mets – Page 4350 – The Mets Police

May 20, 2008

>Trade Post-Mortem: Examining Trades of the Past (2nd in a Series)

>On July 30, 2004 the Mets made two trades that would greatly impact the team both in the short and potentially long-term. Both trades involved young pitchers – one left the Mets and one came to the Mets. The one that left is Scott Kazmir – and I think we all know the details of that trade. The other pitcher, the one that came to the Mets, was Kris Benson.

Benson was acquired along with Jeff Keppinger from the Pirates for Ty Wigginton, Jose Bautista, and Matt Peterson. Benson never really blossomed into anything with the Mets, going 14-12 over a year and a half that was plagued by injury and controversy (who can forget Anna in the Christmas outfit). Keppinger never really found his place with the Mets, only appearing in 33 games for them in 2004 before being traded to Kansas City.

The players the Mets gave up didn’t really amount to much either. Wigginton is on his 3rd team and has become a serviceable utility player. Bautista is still in Pittsburgh, which in itself says a lot. Peterson has never moved past AA.

So it seems that this trade was a lot of nothing – and just looking at it by itself I would agree. However if you look at the “trade tree” – the deals that were made with these players down the line – the impact is a lot greater.

After Benson failed with the Mets, he was subsequently traded to Baltimore for a promising young fireballer Jorge Julio. To complete the deal the Orioles also threw in a young minor leaguer named John Maine. Julio was traded just a few months later for El Duque.

So on the day the Mets traded away Scott Kazmir, they also began the process where they would eventually acquire one of the current cornerstones of their staff.

May 20, 2008

Life Without Pedro

Sorry to hear Pedro’s father is ill. Taht’s a terrible situation for anyone to deal with.

As he told the Daily news: “It’s taking a toll on me and my family, my dad’s situation,” Martinez told the Daily News. “I haven’t been there for them. I just realized that between last year and this year I haven’t been there for my family, my parents.

“That’ll probably drag me away from the game a little sooner than people expect.

“After this season, I’m going to go back home and think about it and I’m going to decide.”

From a baseball standpoint – well there’s that pace of 3.5 wins per year (since June 2006) that we’ll miss.

May 20, 2008

Trade Post-Mortem: Examining Trades of the Past (2nd in a Series)

On July 30, 2004 the Mets made two trades that would greatly impact the team both in the short and potentially long-term. Both trades involved young pitchers – one left the Mets and one came to the Mets. The one that left is Scott Kazmir – and I think we all know the details of that trade. The other pitcher, the one that came to the Mets, was Kris Benson.

So on the day the Mets traded away Scott Kazmir, they also began the process where they would eventually acquire one of the current cornerstones of their staff.

May 20, 2008

>Over-Reyes A Yankee?

Joel Sherman in the Post throws it out there that in 2011 the Yankees will need a SS, and maybe a certain SS from New York makes sense.

Over-reyes has been built up to be a superstar. He’s not. Sure he hit hit .300 in 2006….but maybe these numbers are the “real” Reyes:

2008: .267

2007: .280

2005: .273

2003: .269 in AAA in 42 games

Maybe he’s just going to be a .280 hitter with some speed. He has a .331 OBP for his career. Jeter is .388 in 15 seasons. Jimmy Rollins is .332. Rafael Furcal is .352

Is he “good” – sure. Superstar, no. Overrated – you tell me.

May 20, 2008

>No Nay Never

>Lester’s no-hitter with the Red Sox last night is certainly a great feel-good story, but I can’t help but get frustarted and angry when I see another team get yet another no-hitter. In 46 years seasons Mets pitchers have yet to throw a no-hitter. For a team that a) has had a pretty good history in developing young arms, and b) plays in a pitchers park, this is amazing.

It gets worse. Seven pitchers who threw for the Mets had no-hitters after the Mets traded them away: of course Nolan Ryan (7), but also Tom Seaver (a year and a day after the Monday Massacre), Mike Scott (to clinch the NL West in 1986), Dwight Gooden (with the Yankees), David Cone (perfect with the Yankees), and Hideo Nomo (who threw one before and after being with the Mets). Ok, so Nomo was never really a Met – but that still leaves six that have tossed a no-no.

And as long as we’re feeling frustrated, throughout their history Mets picthers have tossed 30 one-hitters – including 5 from Tom Seaver (one a perfect game through 8.2), 3 from David Cone, and 2 each from Gary Gentry, Jon Matlack, and Terry Leach.

The Mets lack of success in tossing a no-hitter was probably best expressed by Mets play-by-play man Gary Cohen. During a John Maine start in 2007, Ron Darling said that he had “no-hit stuff.” Cohen replied by saying, “no he doesn’t, he’s a Met.”