Category: Trades

Teixeira Traded- See You Next Year Braves

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The Atlanta Braves officially threw in the towel yesterday and traded first baseman Mark Teixeira to the Los Angeles Angels. In return, the Braves come away with first baseman Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek. Marek is not considered to be one of the Angels top pitching prospects.

With Tim Hudson on the disabled list, possibly for the rest of the season, and Chipper Jones currently on the DL this trade makes sense for the Braves. Their  season is over. The problem here is for the Braves fans that are season ticket holders. They’re the ones that are now stuck paying for nothing. For their fans it’ll be hard to stay motivated to keep watching a team that’s already given up this season. Whether it’s buying tickets for games or watching on TV, there’s almost no point for their fans. That’s a tough situation.

The National League East is now down to the Mets, Marlins, and Phillies.

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Mets Need An Outfielder- Should Talk To The Rangers

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I’ve written before here that I love what Fernando Tatis and Endy Chavez have brought to the table this season. But with Moises Alou finished for the year (and his Mets career) and Ryan Church a major question mark going forward, the Mets need to get into the trade market for an outfielder. It doesn’t necessarily have to get done by the non-waiver deadline on July 31st. The Mets could see what they’ll be getting out of Church and make a waiver deal in August.

In the meantime, Omar Minaya should be talking to the Texas Rangers about Nelson Cruz of the Triple-A Oklahoma City RedHawks. The Mets don’t need the big splash trade like a Jason Bay, Manny Ramirez, or Matt Holliday. They don’t need to take on Raul Ibanez’ massive salary either.

Cruz is tearing it up at Oklahoma City. He just turned 28 years old this month. He’s a right-handed hitter. And apparently, he isn’t going to break into the Rangers major league roster right now.

Cruz has played 93 games for the RedHawks this season hitting .347/ .443/ .729 with 36 homers and 91 RBI’s and 22 SB’s. He’s ready for the big leagues.

Even if it cost an Aaron Heilman it would be worth it.

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Report: Mets Won’t Trade For Manny Ramirez

Jon Heyman reports for SI.com that the Mets won’t pursue Boston Red Sox disgruntled slugger Manny Ramirez. The Mets have been telling trade potential trade partners that there are several prospects that are untouchable including Fernando Martinez and Jon Niese.

Red Sox GM told Tim McCarver on the Fox Game of the Week broadcast that if Ramirez would waive his no trade clause that he would pursue a trade. There have been whispers for several years now that Ramirez wants to land in Los Angeles when he leaves the Red Sox.

Ramirez is a native New Yorker and certainly would fit the Mets need for a corner outfielder and right-handed power bat. The only problem is that his behavior is so unpredictable, and the Mets would have to unload pretty much all of their top prospects to get him in a trade. I don’t think it’s worth it for two years of Ramirez. The Mets should look for a B-level outfielder that won’t cost all of the Mets top prospects.

Phils Acquire Blanton From A’s

ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 8: Joe Blanton #55 of the...Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The Phillies pulled the trigger on a three for one deal with the Oakland A’s to acquire Joe Blanton to take over a spot in their starting rotation. It’s certainly appropriate that the Phils brought in some help on the day that the Mets entered a tie with Philly for first place in the NL East.

Blanton is a big right-hander that consistently pitches a lot of innings. He’s having a down year this season but he’s only 27 years old and he’s under contract through 2010.

His 162 game career average is: 13-13 | 215 IP | 229 H | 108 R | 57 BB | 122 K | 4.25 ERA | 1.330 WHIP.

It’s a nice pick up for the Phils and I assume that he’ll take Adam Eaton’s spot in the rotation. It amazes me how Billy Beane keeps trading away good young pitcher in Oakland. But his “reverse” philosophy seems to be working out for the A’s. They’ve done as well as you could expect with limited resources.

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Report: Mets To Promote From Within

Joel Sherman of the NY Post reports that Omar Minaya may pass on trades this month in favor of moving some of the Mets top prospects to the big leagues. Specifically, the Mets are thinking about moving Fernando Martinez into the outfield. Lefty Jon Niese could fit into the rotation and Bobby Parnell or Eddie Kunz may get work in the bullpen.

If Fernando Tatis and Endy Chavez cool off they could give Martinez a shot in left field. At 19 years old he has to play every day. If he’s not in the lineup every day, he shouldn’t be in the majors.

Apparently, the Rockies wanted Carlos Beltran in a trade for Matt Holliday so the Mets weren’t interested.

Mets Outfield Options- Matt Holliday, Barry Bonds And More

Before yesterday afternoon, I thought that the Mets would hold tight until after the All-Star break to see if Moises Alou could make it back onto the active roster. Well, we got the news today that Alou is likely gone for the season with a torn hamstring.

Ryan Church is on the disabled list for the second time with post concussion symptoms. It’s the fourth time this season that he’s been on the DL due to two concussions since March. We really don’t know what his long term situation is. Mike Matheny and Corey Koskie both retired within the last two seasons due to concussion related problems. It’s a dicey scenario for Church.

Now I’ve come to the conclusion that the Mets need to put together a short list of outfielders to go after. I love the way Endy Chavez and Fernando Tatis have performed this season. Don’t get me wrong. But I think that both of them are best seen in small doses.

I’m not in favor of rushing a prospect to the majors either. Everyone wants to see what Fernando Martinez can do, including me. But rushing guys to the bigs can be a recipe for failure. The Mets are built to win now, stocked with veterans that aren’t here to play for the future.

So I’ve worked on my list of outfielders that the Mets need to start looking into prior to the July 31st non-waiver trading deadline. Here’s the list:

Continue reading “Mets Outfield Options- Matt Holliday, Barry Bonds And More”

Mets Minaya Not Ruling Out Barry Bonds

SAN FRANCISCO - JULY 10: National League All-...Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The New York Mets outfield has been decimated by injuries this season. Two thirds of the starting outfield that the Mets aniticipated would be there, hasn’t been there. Moises Alou was sidelined early in the season after hernia surgery. Now he’s on the shelf witha calf strain.

Ryan Church has suffered two concussions this season and a three week long stint on the disabled list. Now he’s back in New York being evaluated by neurologists for migraine problems.

Bart Hubbuch of the NY Post reports that Mets GM Omar Minaya was asked about signing free agent Barry Bonds last night in Philadelphia. Minaya didn’t say that they wouldn’t try to sign Bonds. He did say:

I would say that I’m going to focus on our guys and our guys hopefully will be OK.

Barry Bonds isn’t a perfect fit for the Mets. But he does add some needed depth to the outfield rotation. If the Mets aren’t able to secure a right-handed hitting corner outfielder/first baseman before the July 31 trade deadline, they should pursue Bonds. He isn’t facing charges of perjury until next year. Although he brings as much baggage as possible, Bonds isn’t suspended from playing Major League Baseball. He’s fair game to sign.

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