Baseball Crank: BASEBALL: Mets Deadline Deals

July 31, 2006

BASEBALL: Mets Deadline Deals

We briefly interrupt our workday to bring you this:

*Duaner Sanchez is out, quite likely for the season, after separating his shoulder in a taxi accident (shades of Tom Glavine two years ago).

*The Mets have a number of potential setup men - Heilman is now the key guy - but to fill the hole, they've traded Xavier Nady to get back Roberto Hernandez plus Oliver Perez. Hernandez hasn't been that great this year after pitching great in 2005 - a 2.93 ERA and just 3 HR in 43 IP, but his K rate has dropped in half, he's allowing more than a hit an inning and he's walking 5 men per 9 (3.56 per 9 if you exclude intentional passes). You hate to deal an everyday player for a 41-year-old setup man.

*Barring another shoe drop, Lastings Milledge now becomes the everyday RF. I see Milledge as about even with Nady at present, but obviously this leaves the Mets with less depth and no chance (or risk) of dealing Milledge for a stud pitcher.

*Perez isn't a terrible gamble, since he's a still-young (24) lefty with a great arm, but he's obviously hopelessly lost at this point (Peterson presumably won't promise to fix him in 10 minutes) - 121 BB and 36 HR in 179 IP in 2005-06. I can't imagine that he'll pitch any important innings in the majors the next three months.

UPDATES:
*Mad Dog says the Mets might send Perez back to the Padres (who dealt him in the Giles deal) as part of a deal for Scott Linebrink. That, I would like.

*If we don't get Linebrink, it's time to get more innings now for Heath Bell and Henry Owens and see what they can do. Ditto Maine and Pelfrey.

*Looks like no help on the way for the rotation.

Posted by Baseball Crank at 3:32 PM | Baseball 2006 | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)

Comments

Even if we lose him for the season, don't forget that we lost Brian Cole forever. Wear your seat belts people!

Posted by: Greg Schreiber at July 31, 2006 4:07 PM

To say nothing of Derrick Thomas, if you're talking seat belts.

Posted by: The Crank at July 31, 2006 4:39 PM

I bet Pat Burrell and Livian Hernandez clear waivers with their bloated contracts. Just putting it out there, you know.

Posted by: Greg Schreiber at July 31, 2006 6:12 PM

Omar made the best of the situation. The only studs worth trading Milledge for anyway were Schmitt and Willis. I would still pull that trigger for Willis.

Losing Nady means losing some power, more pressure on Valentin and a bit more on Chavez. I think they will handle it. It does mean a rotation for right and left with 3 outfielders in 2 spots.

Posted by: Daryl Rosenblatt at July 31, 2006 8:18 PM

I agree with Daryl. Mets needed a major league reliever to replace Duaner. Roberto's K/BB this season sucks, but Sanchez's wasn't great either.

The key to the trade is Heilman. If he can get to 3.00/1.15 territory, the Mets are fine.

If not . . . who knows?

As to the Nady/RF part of the equation, I like it a lot. Yes, the Mets failed to get negative value for Nady, but the Sanchez situation changed the math. Milledge/Chavez is better than Nady in my opinion, when you look at defense, baserunning, room for improvement, etc.

Posted by: Mike at August 1, 2006 9:32 AM

"failed to get negative value" should read "failed to get maximum value" for Nady.

Is Dr. Freud in the house?

Posted by: Mike at August 1, 2006 9:33 AM

All I read about is Nady being poor on defense, and Milledge is an improvment. However, I was in Fenway when he plain dropped a fly ball in front of the Monster--that was the second time. And Nady was getting better.

I feel badly for Nady, since he was playing well on a good team, and now he is in exile. But let's not make it more than it is. There is a core of a team, and there are role players. He was a good role player. He is being replaced by a younger, faster role player, who at worst will be a role player, at best, might become a star. Losing Sanchez hurts, losing Nady stings.

Posted by: Daryl Rosenblatt at August 1, 2006 10:40 AM

I'll admit I'm just not a Nady fan, I guess. I see a guy with no mastery of the strikezone, and a guy unlike to develop any such mastery as he approaches his late 20's. Add to that his average-at-best defense and average baserunning, and you get a below-average corner OFer.

It's not even about Milledge to me (not this season). I just think that Chavez, while not a good player, is having his peak season, is a gold glove quality outfielder, and lucky or otherwise, keeps coming up with big hits.

I want him playing.

Posted by: Mike at August 1, 2006 1:16 PM

Umm...Why would the Padres wan't Perez back?

Posted by: Hoystory at August 2, 2006 7:30 PM