From the proprietor of the Ketchup On Your Ice Cream blog:"Don't give up hope ... and if all else fails we could swing a deal to trade for an Orioles pitcher ... it'll probably be Victor Zambrano again though and not Bedard."Thanks for the attempt to cheer me up. But you see, that's not an option. And you'll love the reason why:
"Baltimore owner Peter Angelos is believed to be averse to trading Bedard to the Mets (assuming the O's can't sign him to an extension) because of the fleecing of John Maine and Jorge Julio for Kris Benson in their previous dealings."Oh, yeah right. We're the three card monty dealer on the corner who's just going around ripping everybody off. "Ooh, we can't deal with them, they're too smart for us...they're devious!"
Oh stop! This is why nobody goes to freakin' Orioles games any more. Peter Angelos is averse to trading Bedard to the Mets for the same reason he was averse to trading Miguel Tejada to the Orioles for the same reason that he's averse to building a halfway decent baseball franchise that has been run into the ground in the last ten years...because he doesn't have a clue!
Peter, once upon a time our devious underhanded organization was so devious and underhanded, that we traded Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano, and Lastings Milledge for a defensive catcher and a journeyman outfielder. But obviously those trades begin to reveal a grand master plan that will only be evident to everyone in about fifty years as we try to take over the world, right?If we're this great savvy organization when it comes to trades, then you've got problems. Seems to me that you were the guys that misread John Maine's potential. Don't worry, it happens (again...Kazmir.) If we didn't get him, somebody else would have. You threw him in to the Julio deal because you didn't want to throw in Adam Loewen. Omar wanted Loewen, you threw in John Maine. Jim Duquette threw in John Maine...you know, the same guy that traded Kazmir. You hired him after that! And the guy you hired actually succeeded in somewhat returning the favor for the Kazmir trade by throwing in John Maine in the deal. The guy you hired chose to throw him in.
And we're the ones you don't want to deal with?
Is this the reason that "nobody likes the Mets prospects"? Maybe it's a rouse that all the owners in baseball are colluding on. Maybe, just maybe, everyone actually loves the Mets prospects but are so worried that each Mets trade is another brick in the wall of world domination that you're so worried about, that nobody will trade with us because Omar uses his super-secret mind power to trick guys into including middling starting pitchers in their deal only to have him become a star when the leave your team and come to the Mets. Yeah, that has to be...because it's been like that for years.
You don't want to trade Erik Bedard to the Mets, fine. See if I care. Nobody is trading an ace to the Mets these days anyway. But don't hide behind your own stupidity stemming from trading John Maine for Anna Benson. "Ooh, they fleeced us! Mommy!!!" Stop it! Just stop it!
Excuse me while my eyes roll so fast that I used them to bowl a 300 at the latest PBA event.
15 comments:
Now I HAVE to start posting again since you linked to me...maybe I'll get some traffic other than my roommates.
Do you really think Angelos wouldn't even trade us Vicky Z? Who could turn down another chance to see him sprint off the field in the middle of a half-inning after striking out the new Dodgers CF? Good times abound!
Equally as frustrated & angry, Damus.
Keep posting....it's all that is left to look forward to.
Well, Metstradamus, Peter Angelos may have a point, though. If he is really as dopey as all that, maybe he better NOT be going around trading people.
But the general consensus seems to be that Omar is so needy of a big splashy trade, after the debacle of 2007, that he is the one likely to be taken advantage of.
Just PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not trade Jose.
And Paul L, he hasn't been signed by anyone else yet? Maybe somehow he'll still end up with us?
Sorry Katherine...Captain Red Ass is going to finalize a 1 year/$3 million deal with the Blue Jays any day now...It's going to be a Brian Schneider/Ramon Castro lovefest to close out Shea.
I don't know what exactly makes Ryan Church a journeyman player. He's spent the entirety of his career on the Expo/Nationals, and has been a really solid offensive player when given the opportunity. Last year was the first time National management gave him the chance to start for an entire season, and he hit 43 doubles and 15 homers, which is pretty nice considering the cavernous left and right center gaps at RFK. He, for whatever reason, only got around 200 ABs in 2006, and even so had 17 doubles and 10 HR. He had similar numbers in limited duty in 2005. The impression I've gotten from Nationals fans (yes, they exist), is that Church is a very talented hitter who performed very nicely as a part time player, but who for whatever reason was never given the chance to start. While I don't think the Milledge trade was excellent by any means (I am highly doubtful that Schneider's supposed defensive wizardry would serve us any better then Johnny Estrada's bat), I think Ryan Church is getting a really bum rap, whether it's my favorite blogger calling him a journeyman, or Mike Francesa calling him "a platoon player at best". Ryan Church will probably hit .270-.280 with 30-40 doubles, 15-25 HR and 70-80 RBI if given the starting job. While not superstar numbers, those are nothing to sneeze at, and probably better than what Lastings would have been able to give us over the next year or two (and better than anything we've gotten out of right field in years). While I think Lastings will go on to have a really solid, if not great, career, by the time he realizes his potential, Fernando Martinez will probably be ready to step up and become the next Juan Gonzalez.
I will miss Lastings a great deal. I count myself among the ranks of those who really dug his attitude, for the most part. That said, Ryan Church is a pretty talented gap-hitter who never really got too many opportunities with the Nats, and he will probably do a very nice job for us in 2008.
My apologies for the rampant optimism.
Sean, I hear where you're coming from. I didn't really understand it the first time I heard a player called "journeyman" who had spent his entire career with one team. But I think it refers more to a guy who puts up journeyman type numbers in less at-bats than what generally constitutes a "full season".
