Wheeler lasted merely four innings in his second start back from the DL against Salt Lake – after he looked a little rusty in his last go-around. He allowed four hits, two of which were home runs, and three walks which led to five runs. Only three were earned, however, as Matt Long took Wheeler deep after a fielding error by Brandon Hicks extended the inning in the second. He served up the first home run, which was also a two-run home run, to Kobe Calhoun in the first inning with two outs.

Three walks in four innings is undesirable, but what further compounded the issue is the timing of said walks. He walked Brad Hawpe with two out in the first right before Calhoun took him deep – and walked back to back batters in the third to set up a runner in scoring position with only one out in the third. Salt Lake took advantage of this with an RBI single. Wheeler’s only easy inning during this start was the fourth – where he retired the batters in order. He departed after 80 pitches, but only 41 strikes.

This is purely speculation, but I wonder what happened between the time he was injured and his next start and if it hurt his mechanics somehow after he worked so hard to correct them. He has looked like a different guy between his last two starts – a stark difference from earlier in the year when I actually thought he could be ready for promotion. With the Super 2 date very close to passing, that no longer becomes a concern – instead, we need to make sure he fulfills the original criteria for promotion: stringing together 2-3 solid starts in a row with a low walk rate.

However, the Mets will need more than just a single free agent slugger to be competitive in the National League East.

The free agent market, as a whole, isn’t very deep this season so Omar Minaya and the Mets will most likely look at acquiring new talent via trade to try to patch the team’s numerous voids.

Colorado is an interesting trade partner as they seem to be segueing in a new generation of younger and cheaper stars, including the likes of Dexter Fowler. By doing so they are also looking to shed some of their more expensive stars.

The two in particular that would seem most likely to warrant a look by the Mets are Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe.

Atkins is coming off a year where he hit for career lows in the average, home run and RBI department. There is talk that the once-powerful third baseman will be non-tendered, which means the Mets could acquire him without losing prospects.

This looks like an attractive option to buy low on a productive player that could platoon at first base and spell David Wright at third on days where he needs rest, right?

Wrong.

Atkins, who is already in the midst of a prolonged slump would suffer greatly away from Coors Field.

Let’s look at 2007, a year in which Atkins hit .301 and clubbed 25 home runs cumulatively. Atkins hit the ball extremely well at home and posted a .349 average at Coors Field. However, his road average plummeted to .254.

This is a trend that can be seen when looking at the past two years as well.

Certainly, a pitcher’s friendly park, like Citi Field would do a number on Atkins’s performance.

Atkins’s teammate, Brad Hawpe’s, name has come up numerous times in rumors connected to the Mets. Unlike, Atkins, Hawpe is a very consistent player, who has hit 20+ home runs and driven in 80+ runs in the past four seasons.

Hawpe also doesn’t suffer nearly as badly from the Coors Field effect, and in some cases has actually hit better on the road than at home. Unfortunately, Hawpe has his flaws as well.

Hawpe is a pitcher’s best friend in the sense that he is a strike out machine.

Last year, alone, in 501 at-bats, Hawpe struck out 145 times. That is a very high percentage of punch-outs, and is five more than the Mets’ 2009 strike out leader, David Wright, had.

Throughout his career, Hawpe has never been able to grasp hitting left-handed pitching. Last year, he hit only .243 against southpaws, which is in line with how he hit them in the previous three seasons combined (.245).

Now if the team went out and acquired a slugging first baseman, such as Prince Fielder, Hawpe wouldn’t look so bad in left field because he does in fact have good power.

He could even platoon with Angel Pagan on days when the team faces a left-hander.

However, if the Mets decide not to acquire a big bat at first base, electing Hawpe to be the full-time left fielder over Bay or Holliday would be a mistake.

All in all, it is pretty clear that neither Colorado bat is an ideal fit for the Mets.

I propose we trade Ryan Church, in a deal for Brad Hawpe. First off, I understand that it’s a weird thought and Hawpe may not even be available, but there have been whispers. Brad Hawpe would be a great addition to this team in my eyes and he’s an upgrade to Ryan Church. Earlier, I came across a comment on MLBtraderumors where someone said that Hawpe was Ryan Church in Coors Field, and at least Church could field. But Hawpe swings more dangerous lumber than Church does, and he’s still doing it in the Rockies lineup without the sweet swinging Matt Holliday. I understand that Hawpe’s numbers have been inflated because he plays half his games at Coors Field, but I think he deserves some credit.

The only knock I have against Hawpe is that he’s statistically not the best fielder around, and this is true, because his “Range factor”, the amount of ground he covers, isn’t very high. But in 2006, he led all MLB right fielders with 16 OF assists and fielded to a .987 percentage. To be fair, Hawpe’s percentage dropped to .956 in 2008 but he had 77 less chances compared to 2006. However, whatever Hawpe doesn’t cover for in defense, he makes up for with above-average offense.

Hawpe owns a career batting average of .287 and a career OBP of .378. Hawpe hit 20 doubles, 20 HRs, and 80 RBIs for three straight years: 2006-2008; hitting 30 doubles in 06’ and 07’. His career year was 2007, when he hit .291 with 29 HRs, 116 RBI, 33 2B, and scored 80 times.

This year, without Holliday as protection, he’s batting .337 with 9 HRs and 47 RBIs and an OBP of .410. He’s already stroked 21 doubles this year in only 196 ABS.

If those numbers aren’t convincing, there’s a few more things to note. Hawpe is batting .327 against left-handed pitching this year, so he’s proven he can hit lefties.

And for the doubters that believe that Coors Field is the only reason he’s such a good hitter: Hawpe owns a .294 career average at home, and a .281 average on the road. He’s hit 61 doubles and 48 HRs at Coors, while stroking 63 doubles and 49 HRs on the road.

So with all this behind me, I suggest that we go after the 30-year old Brad Hawpe. Would Church and two Triple-A pitchers do it? If it were a pretty decent relief pitcher or two, the Rockies would welcome that. The Rox also have a crowded outfield with prospects Carlos Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler starting to produce. And for anyone who was wondering, Hawpe owns a career .360 average against the Phillies.