in camp with a 1.29 ERA.
Royce Ring, a 25-year-old left-hander, went 0-0 with a 2.13 ERA in 11 appearances with the Mets last season, but was also impressive in Norfolk where he was 2-2 with 11 saves and a 2.97 ERA in 36 games at Norfolk. I thought he would have shined if he had been given the same role that Pedro Feliciano had last season as the lefty specialist, as Feliciano takes on a more significant role this season. Both Ring and Bell have made the Padres Opening Day Roster.
I guess by now you can see my concern if both Ben Johnson and Jon Adkins (who has been widely ineffective), do not make the team. In an age where an effective reliever has become so hard to find, and who's roles have become much more important in a major league bullpen, why trade two seemingly major league ready relievers?
I could see making the trade if the Mets needed some depth in the outfield, but they didn't need any depth with Chavez and Milledge already on the roster, and Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez on the way. Some thought the trade was a precursor for a Lastings Milledge trade for a top starter, but obviously that was not the case either.
I think Jon Adkins is nothing more than an average at best. It's obvious that the key to the deal for the Mets was Ben Johnson. Johnson has an emerging powerful right-handed bat and could provide valuable insurance in case of injury to Shawn Green or Moises Alou. My problem is that we already had that insurance with Milledge, and giving up our two best relief prospects for an insurance policy we hardly needed may not have been best for the Mets.
What do you guys think?
On another note, Duaner Sanchez had a consultation with a doctor who revealed that the sensation was nothing more than scar tissue breaking apart. Sanchez will take the rest of the day off.
Also, the Phillies may have lost Freddy Garcia for a considerable amount of time. Nothing official has been announced yet, but his velocity has been down all spring, and yesterday he was shut down after complaining about soreness in his bicep. When asked to comment about their team's chances, both Jimmy Rollins and Brett Myers declined to comment. (hee hee just kidding)
Comments
I totally see your point and it's a valid one. I'm actually a little worried about our bullpen this year. Wagner is gettting older and the other day on the radio he said he added a new pitch because his other pitches dont fool anyone anymore.
Heilman is having a tough spring, and so is Burgos, Adkins, Sosa and Sele.
I hope we get this bullpen settled by opening day. I also want to know if Joe Smith will make the team. He looks better than all of them.
Posted by: Stephen | March 22, 2007 04:48 PM
I totally see you're point and agree with you on many of the aspects. But if we are going to get into a discussion about was it right to trade 2 young relievers for a horrible Jon Adkins and a player who could be a potential starter in the OF once Shawn Green and Moises Alou leaves than we definitely need to talk about trading Brian Bannister for Ambriox Burgos. I'd rather do the Ring/Bell for Adkins/Johnson deal over and over again before I even think of dealing Brian Bannister.
Plus just think of it this way. A year from now, maybe two years, our outfield could possible be Milledge/Beltran/Johnson. That is an awesome outfield to me and I think that is what Omar Minaya visualized when he made the deal. At least thats what I am hoping for.
Also... Joe Smith will make the team over Jon Adkins, Jorge Sosa and Ambriox Burgos. If he doesn't I would be totally shocked and disgusted.
Posted by: Jonathan Ragus | March 22, 2007 05:00 PM
I honestly think that the ben johnson move was a good one. both royce and bell looked shaky at times and i am more comfortable with protection in the form of a bat, than pitching. we have a lot of great young talent in the pen. I think taht burgos will be very good by years end and all he needs is more time to discover himself and work with peterson. He makes magic happen, look how good oliver perez is doing. it took time but its finally coming together at the right time. the pen should be good and i wont miss any of the pitchers that were dealt.
Also, i like the ben johnson move. it was a good thing and he has shown what he can do with the bat. even if they dont take him with them to st. louis, you have to remember that moises alou is 41 and Green isnt what he was 4 years ago. They took the precautions they needed incase any problems with the outfielders. I personally think that the Mets gained a lot more than they lose in those trades.
Posted by: andy | March 22, 2007 06:05 PM
I liked the Johnson trade because I wasn't crazy about our bench. Tucker, Franco, Woodward, etc? No thanks. I'll take Endy, Newhan, Milledge and Johnson off the bench anyday. I imagine getting 5, 6 innings out of the rotation every night will require a strong bench for either pinch-hitting or double switches or whatever. Plus this allows Gomez and Martinez to develop in the minors without having to be rushed if and/or when Alou or Green get hurt.
As for Adkins, I expected more from him having seen him pitch decently last year in SD. Too bad Omar couldn't have gotten Cla Meredith instead.
Posted by: Fred | March 22, 2007 07:24 PM
I think this trade was a good one... I mean sure a player can have great numbers in the minor leagues.... however if he cannot produce at the MAJOR league level then his only good at the MINOR leagues... Both pitchers showed they were not good at the Major league level and had better arms in the bullpen... Plus we have Joe Smith who might have won a job with us...
Posted by: Edison Lucero | March 22, 2007 07:54 PM
Yes, Ben Johnson was worth it. I think he will contribute this year, giving the Mets some power off the bench. We all love Endy but when the Mets need a bomb they could turn to Johnson. Bell and Ring won't be missed in the bullpen as their impact last year was minimal. Definitly a good move by Omar!
Posted by: MetsGal | March 22, 2007 08:08 PM
The way I see it, our bullpen looks like this...
Closer - Wagner
Setup - Heilman
7th Inning - Feliciano
Righty - who knows
Lefty - Schoeneweis
Middle - who knows
Long - who knows
Who will fill in those other spots? We got Burgos, Adkins, Padilla, Sanchez, Sele and Sosa, right?
I think Joe Smith deserves one of those 3 spots. The alternatives are pretty bad. We also need Sanchez to comeback like he was last year b4 he got hurt.
Posted by: Erica | March 22, 2007 09:04 PM
I like newhan, more versatility. the new chris woodward.
johnson, i see as trade bait.
Posted by: Andrew V. | March 23, 2007 11:12 AM
I agree with 100%. I thought it was a bad trade when they made it, but obviously you can't put people on the team just because you traded away other solid players to get them. We just have to move forward and use the best people we have.
Posted by: Charlie | March 23, 2007 03:06 PM