The Cammy Quandry

Should he stay or should he go. That has been a hot topic this season for the Mets. While his defense is stellar in the right field and been a real positive thing, his offense is streaky and comes in bunches. He missed the entire first month of the season, returning in the first game of May. He went .372/.476/.686 in May with five homers, eleven RBIs and five stolen bases. He looked like a different hitter than he did in the past using right field more and shortening up on his swing with two strikes. Then came June. Cammy went .205/.289/.342 with one homer and six RBIs and only two stolen bases. July has not been kind so far as Cameron has gone .176/.222/.412 with three homers, nine RBIs, and no stolen bases.

On the Year he is .262/.348/.491, which is pretty much in line with his career numbers and one thing is for sure, Cammy will go on a tear soon and cool off and repeat that throughout the year showing flashes of brilliance and then looking completely lost at the plate. In 2004, I thought Cammy was the MVP of the team for a few reasons. I loved his attitude, he helped the staff immensely, made a run at 30/30, and was everything we expected him to be. Mike brings value to the team in terms of cohesiveness and is great clubhouse guy.

However, he has a lot of trade value right now. He could slump and see his average drop into the .230s, but he could get hot too, you just never know. Right now, he is still good trade candidate for the Mets, and while his defense would be missed, Victor Diaz was starting to look pretty good in right field. Is Diaz completely ready to play everyday? Maybe not, but he looked like a Major League ball player in his earlier stint with the Mets sitting in for Cammy. Offensively, there is more upside with Victor and with the trade market being what it is, there are still teams that would love to have his services patrolling centerfield.

The Mets have control over Cammy for at least one more year. He will cost $8,000,00 in 2006 with a $6,500,000 team option for 2007. Mike is only 32 and could be under control until he is 34. He has plenty left in the tank and would be tremendous pickup for a team looking for a defensive centerfielder with a good bat. Right now, he is in the #2 hole and really is not fit for that role. Mike could help the team address other areas. I know it seems like I have been going trade proposal happy lately, but how about the Padres for instance? They are rumored to have a possible interest to have him patrol that immense centerfield, why not try and snag Josh Barfield and Scott Linebrink? The Padres bullpen is on the best in the Majors and they could stand to trade one of their arms. The Mets could throw in Jeff Keppinger to replace Barfield as the possible replacement for Mark Loretta in 2006 as well. The Mets get a potentially power hitting second baseman, who could also be shifted to the outfield or even first base, and a reliever to help bolster their bullpen while Victor Diaz can come up and take Cammy's place. Then they need to move Wright to the 2nd or 3rd hole in the lineup, stick Diaz 6th and are the Mets really that much worse of a team? I think the Mets have a great sell in a very affordable guy that will only cost $14,500,000 in 2006 and 2007 should a team keep him. Though some people may disagree with me, I truly think the above deal is not only plausible, but it helps the team more than keeping Cammy. It is tough to part with a great guy like Cammy, but that is the nature of the business.

* * *

The Red Sox are rumored to have a deal in place for AJ Burnett. The Red Sox could use Bronson Arroyo in the trade.

The Red Sox and Hansen could be nearing a deal.

General manager Theo Epstein wouldn't confirm a rumor that draft pick Craig Hansen was in Boston Friday to be medically evaluated, which, if accurate, could mean the team is approaching a deal with the former St. John's University closer who was rated No. 1 on at least one major league team's 2005 draft board.

Hansen fell to the Sox, picking at No. 26, largely because he was expected to be a tough sign. He has been, though Epstein sounded more optimistic yesterday than he did earlier in the week.

"We're making a lot of progress," said Epstein, who emphasized that there's no deal at this time."

If Hansen signs and is to be used as a starter, the market could be set for college pitchers who are polished and throw 97 mph. That could kick start negotiations for the Mets and their first round pick and with Humber's potentially really bad news looming, both sides should be motivated. Phil Humber, meet Tommy John. Tommy, meet Phil Humber. While this sucks for Humber, it really is not the end of the world for the Mets since they are deep in the starting pitching area in the minors, but it does take out Yusmeiro Petit in terms a being expendable for me with Humber's future in doubt.

Minor update:

• Syracuse beat Norfolk 14-11. Angel Pagan went 3 for 6 with a triple and two runs scored, Anderson Hernandez went 3 for 5 with two runs scored, two RBIs, and one walk, and Victor Diaz went 3 for 5 with two runs scored, his fifth and sixth homers of the year, and six RBIs. Jae Seo had a forgettable night and went 4.2 innings and gave up thirteen runs on fifteen hits. That game raised his ERA by 0.94 and his WHIP by 0.12. Just a bad, bad day.
  
• Binghamton beat Reading 7-2. Lastings Milledge went 3 for 5 with two RBIs and a stolen base, Brett Harper went 3 for 5 with three runs scored and an RBI, and David Bacani went 3 for 4 with two doubles and three RBIs. Yusmeiro Petit continues to give up the long ball, but had a good game going seven innings, giving up two runs on two homers, and struck out eight. Scott Lauber pointed out that lefties are hitting Petit for a .297 average with nine homers this year.
  
• Clearwater beat St. Lucie 6-5. Andy Wilson hit his 21st homer of the year and went 1 for 4 with two RBIs.
  
• West Virgina beat Hagerstown 2-0.
  
• Brooklyn beat Auburn 3-2.
  
• Kingsport beat Bluefield 5-3. Elvis Cruz went 3 for 4 with two runs scored, one double, one homer, and two RBIs.
  
• The GCL Mets lost to the GCL Dodgers 6-2. The Mets were held to only four hits on the night.

Mientkiewicz said he is not 100 percent yet. But he noted yesterday, "It's good enough to play."

"I'm not going to come back after 15 days and be Jose Reyes," he said. "But hopefully I can score from third on a triple."

Victor Zambrano continues to assert himself as a solid top of the rotation starter with another great start. He has lowered his ERA in six consecutive starts and has averaged 7.11 innings pitched with a 2.32 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 4.85 K/9, 1.53 K/BB, 108 pitches thrown, and an average game score of 59.5.

Barry Zito seems like he is back. So far this year, he is on pace to throw 234 innings and owns a 6.23 K/9, 1.17 WHIP, .216 BAA, and a 3.74 ERA. After a first month with a 6.60 ERA, he has put up 3.49 ERA, 3.05 ERA, and a 1.57 ERA.

Adam posed a great question in the comments section on yesterday's post.

Why is it that Braves rookies with 15 dayd ML experience are more fundamentally sound than Mets with 15 years experience.

Easy. Bobby Cox as opposed to Willie Randolph.