To Trade or Not to Trade

The Nationals are on the move and they are looking at Eddie Guardado. The Red Sox are looking into Eddie Guardado and possibly Ron Villone to bolster up their bullpen with a lefty. While the Red Sox are looking for relief help, so are the Diamondbacks. For this reason, I am fully behind the Mets looking to deal Braden Looper. Moving him into the set-up role will give a team a very effective set up guy that is a groundball pitcher. If the Mets can spin Glavine and Looper, they can pick up some prospects and still have Cammy, which is undoubtedly a good thing.

The starting pitcher and reliever market is looking like it will be thin this upcoming deadline and with Glavine back on track and having made a string of really good starts, he may be able to help the Mets while helping himself. His time here has not exactly been smooth and I'm sure he would take a chance to get himself out of here if the situation is right for him or even just flat out better. The Red Sox are looking for some pitching help and may be able help him find his way out of Queens. As for Looper, he pitched well in the playoff versus the Yankees and would be a valuable guy out of the pen for a team looking to get a boost from a bad market for relievers. If the Mets can find a home for these two and take advantage a market that should benefit the Mets should they choose to start parting with players, they may be able to retain Mike Cameron, Jae Seo, and Aaron Heilman and still have the important parts of this team intact while picking up a player or two.

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Rob Neyer laid out some gems in his last chat wrap.

Rich (Chicago): I was watching Baseball tonight and Kruk and Gammons were talking about how they wanted players to vote for the All Star Game Starters. What is your opinion? Should they change the process?

Rob Neyer: If the players were in charge, they would make nearly as many "mistakes" as the fans do. And frankly, I don't care much about what the players think, because the game's not for them. If they want to have their own All-Star Game, they should play it in Alex Rodriguez's back yard in November.

and

Leon (Seoul): The Giants are just depressing. Now I know all the blame can't fall on Sabean, but is he not the most overrated GM in baseball? His "plan" of creating the oldest team possible and sacrificing draft picks has produced vomit-inducing results. Sure he would've built a different team without Bonds, but how could he not see the risk factors in signing all these marginal players in their late 30's?

Rob Neyer: I can't really argue with any of this, except it's worth remembering that the Giants have enjoyed a pretty nice run. I wouldn't have done what Sabean's done, but then again I probably couldn't have guided a franchise to eight straight winning seasons and four postseason berths.

Seymour (Brooklyn): Rob, have you ever thought about one day becoming a GM and putting all your knowledge to some hands-on use?

Rob Neyer: All my knowledge would fit into Brian Sabean's left pinky finger with plenty of room to spare. I do fantasize about becoming a GM, just like I fantasize about becoming an astronaut and a mountain climber.

"I've thought about it," said Glavine, who has not had that discussion yet with the front office. "Obviously there's a real short list of teams I would even consider. I have no intention of wanting that to happen, but if they came to me and said look, 'We feel like we're better without you or whatever,' I'm not going to be like, 'Absolutely not.' Especially if it's a team I could see myself going to."

Omar, trade Tommy for Kelly Shoppach. Please.....

Minor update:

• Norfolk beat Syracuse 6-5. Angel Pagan went 1 for 4 with a triple, a walk, and RBI, Anderson Hernandez went 1 for 4 with a run scored, Victor Diaz went 1 for 2 with two walks, a run scored, and a double, Eric Valent went 2 for 3 with a run scored, a walk, a homer, and four RBIs, and Benito Santiago went 2 for 4 with two runs scored.
  
• Binghamton and New Hampshire got rained out. The scary part of it all is that I had a nightmare that Yusmeiro Petit gave up nine runs in one inning. I need a break.
  
• St. Lucie beat Vero Beach 4-3. Dante Brinkely went deep on a 1 for 3 night in which he walked, scored a run, and knocked in two RBIs. Lasting Milledge went 1 for 3 with an RBI, and Andy Wilson went 0-2, but managed to work three walks.
  
• Delmarva beat Hagerstown by a touchdown and field goal and that is never good. Corey Coles went 4 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI and Grant Psomas went 3 for 4 with two runs scored, a walk, and a homerun, which was his 16th on the year. Ryan Coultas had a big night at the plate and went 3 for 4 with two homers and four RBIs.
  
• New Jersey beat Brooklyn 5-4. Caleb Stewart went 1 for 2 with two walks.
  
• Kingsport and Elizabethton got rained out.
  
• The GCL Marlins pounded the GCL Mets 15-5. The good news? Only nine were earned.

Anderson Hernandez gets some much deserved love from Baseball America.

Mets shortstop Anderson Hernandez has been one of the hottest hitters in the International League since being called up to Triple-A Norfolk in late June. The 22-year-old middle infielder came over to New York from the Tigers for Vance Wilson in January and has 17 hits in his first 45 at-bats for the Tides. Hernandez batted .326-7-24 in 273 at-bats at Double-A Binghamton this year before being promoted.

So does Nick Evans.

• The Mets’ Nick Evans is having a field day in the Appy League. The 2004 fifth-rounder went 5-for-5 yesterday with three doubles, a homer and six RBIs. On the season, the 18-year-old first baseman is hitting .357/.400/.800 with six homers in 56 at-bats for Kingsport.

Anyone get the feeling that he is a bit above his competition? He did well in the GCL league last year and looked like he deserved a bigger jump, but I think he will force the issue soon enough.

Joel Sherman has a nice glass half full look at things.

Willie Randolph shrugged off a question about his decision to put Piazza in the cleanup spot, replying, "He's my No. 4 hitter. Who am I going to put there?"

Here's an idea, why not move Marlon Anderson up?