Trade Deadline Looms

I worry about John Maine, but I think he’ll be okay in the end. A little shoulder stiffness is really all it is, and apparently they knew about it before hand, which means that he was able to pitch with it without hurting it further. Maybe they skip him in the rotation due to the off day, but I’m hopeful it’ll be alright in the end.

More importantly, Johan Santana stepped up after an exhausting game on Saturday where the Mets used the bullpen so roughly that Oliver Perez was warming up in the 14^th inning. Santana pitched a complete game, waylaid his critics a bit, and gave the bullpen a much needed rest. They have an off day on Thursday too, so if Pelfrey can give them a lot tonight, they’ll get a nice recharge.

Another thing I’ve been thinking about as the trade deadline looms is what the Mets are to do. I am not a fan of Adam Dunn, or the “Gets on base so strike outs don’t matter” group. While I think our bullpen is excellent, I know bullpen suckiness and exhaustion were the main culprits last year. Maybe another solid arm in there is the best solution the Mets can find. There is a lot of talk of a corner outfielder, and even yesterday I thought this should’ve been the priority. I think Carlos Delgado changes that, Delgado has been playing pretty amazingly for a while now, and I don’t think it’s something he’s going to lose midseason. This Delgado is more true to form than the ones fans grew to hate in 2007 and earlier this year. If Delgado is hitting, then the offense is not as big a problem as it was, and couple that with the possibility that Church will be back soon, and the success Tatis and Endy have had filling in, we might be okay.

So my (un)professional opinion is to get a bullpen arm, and keep an eye out for a cheap outfielder too, even if it’s just someone that can get hot for a week or two, or just needs a change of scenery. Even if the bullpen arm doesn’t end up being great, it’ll distribute the work load and hopefully keep the best guys healthy and fresh for the stretch run.

Mets make a trade. So Long Milledge

The Mets officially announced that they have acquired OF Ryan Church and C Brian Schneider from the Nationals for OF Lastings Milledge. Originally I was disappointed and thought this was a bad trade. However, it's grown on me and I'm going to present it optimistically.

Obviously we needed pitching, but it seems like Milledge wasn't going to get us that. His value seems to have been down leaguewide, and that includes with the Mets as a right fielder. Maybe he'll turn out well, but with Gomez and Martinez in the minors also projected to be good outfielders, it's not like we're lacking outfield prospects, and it's probably the easiest position to fill.

Brian Schneider, Paul Lo Duca.. They're probably not going to be much different in 2008. Schneider is probably cheaper, and more expendible which gives the Mets more flexibility to make a change later in the year/decade. Church is a decent player, and he'll definitely be serviceable for us. It's likely he'll be better than Milledge, but you never know either way. Between him and Alou, players like Endy Chavez and even Gomez and Martinez may be able to get some playing time.

Another thing is that after the disasterous end to 2007, the Mets desparately needed a new look. With certain obvious exceptions, I wasn't really looking for anyone's head afterwards though, so where would this fresh look come from? This should help with that new look.

And, on a different note, Ryan Church has a cool personal chant. When he got up last year, the Nationals fans chanted "hallelujah" which I thought was cool.

Rumor Mill

Rumors abound!

I like all the rumors, because it keeps baseball talk alive, and I can only take so much of the same football stories all week since nothing happens between Monday night and Sunday afternoon, but I do hate chasing around rumors. There are so much unsubstantiated stuff, so many halfway-educated writers decided what the Mets just HAVE to do to be good next year, and so many little things to keep track of.

I'm happy with what the Mets have done so far. I don't think we needed Easley, but I like Anderson and Alou. Let's see what happens for the rest, but I don't know that I'll have a good sense until April, after I've seen and heard about all the bullpen prospects the Mets have for the season. Because I think the bullpen is the biggest issue, as much as I would like another starter. I wouldn't be panicing with Pedro, Maine, Perez and Humber, Pelfrey and El Duque. Maybe pick up a marginal guy now or later or both and see what happens. I want them to resign Lo Duca, and Castillo, and I think they will.

So let's see where this goes, I just can't take real interest in the zillion of rumors and trades that are suggested every day. Too many writers, not enough stuff to write about.

Another (Season) Series Won

The Mets again, just like game seven, took a tie game into the late innings against the Cardinals. This time Heilman retires the side, Billy Wagner strikes out So Taguchi, and the Mets win on a Shawn Green home run. It's been a while now since people have been calling for Green's head. He's started to play well again, and the hair on that head has started to grow again. The Mets now have a four game winning streak, and instead of not hitting when they pitch, they pitch when they're not hitting. It's a small thing, but a huge difference. The Mets are finding ways to win again, despite two Delgado errors, despite only having three hits.

This isn't a fluke, this isn't the Yankees teasing fans with a long win streak only to stumble again. The Mets are for real, this is for real. The Mets have now won the season series against the Cardinals, and have yet to lose a game against them. I think I'm over last year now. I still despise the Cardinals, but the Mets are far enough along that I can block out the NLCS and focus on the future. The Cardinals will not be standing in the way in October. The Mets have a big series coming up this weekend, and it's good that they're playing well again. If I could pick one stretch for the Mets to have a losing streak, June would be the one I would've picked. They lost games against mainly American League teams, who they won't be competing against to win the division or even a wild card. An added bonus is that losing games to teams like Detroit and Minnesota actually hurts the Yankees wild card chances.

The Mets have a chance to gain a comfortable lead after a miserable stretch. They will actually go into July with a greater lead than they went into June. The Mets are 8-14 so far in June, and they actually have a chance at not having a losing June. I don't expect this to happen, but it's starting to look much better than it was.

To address the pessimists that think the first three weeks in June are more a measure of this team then the rest of the season, you're crazy. I know the Mets were playing the so-called best teams in baseball, but that doesn't mean the Mets stink. Besides the fact that the American League teams have an obvious advantage in interleague play, particularly at home, the Mets were just slumping. You could see it in their play. It's not like the Mets were playing great, pitching well, hitting well, and not making mistakes. They played crappy, and they lost. I know they went through a similar interleague struggle last year, and it's a sad coincidence that strengthens this bogus argument. If the Cardinals could beat Detroit last year, do you really think the Mets wouldn't have?

Another negative point the pessimistic Mets fan likes to rant about seems to be that we need another starting pitcher. This is the rant of a fan that's not paying much attention. Tom Glavine will be what he is, and he actually pitched well in the playoffs last year. El Duque can be a starter, or a long reliever, and is great in the playoffs. Oliver Perez is really starting to look like a clutch pitcher, and John Maine has had a measure of consistency this year, keeping the Mets in games. All accounts say that Pedro Martinez is progressing marvelously and he would be a bigger addition to this club then any trade could bring. The bullpen is another story. I would like to see some other players audition, whether it is through trade or call-up. I'm sure Omar is looking into solutions, and it's still a month from the deadline, so he's probably putting out feelers and expressing interest in guys on teams that haven't given up yet.

Another bat is another common request, but I think it's a bad one. Counting out Moises Alou, whose injury gets worse and worse the more doctors look at it, we've got Shawn Green and Carlos Beltran. After them, we've got Carlos Gomez, Endy Chavez, and even Lastings Milledge. These guys add sparks and excitement and the ability to mix it up, put out different guys and try to find someone hot is much more valuable then putting a acquisition out there. Especially if that acquisition is a guy like Sosa, who by many accounts is a cheater.

All I can say is, stop being so pessimistic. Have some faith in the team, in Willie and in Minaya. Enjoy the winning season rather then expecting it to be like 2003.