First, here is the 2010 Top 100 Prospects from Project Prospect, which features five Mets.

10 Fernando Martinez  – LF/RF Plus power/good contact skills may allow him to ascend to stardom. some day.

48 Jon Niese – LHP Commands a sinking FB; CB and SL both get swing-throughs; Likely no. 3 starter.

57 Ike Davis – 1B Strong pro debut; contact is a concern; potential to hit 35+ bombs a season.

92 Reese Havens – 2B/SS Began shift to 2B at AFL; patient fly-ball hitter with make outs but solid power.

100 Jenrry Mejia – RHP Filthy 94-98 FB w/ hard, cutting action; CH has excellent movement; may be a RP.

Finally, the one prospect list that everyone anxiously awaits for each February, Baseball America. The leading authority on baseballs best prospects doesn’t rank the Mets as highly as Project Prospect, but they did manage to squeeze four of them in although none were in the Top 50.

56 Jenrry Mejia RHP – ETA 2012

62 Ike Davis 1B – ETA 2011

77 Fernando Martinez OF – ETA 2011

88 Wilmer Flores SS – ETA 2013

In December, BA had Flores ranked second in the Mets Top 10. Two months later and he has been passed up by F-Mart and Ike Davis. There seems to be a widening gap between those who see Mejia as a reliever in the Major Leagues or a top of the rotation starter.

In 2009, the Mets farm system seemed to get a bad rap from sites like ESPN, FOX Sports and SI.com. It’s been a little different this winter and there seems to be a shift in opinion as the stocks of Josh Thole, Ike Davis and Jenrry Mejia continue to rise.

While watching tonight’s latest mishap I conjured up a potential trade that I thought would be a good start for a discussion amongst Mets fans. How about this?

METS GET:

1B Prince Fielder

INF Taylor Green

BREWERS GET:

1B Daniel Murphy

SP Jenrry Mejia

SP John Maine

SP Bobby Parnell

To me, the Mets and Brewers are a perfect match to make a deal. The Brewers are looking to trade Fielder and his upcoming salary increase, and in return are looking for young starting pitching. The Mets, are in desperate need of a legitimate power source to plug in between Carlos Beltran and David Wright next year.  And with Delgado, Schneider etc. coming off the books, the Mets can afford to take on Fielder’s contract.

No doubt this deal would cause a controversy throughout the Mets fan base (honestly, what deal doesn’t?) But in my humble opinion, the pros greatly outweigh the cons in this particular situation. Let’s first look at possible negative outcomes of this trade:  We are giving up young pitching talent which we so obviously need. Yes, trading Mejia, Maine and Parnell take a big chunk out of our pitching prospects, but barring additions or substitutions to the above package, we would still have (a healthy) Jon Niese, Brad Holt, Dillon Gee, Scott Moviel, Micheal Antonini, and Dylan Owen down in the farm continuing to grow and develop. The solution (albeit not an easy one) is for the Mets to draft wisely, and continue to re-stock the farm system over the next few years to make up for those lost in this trade.

While the deal above would more than likely require the Mets to give up a little more, this has a possibility of happening. Mejia is a stud prospect who could eventually team up with Gallardo in the Brewers rotation and be a good #2 or #3 starter. While he may be many years away, there is no denying the talent this kid has. Maine is coming off a injury riddled season, but before his injury Maine has been a decent starter, and at times shown flashes of being more than that. He could easily slide into the Brewers #3 or #4 slot next season, giving them immediate production from the trade. Murphy could either fill in for Fielder in Milwaukee, or be used as trade fodder, while Parnell would be the only way this deal even gets considered. He is major league ready, and could fill in their rotation or bullpen next season, which is exactly what the Brewers are looking for.

The pros to this deal are more than just the jolt Fielder would give the Mets offense, but the jolt he would send through the entire organization and fan base. Omar making a bold move such as this would show the team (not to mention all of us clamoring for his head on a silver platter) that he is not going to tip toe quietly into the night, but is going to give us a legitimate chance of winning in 2010. Fielder is a pure slugger, and someone who would be able to, night in and night out, be able to rocket the ball out of our cavernous home ballpark. The middle of the Mets lineup would once again strike a bit of fear into opposing pitchers (Beltran, Fielder, and Wright) and would give an anemic offensive team a bit of life.

