With Carlos Beltran back, should the Mets trade an outfielder?
The Mets are getting All Star Carlos Beltran back, now they have four outfielders. Should they consider trading one away to get pitching help?
We know that Carlos Beltran and Jason Bay are not going to get traded because of their contracts and their low value right now. So that leaves two trade options: Jeff Francoeur and Angel Pagan.
Should the Mets be open to trade one of these guys if they can get a good pitcher like Roy Oswalt?
This year Angel Pagan has been great for the Mets. Some people would even consider him the Mets MVP so far this season (Not me, I'm going with David Wright). Especially with Jose Reyes' injury risk, the Mets can use the extra speed in the top of the order.
If the Mets want to trade an outfielder they should trade Francoeur. But should they trade Francoeur? I think it is a bad idea, and this is why:
It has been a slow year for Jeff Francoeur. After a great first two weeks, Francoeur has really let the team down with the bad bat.
But Francoeur's great defense can help the Mets late in games. His great arm has really helped the Mets through a lot of tough innings.
Also, I think Francoeur's leadership skills and football mentality are part of the reason the Mets have such great chemistry this year.
One more reason the Mets shouldn't think of trading Jeff Francoeur is that his value is very low. The Mets can't get much for him anyway. Any player they can get for Francoeur wouldn't be a real answer to the Mets rotation.
Should the Mets get a starter and a reliever?
The Mets are in position to compete for a playoff spot, the team is 46-36 only two games behind the Braves for the NL East lead. They lead the Wild Card race with a half game lead over the Dodgers.
The Mets are a good team, but it is no secret they have holes in their team. The Mets have had bullpen problems and it looks like it is starting to hurt them. So it seams like the Mets should go after a reliever to help K-Rod in the bullpen.
On the other side of the Mets pitching staff the Mets need a starter. They have three good starters in Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey and Jon Niese, then you have R.A Dickey who has been amazing and Hisanori Takahashi who's been good at times but has mostly been shaky.
If the Mets get a starter, they can send Hisanori Takahashi to the bullpen and help K-Rod. That could solve both the rotation and the bullpen problems, but is Takahashi the answer in the bullpen? I think he is.
The Mets don't need to go after an arm for the pen, they will get the bullpen answer once they get a starter. The Mets should not waste prospects for another reliever. One good starter should fix everything.
If the Mets get a good starter like Cliff Lee or Roy Oswalt the bullpen should be ready for the run to the postseason and hopefully the playoff run.
Barajas & Blanco Walk-Offs
Bengie Molina, the man the Mets wanted to catch this season, was in town to witness the Mets' catching tandem of Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco hit walk-off homers on consecutive days, the first walk-off homers in Citi Field history.
Barajas also won the game for the Mets 3 days earlier in Cincinnati, on a solo blast in the top of the ninth. All three homers broke 4-4 ties.
Check out Ted Berg's comments on Barajas' weird OPS split, with a .253 OBP and a team leading .570 slugging percentage.
Murphy trying other positions, is 2B the answer?
Daniel Murphy is now in a hard position, that is, with no position. He lost his spot at first base thanks to the new guy Ike Davis. Davis has been very hot with a home run, and six RBI, and five runs scored, and his defense has been good. Since Davis joined the big league team the Mets are 10-2, so Davis is probably here to stay.
So what will happen with Murphy?
According to ESPNNew York the Murphy will be in Buffalo working on playing left field and second base.
Left field is not really an option with the Mets with new slugger Jason Bay playing there, so it looks like the Mets have two options: trade and second base.
Trade: I do not think it is a good idea to trade him right now, because his value in a trade would be very low at this time. He is worth more then you can get for him right now.
Daniel Murphy had a good first 49 games with the Mets in 2008 but in 2009 a .313 AVG. He may have had a bad 2009 but he was not alone. If we look at 2009 to decide who should stay and who should go then we should throw out David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Mike Pelfrey. And the only Met we should keep is Pedro Feliciano.
Second base: I think this is the best option for the Mets. Luis Castillo is getting up there in age (35) and other than his speed he has not been that great. His AVG is .258 and he has no power. He does not play that great defense, even though he is a former three time Gold Glove. The new defensive stats show that he may have never been that great.
That is why I think Murphy should play second. What do you think? Feel free to comment.
April 27 Met Wiki Weekly Quickie
MetsObsessed and TheMetWiki are proud to collaborate on a new weekly feature, The Met Wiki Weekly Quickie, a quick video recap of the Mets' last 7 days.
