SaberMets.com

Back In Business

Thanks to the hard work of JD and the guys at weblogs.us, we're back up and ready to go. I have been unable to post new entries for several weeks now, though I'll leave you to debate the actual downside of that.

Since we last spoke, the Mets have been mired in a frustrating tailspin, leaving them straddling the line between buyers and sellers. To be fair, they should probably be sellers at this point, and were merely straddling that line up until now. If you've been reading any of the terrific Mets blogs in the right column during my absence, you've undoubtedly seen mention of the Mets potential activity as the trade deadline nears (now four days away, on July 31st).

Even if the Mets resign themselves as sellers, the problem arises: What can they sell, and what could they reasonable expect in return. Jeremy at Jeremy Heit's Blog breaks it down for us, and the bottom line is that there isn't much to sell here.

The good young players are not going to be traded as the Mets build towards 2005-2006. The bad old players are lucky to even have Major League jobs (you know who you are), and no one in their right mind would want to trade for them. The rest of the "talent" on this team is either too expensive (Glavine), too fragile (Floyd, Piazza), too crummy (Phillips, bullpen), or just not really desirable (McEwing).

Hidalgo may have some trade value to a contender, but he's shown me enough to warrant a 2-3 year deal in the off-season, and I'd just assume hold onto him. Looper could bring back a B prospect; Ugeth Urbina was acquired last season for Adrian Gonzalez, and Urbina is no better (maybe worse) than Looper.

The ship is sinking fast, but there's still hope for 2005. Jose Reyes will be back at shortstop, with noodle-arm switching over to second base. David Wright will have a couple-hundred ML at-bats under his belt, and should be primed for a breakout season. Cameron, Floyd, and, with a little luck Hidalgo, will form a solid outfield. With some off-season work and agility conditioning, not to mention some training time with Mex Hernandez, Mike Piazza should be less of an embarrassment at first base. And, with a little forward-thinking, Justin Huber and his 400+ OBP could be behind the dish.

The pitching staff will need a lot of work, but with free-agents-to-be like Carl Pavano, Matt Clement, Kris Benson, and reclamation projects Derek Lowe and Kevin Millwood, there are certainly options for the rotation.

The Mets are back at the Big O tonight, and I hear Joe McEwing is the scheduled starter.