Let’s face it- the Mets are built as a “win now” team. Unless we trade Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes and Johan Santana and completely re-tool and re-build, we will be a “win now” team. Omar needs to make bold, creative moves that create the team into a contender again. Adding Fielder would make the Mets relevant again, and sweep away all of the negative comments that seem to cloud the team every day. The tabloids and media would no longer be talking about the ineptitude of the franchise, but the possibility that the Mets might actually be relevant.

I believe that getting Fielder would be a step in the right direction this offseason. The deal would prove to potential free agent targets (Rich Harden? Erik Bedard? Bobby Abreu? Xavier Nady?) that the Mets mean business and are not the laughing stock of the league.  A lineup of Reyes, Castillo, Beltran, Fielder, Wright, Abreu, Francoeur, and some catcher (Ramon Hernandez? Gregg Zaun?) would provide a much better lineup than we have trotting out this season..

“What we saw in [Martinez] was a 16-year-old kid with power, great ability and great character, above everything else.”

F-Mart was considered to be a “five tool player” meaning that he could hit for average, power, excellent at running the bases, excellent speed, excellent fielding and an amazing throwing arm.  For the last 4 years other clubs in the majors have wanted the young outfielder in trades but the Mets put F-Mart on untouchable status.  There was no player nor any situation that would warrant a trade for the young outfielder.

At the age of 19 he was assigned to the Mets Double A team.  There were some concerns however.  Martinez has proven to be injury prone.  In 2007 he missed part of the minor league season with an injured wrist which resulted in having surgery to remove his hamate bone.  2008 Fernando suffered another injury, this time he injured his hamstring twice that year.  Early this year playing winter ball F-Mart injured his elbow, though no surgery was required, just some rest.  Now in 2009 he is on the disabled list with a bad knee.

F-Mart started the year in AAA, playing for the Bisons.  Before being called on May 26 he was batting .291 with 8 home-runs, and at the time he was leading the international league with 25 extra base hits in just 42 games.  He knew that the eyes of the baseball world were on him when the Mets, having no choice due to the injuries that they have suffered over the first half of the season, called him up.

2009 so far has not been a great year for F-Mart as of yet.  He has played so far 29 games.  He has had 91 at bats and is currently hitting .176 with 14 strike outs, an on-base percentage of .242.

I think it would be fair to say that F-Mart has been unimpressive in his early career with the Mets. He has looked over-matched at the plate for most of his appearances.  Recently, he struck out in twice in the same game by swinging at strike 3 that was thrown at his eyes.  I think his work in the field still needs work as he does not always get a good read on the ball though he does recover quickly to make the out.  Plus, I don’t know if the maturity is there yet either, to be a big leaguer.  I hate to keep bringing it up, but let’s not forget the pop up that he did not run out that the opposing catcher dropped.  Had F-Mart been running to first he would have been on base.

Personally I do think it’s too early to judge him.  I’ve been saying for a couple of years now that the Mets have for some reason rushed him through the system.  It seems that they wanted to justify as soon as possible that he was worthy of turning down trades for some big names that have been offered to the Mets.  This season with all the injuries the team has suffered and the lack of depth in AAA, all eyes were on him more than they would have been for him to perform well.  He has lost time developing due to the injuries he has suffered over his short career so far, which is something to also keep in mind.  If you remember, this year the Mets originally did not plan to bring him up this early.  They were talking after the All-Star game at the earliest, not the end of May.

The Mets have a habit of rushing their top prospects through the system, I think that is what’s happening to F-Mart.  He should have been down at AAA playing for the Bisons this season.  I know seeing him strikeout is frustrating considering how long he has been touted as the future of this team, but we have to remember that he’s just 20 years old, has not had a lot of minor league experience, and is still developing.  I know some are calling him a bust, but it’s too early to make that judgment right right now.  I do think F-Mart can be a good player at the major league level, but it will take time and patience.