Maximizing Your Return

Ok, So lets review. The Mets trade Ian B., Scott Kazmir, Jose Diaz, Matt Peterson, and Justin Huber and get back Victor Zambrano, Doug M., Kris Benson, and Jeff Keppinger. We could argue all day about the philosophy of trading unproven talent for proven talent, but I just think the Mets are making a habit of getting rid of talented guys for less than exciting major leaguers. If you trade top tier talent, it would nice if you can get guys like Huff and Hudson back when they are on the trading block. I like Benson and Zambrano, but the Mets acted desperate when they gave up three of their top five prospects to get them last year. The reality is that Ian B. did not play above Cap City and is a long ways away from the majors. For a low a guy not named Latings Milledge, it would probably be hard to get top tier MLB talent straight up. That being said, he should be been held onto if Doug is all you can get back.

Doug seemed to have worn out his welcome with that ball debacle and he did not seem to have many interested parties being he makes $3.75 million. I guess the real issue would be, is Travis Lee healthy? He took only 19 at-bats in 2004, but if he was to be healthy he costs less in dollars and does not cost a top notch prospect who can flat out rake.

Doug Mientkiewicz

Year	G	AB	R	H	2b	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLGr
2001	151	543	77	166	39	15	74	67	92	.306	.387	.464
2002	143	467	60	122	29	10	64	74	69	.261	.365	.392
2003	142	487	67	146	38	11	65	74	56	.300	.393	.350
2004	127	391	47	93	24	6	35	48	56	.238	.371	.350
4 yr. AVG	141	472	63	132	33	11	60	66	68	.279	.371	.419

Travis Lee

Year	G	AB	R	H	2b	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLGr
2000	128	404	53	95	24	9	54	65	79	.235	.342	.366
2001	157	555	75	143	34	20	90	71	109	.258	.341	.434
2002	153	536	55	142	26	13	70	54	104	.265	.331	.394
2003	145	542	75	149	37	19	70	64	97	.275	.348	.459
4 yr. AVG	146	509	65	132	30	15	71	64	97	.260	.341	.417

Their four year splits are comparable. Nothing heavily favors Doug except for the health factor. If someone can clue me into the health status of Lee, please do. If there are huge question marks surrounding him, then I can possibly understand. However, I do not know that to be the case. One thing about this off season and adding Delgado that was interesting to me was that they would have gave up nothing and improved their team a whole lot. No minor league talent would have been lost and they would have managed to keep what they had left intact. Delgado cost nothing. Not even a draft pick. After giving up the 2nd and 3rd round picks while giving up your fourth rated prospect after giving up three of your top five prospects in 2004 worries me. You can tell me that it's only one lost prospect, but I'm still pissed.

Ian Bladergroen

Year	G	AB	R	H	2b	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLGr
2003	74	274	33	78	12	6	36	21	51	.285	.354	.416
2004	72	269	39	92	23	13	74	25	55	.342	.376	.505
Career	146	543	72	170	35	19	110	46	106	.313	.376	.505

From BA:
Background: Bladergroen passed up a scholarship from Nebraska to sign with the Mets as a draft-and-follow prior to the 2003 draft. A two-time junior college all-American, he led national juco players with 32 homers in 2003. He had a breakout first full season in 2004, but it ended early when he tore a ligament in his left wrist in July.

Strengths: Bladergroen has plus power, and because his swing keeps the bat in the zone for a long time, he also can hit for average. He uses the whole field and works counts well. One of the best defensive first basemen in the system, he’s agile and has a big wingspan to nab high throws.

Weaknesses: Though Bladergoren has produced for average and power, his bat speed is not exceptional and could cause him problems at higher levels. His wrist injury is also a question mark, as he couldn’t swing the bat during instructional league.

The Future: The Mets are anxiously awaiting Bladergroen’s recovery. If he’s fully healthy when spring training begins, he could hit his way to high Class A. Wrist injuries often take a while to heal, so he could need time to regain his power stroke.

If you are going to trade him, is Doug M. really all you can get? Coming off a really bad year in which he was traded for Justin Jones, I just think something better could have been done. I may be over reacting about it and Ian may turn out to be nothing, but Doug M. just does not seem worth it right now. The Mets seemingly have turned to an organizational philosophy of dishing out top prospects for sub par major leaguers who may or may not have upside. By the all-star break I may be applauding this move, but we also may have a first baseman slugging .370 and the Red Sox may have a stud hitting .330/.420/.500 in the minors. Weren't the Mets thin in the first base department in the minors? How about moving someone from a position of strength like Shane Bowman instead?

This one is head scratcher right now. Not only did the Mets lose out on Delgado, which I can deal with, but they dished off the #4 prospect in a weakened farm system when Travis Lee is out there and cost nothing.