Friday, July 14, 2006

Tis the season to be silly...

I get to the train station this morning, and buy my normal copies of the Post and the News. As there was no Met game last night, I'm not expecting much. However, I am surprised to see that both papers have been busy doing some research. Apparently, Omar is looking into deals. The deals that are written about however seem a bit much.

The Post (courtesy of my favorite writer of fiction Joel Sherman) has both the Mets and the Yankees interested in Bobby Abreu. Now, from the Yankee point of view, this makes sense. They are still missing Matsui and Sheffield, and do not know if they will be able to come back this season. The thought of going into a playoff race with Melky Cabrera as your leftfielder should be of concern. Of course, the Yankees have nothing of value (read, prospects they would deal) to give up in a trade, but that has never stopped Sherman before.
Sherman also writes that Omar has called Philly GM Pat Gillick to say he is interested. Now, this may not be that odd, considering the tough time Uncle Cliffy has had this season. However, there are two points Sherman should consider. First, the two teams are in the same division. In order for Philly to trade Abreu to the Mets, Omar would have to bowl them over with a big offer (Millidge plus others). I do not think Omar is going to do that deal. Second, Abreu is very overpaid with $23.5 million due by the end of next season, plus a 2008 option that would probably have to be picked up in order for Bobby to waive his No Trade Clause.
Not to mention the fact that while Abreu has very good stats, his power is gone since last season, and he is not exactly a fielding upgrade over Xavier Nady in right.

The News has a somewhat more intriguing deal, saying the the White Sox called Omar to say that Javier Vasquez and Freddy Garcia are available for bullpen help. The question is, who would that help be? Perhaps Heilman? Well, he would not be very happy, as there is little to no chance he would start in Chicago, given the depth of their rotation. I would not be against trading Aaron for a quality starter personally, but I wonder about Vasquez in NY. He did not do very well as a Yankee. Then again, the spotlight in Flushing would not be as bright as it is in the Bronx. Garcia is also interesting, though he is more of a finesse pitcher, something the Mets have enough of in their rotation at this point. Vasquez would be the better fit.

The problem with both of these "deals" is like I wrote previously, what do the Mets have to give up, and will the cost be too high. I know this is not exactly breaking news, Met fans know the state of the farm, but I still read and hear "trade proposals" that fail to take simple facts into consideration.

The silly season has started fans. Buckle up and get ready, it is going to be an interesting 16 days till the non-waiver deadline.

No comments: