Mets Rumor
Alright I just heard a rumor on the radio that the Mets are trying to either get Jason Schmidt or Roy Oswalt. The rumored deal would send their hot prospect Lastings Milledge to either of the teams and the Astros in addition would get Brian Bannister, the Mets rookie pitcher that started a few games at the beginning of the season and then has seemingly turned into Carl Pavano with mystery injuries and 5 pitch rehab starts. Now if it is at all possible for the Mets to give up Milledge and Bannister for Oswalt, this should be done in a heart beat. Not even, a heartbeat, faster than that. If I were Omar Minaya, I would throw a huge fiesta if I could land Oswalt. The Mets currently have at minimum an NLCS team. I think they could possibly lose to the Cards in the NLCS but thats the only NL team that should threaten them in the playoffs. However, in the World Series I don't think the Mets current roster has enough pitching.
If you actually compare the Mets rotation to the Yanks, it is really worse. They have a banged up Pedro in comparison to the inconsistent Randy. A struggling Glavine to Mussina who's having a stellar year. Wang is hands down better then Trachsel. El Duque gives up a minimum of 4 runs a game Wright only pitches 5 innings. And Lidle compared to a young Pelfrey who won't have an impact on the 2006 playoffs. If the Mets could land Oswalt they would have a certifiable Ace to add to Pedro and Glavine at the top of the rotation. This would give the Mets a great shot at making and winning the World Series. If Omar pulls this off, he's a genius.
Abreu Lidle Deal
Positives: Well the positives are obvious they gave up little to nothing to get two guys that will have a large impact the remainder of the season. While its nice to see Aaron Guiel contribute, its also nice to not have to watch a guy who got cut from the Royals start in the outfield for the Yanks. Abreu immediately adds more depth to the lineup and with his OBP he will supply more RBI opportunities for Bernie and Jorge. In addition it is actually a complete misnomer this season that the Yanks simply look for the 3-run homer. The Yankees are tied for 3rd in baseball, yes third in all of the Majors, for most steals this season. That isn't waiting for the 3-run homer, Abreu has 20 steals now and will continue to run. We'll have to wait and see if the power comes back, but he is a significant upgrade of Bubba Crosby or Aaron Guiel.
Cory Lidle is a significant upgrade for the 5th starter. I am ecstatic that I no longer have to endure anymore Sidney Ponson starts. Thank the Lord. Lidle, isn't going to go out and throw shutouts every time out but I don't expect him to get consistently ripped to shreds like Ponson would for the remainder of the season.
There is no real reason to knock this trade for this season, Abreu and Lidle are significant upgrades over who the Yankees were previously playing at those spots, and I truly believe that this will catapult the Yanks to at minimum the wild card, and without a move from the Red Sox I expect the Yanks to overtake the Sox for the division.
Negatives: Alright, with all the positives of this deal there are a few negatives. First of all I'm not really all that big a fan of Abreu. Basically, I'm not thrilled with having Abreu locked up for the next few years, I honestly would have much rather gotten Soriano for this year and let him go. I really want Melky to play in the outfield next season. He plays great defense and is heating up at the plate. So for the future I don't necessarily like this move.
Sheffield has got to be pissed off. Surprise. First off he now knows that when he comes back he's probably going to DH which he doesn't like to do. But mostly it's blatantly obvious that the Yanks have zero intention of picking up his option at the end of the season, and this is what he pissed and moaned about at the beginning of the season. So hopefully he's kept under wraps and doesn't see any media the next few days or expect some whining comments from him.
Lidle isn't stellar, but he is certainly better than Ponson, Lidle will help them make a playoff charge but will have little to no effect in the playoffs.
Early Morning Tiger Move
The Tigers went out this morning and picked up Sean Casey, now I'm not fully sure why Pittsburgh gave up on Casey considering they just got him this offseason, he is from Pittsburgh and really wanted to be there and the fans liked him, but this is a good move for the Tigers. Shelton, since week 1, has been a complete bum. Not only at the plate but yesterday, he missed a ground ball which began a 6 run avalanche in the 8th inning (I'm bitter Bonderman was going and I have him in both leagues). Casey is a consistent .300+ hitter, he's a lefty bat to put in the lineup which they have been lacking the whole season and simply put he's a good baseball player and tends to be a good influence in the clubhouse. Certainly, not a monumental life altering deal but a solid move by Le Tigres.
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