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Mets Are Stupid

At least, that what John Sickels thinks in his latest edition of Down On The Farm. Sickels thinks it's a great trade...for Tampa Bay:

So, how distressed should Mets fans be, and how ecstatic should Tampa Bay boosters get? It is always wise to be careful creating or harboring expectations with pitching prospects, given the high attrition rates even among the elite. Kazmir certainly has a world of talent. He could turn into a top-notch starter, or he could develop into a Billy Wagner-style power reliever. He could also struggle with his command, or suffer a catastrophic injury. The bottom line though is that the Devil Rays picked up an excellent pitching prospect (and Diaz is pretty good too) in exchange for a 28-year-old pitcher with a 4.47 career ERA and control problems. It looks like a good deal to me, for Tampa Bay.

I just got around to reading Jayson Stark's article from Saturday on the winners and losers of the trade deadline. For what it's worth, he tabs the Mets as the fourth biggest winners, citing, as usual, the general unpredicability of prospects in general. He also provides numerous comments from unnamed sources that seemingly are requirements of any ESPN.com piece:

On paper, the three minor leaguers they traded -- Kazmir, pitcher Matt Peterson and catcher Justin Huber -- looked like their three best prospects. But there are mixed reviews on all of them.

Peterson was described by one scouting director as "a No. 5 starter" and by another as "a No. 4, at best." The same scouting directors questioned Huber's instincts and projected him as no better than a backup catcher in the big leagues.

So it's Kazmir who will ultimately determine the wisdom of these deals. And one scouting director called him "the best prospect traded by anyone this year."

But two other scouting directors we surveyed had their doubts. Both think he'll wind up as a relief pitcher. And, given his size (6-feet, 170 pounds), he'll draw comparisons to Billy Wagner -- not necessarily for the better.

Wagner, said one scouting director, "is much stronger physically than Kazmir. So to me, the best he'll be is a poor man's Billy Wagner."

Kazmir could prove everybody wrong -- or right. But you know there will be a lot of people in baseball -- and in New York -- watching him try.

Al Leiter goes for the Mets tonight in Milwaukee. Does anybody care?