Low Risk, No Reward?

What we've learned so far this offseason is that Omar Minaya is extremely adept at making the moves that are no-brainers, with a high level of difficulty. Carlos Delgado and Billy Wagner were must haves, but not slam dunks. And he got them.

We are also learning (not that we weren't warned) that some moves that aren't necessarily no-brainers...you know, the ones that can be classified in the "shrewd" category, aren't shrewd at all, but more in the baffling category.

Which brings us to Bat Flip Boonie.

Yeah sure...low risk, high reward blah blah blah. But you think Bret Boone was signed to play for Tidewater?

Wait, Brian Daubach...Benito Santiago...Jose Offerman...Mike DiFelice...mmmmm.

Boonie might like Norfolk in the summer.

But with the lineup you have, and at the one position that you have two decent if not sure-fire prospects, along with the "elephant in the punch bowl" known as Kazuo Matsui, why oh why is there a need to get not only an old second baseman, but an old second baseman who is fried? Oh, and there's those pesky steroid accusations.

Maybe Omar is proving to be a distant descendant of Jeff Van Gundy...who refuses to play rookies under any and all circumstances.

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Now on to the other Met transaction of the day.

If Jae Seo's value had indeed risen to the height where he and Kazuo would have been able to get Danys Baez, then you would have called Omar Minaya a genius, and the deal would have been a steal. So it's dissapointing when after hearing about Danys Baez, Seo is wheeled to the Dodgers for two lesser lights (than Baez) for the bullpen. But it says that Seo's value really was never that high to begin with. And that will teach me to take too much stock into rumors.

The deal lessens the glut at starter and fills out the bullpen with younger guys. But it doesn't fulfill the need for a lefty set up guy for the pen...instead one goes the other way (albeit a guy who's been in the minors for 32 years but that's a minor detail). Sanchez pitched well in big spots for Los Angeles. His overall numbers in 2005 are ordinary in terms of WHIP but he does have close to a strikeout per inning. He could be the eighth inning guy for the Mets and the good part about him is that he'll be more comfortable and accepting in that role than Baez would be. The downside: not only does he have a funny name, but last May he threw his glove at a high chopper and forced the umpires to award the batter third base. Good to know the Mets' baseball IQ skyrockets.

And as for Steve "Sub" Schmoll...aren't sidearmers and submariners supposed to be a change of pace? Well, add Schmoll to Chad "Blueback" Bradford and that's not changing the pace. That's setting the pace, isn't it? If the Mets played their home games in the Indian Ocean that would be nice. But Shea Stadium, last I checked, is at sea level.

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The Mets have offered the Kansas City Chiefs a draft choice and a ham sandwich to put Rick Down on the same outbound train as Herman Edwards.