Last nights loss coupled with the loss of first baseman Carlos Delgado for an extended period of time, is enough for me to begin to consider some serious options in terms of a trade.

First lets consider the whys…

1. The experiment in leftfield with Dan Murphy has been shelved because Jerry Manuel feels he needs a presence in the middle of the lineup. Right now that presence is named Gary Sheffield.

2. Carlos Delgado’s absence at first base has led to a series of odd replacements ranging from outfielder Jeremy Reed, to third baseman Fernando Tatis, to second baseman Alex Cora. Clearly the Mets have no viable first baseman especially one that can bat cleanup.

3. Jerry Manuel has completely undermined the confidence of Ryan Church. He is now a shell of the player we say last year before the injury when he was the MVP of the Mets. He is so lost at the plate that he has now dangerously close to being a liability at the plate.

Now that we’ve briefly outlined the areas of most concern, what players or prospects are we willing to give up to address any of those positions via a trade?

Lets begin by putting either Fernando Martinez or Wilmer Flores on the table.Yes they are the two best prospects in the organization right now, but I hardly doubt that anyone would have interest in Nick Evans or Eddie Kunz right now.

As far as major leaguers, the Mets may have to strongly consider that Dan Murphy is nothing more than a bargaining chip at this point. He is a defensive liability anywhere the Mets play him. He’s a Dave Magadan type player, but some teams may see him as more than that.

Once Brian Schneider returns, the Mets will have one too many catchers, and if trading Castro or Santos can help fill another void, than by all means do it.

Unfortunately, the players that most fans would want to jettison if you were to listen to some of these ridiculous calls on WFAN, include; Ryan Church, Jeremy Reed, Alex Cora, Brian Schneider, Oliver Perez and Sean Green. What a wonderful world it would be if we could really trade our trash for another team’s prized possessions.. Unfortunately, it don’t work that way.

Finally, what players are realistically available right now? Look for high priced contracts on teams that residing at the bottom of their division. Or players on the verge of free agency with low market teams. Some of the ones that fit the category and appeal to me are as follows:

Leftfielders
Carlos Lee, Houston Astros – .331 – 8 – 29 (been rumored to be on the block for 2 years now)
Matt Holliday, Oakland A’s – .267 – 4 – 23 (The A’s must sign him or trade him)
Adam Dunn, Washington Nationals – .292 – 11 – 30 (Mets could have had him on the cheap)

Rightfielders
Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners – .323 – 4 – 12 (WSJ says he is suddenly tradable)
Magglio Ordonez, Detroit Tigers – .256 – 2 – 17 (Slow start, but always a gamer)
Jermaine Dye, Chicago White Sox – .274 – 8 – 20 (won’t cost as much as last season)

First Base
Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego Padres – .294 – 15 – 29 (will cost the Mets a ton, but worth every penny)
Aubrey Huff, Baltimore Orioles – .281 – 7 – 33 (Orioles will move him)
Lance Berkman, Houston Astros – .238 – 8 – 21 (Houston is taking offers)
Nick Johnson, Washington Nationals – .333 – 3 – 21 (everyone mentions his name, I haven’t seen anything saying he’s available)