Friday, July 30, 2004
Dear Fred Wilpon, give it up.
The New York Mets are talking about trading Ty Wigginton and Matt Peterson, a pitching prospect, to the Pirates for Kris Benson, a guy who's been great for all of six weeks in the major leagues and has already had a Tommy John surgery.
Trade Wigginton, fine. There's no room for him anyway with David Wright coming up and Eric Valent playing well at first base. But this move really makes no sense if they're trading away anyone else. Benson is in the last year of his contract and could be a free agent at the end of the season unless the Mets would simultaneously trade for him and sign him to a contract extension. Signing him wouldn't be wholly bad since the Mets pitchers have an average age of 53, but they would be giving up a prospect at the same time. It really leaves them in the same position, only they'd have to pay more for Benson than for Peterson, and they'd be minus Wigginton, who would be a much better utility guy than Joe McEwing.
Do the Mets think that they are still in the pennant race? They are 3 games under .500 and they are 6 games out of first place. They're behind 6 other teams for the wild card race and they have lost 7 of their last 10 games. It's over. Don't trade away guys you could build on for a short term answer to a question that's not even being asked.
Mets, no trades. Keep your guys in case something miraculous happens, but don't try and get better by trading away the future. It's not worth it.
Trade Wigginton, fine. There's no room for him anyway with David Wright coming up and Eric Valent playing well at first base. But this move really makes no sense if they're trading away anyone else. Benson is in the last year of his contract and could be a free agent at the end of the season unless the Mets would simultaneously trade for him and sign him to a contract extension. Signing him wouldn't be wholly bad since the Mets pitchers have an average age of 53, but they would be giving up a prospect at the same time. It really leaves them in the same position, only they'd have to pay more for Benson than for Peterson, and they'd be minus Wigginton, who would be a much better utility guy than Joe McEwing.
Do the Mets think that they are still in the pennant race? They are 3 games under .500 and they are 6 games out of first place. They're behind 6 other teams for the wild card race and they have lost 7 of their last 10 games. It's over. Don't trade away guys you could build on for a short term answer to a question that's not even being asked.
Mets, no trades. Keep your guys in case something miraculous happens, but don't try and get better by trading away the future. It's not worth it.
# posted by ChuckJerry : 7/30/2004 11:50:00 AM
