Finding A Bright Spot for the Mets
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by Tom Miller
Today, the New York Mets traded troubled outfielder Lastings Milledge to the Washington Nationals for outfielder Ryan Church and catcher Brian Schneider. Mets fans were clearly not pleased with this development, as one of our esteemed founders wrote an article titled "If It Weren't For That Kazmir Trade, This Would Be The Worst Trade In History." My favorite mainstream baseball writer, Keith Law of ESPN.com, also panned (sorry, insider only) the trade for the Mets, saying "the Mets sold low on a former first-round pick with a lot of upside and committed two years and too much money to a catcher who can't hit." From a pure talent standpoint, absolutely, the Mets were swindled in this trade. But if you look deeper, you can find the silver lining. And that's where I come in.
For one, the Mets appeared to be sick of Milledge. The showboating after his first career home run, the unfortunate rap song, the lackadaisical attitude at the end of the 2007 season (there were numerous occasions where he didn't run hard, where he was unaware of situations, including attempting to tag up from second with two outs)...all these things began to add up, and by all accounts the Mets were tired of waiting for Milledge to grow up.
The inability of Milledge to mature have led me to question whether Milledge will be a superstar or just another Milton Bradley. Apparently I'm not the only one to think this. Several people have mentioned that the Mets could have kept Milledge as part of a deal for Johan Santana, Dan Haren, or Joe Blanton. It's become abundantly clear that Milledge's makeup has raised serious question marks for rival GMs. Omar Minaya would not have traded Milledge if it was possible that Billy Beane was still interested in the outfielder. The same goes for Bill Smith, the new GM of the Minnesota Twins. It's clear that, once Minaya found out there was a limited market for Milledge, the Mets decided to get rid of Milledge immediately. Under those circumstances, the Mets probably did the best they could do.
Now, about the two players that the Mets got in return for Lastings Milledge:
Catcher Brian Schneider: There's no getting around the fact that Schneider is abysmal offensively (.235/.326/.336 in 2007). That, coupled with the fact that the Mets just acquired Johnny Estrada, makes this a head-scratcher. Ramon Castro is a very potent offensive player, but his weight issues make him unable to run at all or be a full-time catcher. Despite not exactly being Russell Martin at the plate, Schneider does fill a need for the Mets, as he is a well above-average defensive catcher.
Outfielder Ryan Church: Church is the definition of a platoon player. His numbers against left-handers are awful (.229/.316/.339), but he has impressive figures for right-handers (.287/.360/.506). The Mets could be planning to platoon Church and Endy Chavez in right field, but I think a trade is more likely. The Mets have Carlos Gomez to take over in right field, and there are teams that could use a right fielder.
Here is what I think could happen: The Cubs are in the market for a right fielder, and are currently pursuing Kosuke Fukudome, a Japanese import. There's a decent chance that Fukudome could stay in Japan, and ( according to Jerry Crasnick) the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants are pursuing him. If the Cubs fail to sign Fukudome, the Mets could contact them about trading Church for right hander Michael Wuertz. It would fill the Cubs' hole in right field and the Mets would get the right handed bullpen arm that they need.
On the face, this wasn't a great trade for the Mets. However, if Omar Minaya plays his cards right, this could turn out in the Mets' favor. Of course, there's the definite possibility that Milledge becomes a star and this becomes the worst trade for the Mets since the ill-fated Scott Kazmir-Victor Zambrano fiasco.