Player of the Week: Mike Pelfrey
His second start this week was actually quite ugly, and yet he managed to hold the shutout, extending his scoreless streak to 24! Pelf is the Mets player of the week, going 2-0, 12 innings, no runs. Sadly though he's no longer the team leader in saves, as Frankie Rodriguez passed him this week.
Brilliant Baserunning, Brave Blunders
For once, the team blundering around Citi Field looking like the '62 Mets wasn't the Mets, it was Bobby Cox's Braves, led by none other than Shea Jones' daddy Chipper whose birthday weekend was not a good one.
And on the flip side, the Mets looking brilliant, led by none other than Angel Pagan.
The Met highlights:
- Angel Pagan scored from second with the infield fly rule called, as the Braves bumbled.
- Reyes scoring the game's only run Sunday by stealing second, then scoring on Chipper's throwing error.
- Henry Blanco stole his first base in 9 years, and caught his fourth runner, remaining perfect for the year both stealing and catching runners.
Meanwhile the Braves:
- Let 2 pop-ups to center fall in.
- Blew the infield fly
- Bizarre baserunning blunder by Yunel Escobar whose failure to tag turned a sacrifice fly into a double play.
Meanwhile the Mets on defense:
- Great plays by Reyes and Wright
- The play of the week: Jeff Francoeur prevented Chipper from scoring from first on a double, despite running with the pitch with 2 out. Go Jeff!
Reyes Returns
The real Jose Reyes finally came back this week. Reyes had a 1.090 OPS this week, with 2 triples, 3 stolen bases, and 6 runs scored.
He scored the game's only run Sunday by singling, stealing second, and scoring from second on Chipper Jones' throwing error.
The highlight of Reyes' week wasn't the 4 hit Tuesday or the winning runs Monday and Sunday, but his smile after a critical diving catch with 2 on and 2 out on Saturday.
Welcome back, Jose.
Davis Debut
Ike Davis debuted on April 19, 2010 at Citi Field against the Cubs. He wasted no time accumulating his firsts, getting all of the following in his first week:
- First hit (in first at bat)
- First homer (a monster)
- First great catch (tumbling into dugout)
- First broken up no hitter (in 5th inning)
All told in his first week Ike had 7 hits and 3 walks in 25 plate appearances, scoring 5 times and driving in 2, for a .318 average and a .900 OPS. He did however strike out 7 times, which is not a good sign. Still, great first week. Strangely for the left handed hitter, more than half his hits (4) were in 6 at bats against southpaws.
MetsToday pointed out a great trivia question: What number did Ike Davis first wear in the majors?
The answer, like the answer to the meaning of life, the universe, and everything, is 42. It was Jackie Robinson day at Citi. Davis then moved to number 29.
How much longer should the Mets give Jerry Manuel?
With the very slow start to the year, the blaming finger is already pointing towards Jerry Manuel.
Met fans seam to think that Manuel is on thin ice, if the club doesn't turn things around he may be shown the door.
Last year Jerry Manuel was blamed for making a few very questionable calls. And this year, it seams like part of the club doesn't have his back.
So how long should the Mets give Jerry?
I think the Mets should give him at least until the end of May, maybe he can get a shot to turn things around with Carlos Beltran in the lineup.
Lets face it, the Mets are not a great team. And if you want to beat the Phillies. Marlins and Braves for the NL East you need to have a good team.
You can't blame Jerry Manuel for the lack of talent the Mets had to open the year. Even with Jose Reyes the Mets have a lot of holes in there team.
In the lineup the Mets have a very weak center fielder with Beltran out and first base has been really ugly to watch in the lineup as Mike Jacobs was hitting .208 before the Mets sent him away.
Now, if you give Jerry Manuel until the end of May, you may see him with a lot more talent as Ike Davis is coming up to the bigs smoking hot from AAA and spring training and Carlos Beltran may be back in a few weeks.
I am not trying to take all the blame off Jerry Manuel, if he does not have many friends on the roster then he is to blame. But we need to remember, this is baseball- not football or basketball. The manager does not make that much of a difference.
So lets give Jerry Manuel a little air, and not blame him for the Mets not playing 100%.
Newest Posts
- With Carlos Beltran back, should the Mets trade an outfielder?
- Should the Mets get a starter and a reliever?
- Always Look on the Bright Side: Weekly Review
- Barajas & Blanco Walk-Offs
- Walk-Off Week