Don't ever apologize for rampant optimism. Orange juice needs its seltzer, and vice versa. My optimism has been creeping in lately regarding Johan Santana. But then I take an Aleve and it goes away, enabling me to sleep.
Paul might come to Toronto? - I am amazed - that's where I live. I should probably read the local papers once in a while.
This might force me to reconsider my total indifference towards the Blue Jays. And it would also spare Mets fans the unpleasantness of having to root against him if he were to play for another NL East team.
Here's the Paulie story...
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071205.baseball06/BNStory/GlobeSportsBaseball
Is Yonge street still as clean as I remember?
If Angelos is afraid of getting chumped by Omar, then Angelos must be one dumb dude. Because, let's face it, Omar isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer.
You see, to be a good baseball player or baseball manager, you don't need to have a high IQ; a high "baseball IQ" is enough (and I won't define that, since I think the general meaning is clear).
But, especially these days, a GM must ALSO have a high IQ. It's harder to be a GM. Omar's IQ is probably at about 120. I can tell just from listening to him talk. He's no Theo Epstein or Billy Beane.
As such, Omar will pull off the occasional "gut"-driven good trade, but over the long run, he will make a lot of mistakes. Like destroying the pitching staff in 2007 by losing Lindstrom, Owens, Bannister, Bell, and Bradford for nothing, and picking up Mota. You've gotta have a natural facility with statistics and numbers, poker skills, the ability to consider dozens of complex options and variables quickly and confidently, etc. to be consistently effective as a GM. That's IQ folks.
The Milledge trade will prove to be Omar's downfall, showing his ineptitude to the world once and for all. Omar should be a scout. Maybe a head scout, but a scout. Not a GM.
When Milledge started as a centerfielder, he hit .340 over 12 games. Watch him develop, he's going to destroy the Mets in the next 95 Mets-Nationals games over the next 5 yrs. (Real smart to trade him within our division.)
In 2007, he was the Mets best hitter with RISP, and RISP with 2 out, with only Wright coming close. And this wasn't a fluke: he's fearless at the plate. People who say "he can't hit offspeed pitches" know nothing about baseball. He's 22 -- spend some time comparing his stats to other outfielders like Torii Hunter, Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, Kevin Mitchell, Darryl Strawberry, Bernie Williams, etc. etc. at 21 & 22.
Even if you don't think he's going to be a star, and didn't want to start him in right field, why not platoon him with Green next year? It would've been cheaper than their current option. Green hit .325 against righties, with an OPS of .865.
Milledge had an OPS of .956 against lefties, in a significant number of at bats. You read that correctly, OPS =.956. At 22. And he could've also faced some of the righties that Green statistically struggles against.
Now we have a rightfielder in Church who can't hit a lick vs. lefties, and is not much better than Green against righties. (Green hit .291 last year, folks).
I'd prefer Milledge to play everyday; I'm just pointing out that by eschewing the option of platooning him with Green, and *trading* him instead-- we lose our only major-league ready prospect, and our situation in right field becomes *worse* than it was the day after the worst collapse in baseball history; a collapse, I should add, during which the Mets players looked scared as sh#t: but nevermind, let's go ahead and trade one of our most fearless, confident guys.
A smart GM who (for whatever reason) is determined to trade Milledge... he holds on to him, plays him in a platoon against lefties, and when his numbers are gaudy and inflated at the all-star break, puts him in a trade for a front-line starter. A smart GM considers the possibility that Santana may very well not be traded during the Winter Meetings, and that his asking price will fall come July 31, when the Twins are 25 games behind the Tigers and Indians. Was getting Church and Schneider that urgent? Please remember that these were 2 of the less dangerous hitters on the worst offensive team in baseball. Are you afraid other GM's are lining up to acquire 2/8 of that lineup, and want to beat them to the punch?
Then, anyone who understands sabermetrics knows how difficult, really impossible, it is for a catcher with Schneider's stats to compensate for them defensively. The marginal difference in defense between him and Estrada probably wouldn't be worth the extra money your paying him, even if they had identical offensive stats, which trust me, they don't. Schneider was the seventh worst hitter with RISP in all of ML baseball last year. We now have two pitchers in our lineup.
Omar's a fraud.
Is Yonge street clean? I guess it depends on your definition of clean. It is generally garbage-and-graffitti-free, but it is also the site of the Brass Rail, A-Rod's favorite local stripper club.
I love the warning on the Brass Rail's website: "You must be 18 years of age or older to view this website. If you are not, please exit the site now." Right, sure....
Zach's comment on Lastings and Omar is so depressing, and rings so true - I am sorry I read it right before going to bed.
Sorry Katherine... didn't mean to ruin yr sleep. I've got exams, doin a little venting ...
How bout I make it up to u next time I'm in Toronto - steaks at The Brass Rail are on me :)
Don't know if anyone saw this gem - http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2007/12/09/2007-12-09_luis_vizcaino_is_pricing_self_outta_town-1.html
Well, we all knew we'd trade for/sign a LHP...this is a hell of an orginazation
Is that the Fassero thing? I did see that. I'm going to close my eyes, cover my ears, go "la la la la la la la la la la la la la" and pretend that it's only happening in an alternate universe.
Yeah...sorry about the link not being all there...Jeff Fassero...just horrible. Again, a hell of an organization they're running in Flushing.
As long as he doesn't wind up on the 40 man roster, then simply watching him pitch falls under the title of "community service". Kinda like when you drive through stretch of highway and you see that sign that says "This Mile of the L.I.E. is Cleaned and Maintained by Sharon Stone", and you know that Sharon Stone isn't skipping along the highway picking up trash but she's paying somebody to do it...that's what watching Jeff Fassero work out is.
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