The closer free agent market is pretty limited to just K-Rod and
Fuentes, but there are a good number of closers that can be acquired
based on trade. Is that right way to go? My gut inclination right now
is just screaming NO.
The Players we would acquire through trade would make us have to
trade more of our young talent away, and I know that most of the time
young stars don’t pan out but there is something to be said about
having young players on the team. Young stars, the stars that are not
making the big bucks yet, play with a fire, with an intensity to stay
in the big leagues. Dan Murphy energized this club this year. We need
Veterans for the clubhouse, but we need young blood to make shockwaves
in the lineup and rotation.
The other big reason for this
is the Braves are on the verge of a ton of good, talented young players
to spring up from their farm system and onto the field. The Marlins
always seem to be doing this, and is why they are a good scrappy, hard
nose team (apparently now Jacobs is now on the trading block to get
more young players). If we don’t trade our farm system, this could be
us in a season or too, we could have our core players still, because
they will still be signed through, and have exciting young players like
Fmart, Murphy, Parnell, Niese, Bolt, and Flores. I’m not saying they
all will make it, but I think its time to test the draftees of the
Minaya effort.
The other case against trading for a closer
is that Fuentes (because K-rod is a bit too expensive) is better than
the closers on the market. And thats really the main thing, if we can
buy the better part, and in the loing run, the money spent could be
cheaper than the talent loss in a trade, then on an economic and on a
team building level, signing Fuentes is the right move for the Mets
organization to make.
Check 213 Miles From Shea!
