It's On......
The Braves really had to decide if Saltalamacchia was a catcher or a first baseman and the early returns on him being a first baseman were not favorable. So it really boils down to whether they wanted to keep McCann or Salty and they made the right decision for their current team.
McCann is pretty damn good and he has produced at the big league level and they get a gold glove first baseman who can hit 30+ and 100+ and is under control through 2008. All in all, it was a good deal for both teams and though I really do not think Elvis Andrus (Joaquin Arias part II) will be an impact player at any point, the Rangers save a lot of cash and get a big time prospect back that they can insert into the starting lineup right away.
Does any of this make the Braves favorites? Not really, but I'm sure a lot of people will go crazy over the deal and say they are. While first base was a black hole for them, they still have starting pitching issues and bullpen issues. They did receive a reliever back as well, but I do not think Mahay is going to change the face of their bullpen even though he should improve it. Things certainly got more interesting, but the Mets are still the team to beat for me.
As for the Mets trade, Omar did not hit the panic button and trade Lastings Milledge for Mark Loretta or anything. A big concern of Willie was the second spot in the lineup and defense at second base. While I'm not all for Castillo being the second hole hitter, it is a foregone conclusion. In regards to Gotay, he provides some great bench depth and is a valuable pinch hitter. He has been so big for the Mets lately that you hate to see him not start, but Castillo is a perennial .300 hitter, though without much power.
Basically he is what they want out of Paul LoDuca but with a more speed and better bunting skills. I'm not sure if he comes close to LoDuca in regards to intangibles, but he is a good contact hitter that will put the ball in place while giving you stellar defense. The Mets got deeper today for sure even though it was not a blockbuster and it only cost Dustin Martin and Drew Butera. You have to give Omar a lot of credit for this deal as it is a very low cost/low risk move.
posted by michael o. at 12:10 AM
24 Comments:
the castillo move is a cant lose situation. if he bombs we got good back ups. if he does good, great. minaya didnt give squat for him.
this is why the rangers will suck. they trade a gold glove 1b with a big stick for a guy who couldnt beat out the immortal julio franco for atbats. oh and a reliever.
the braves had sticks. they need pitching! who is on the back end of their rotation? i cant trust a pen with wickman as a closer.
1:35 AM
The Braves made a really bad assed trade and Tex is one of my favorite players but the Braves' biggest problems have been starting and releif pitching. I mean, sure they got Ron Mahay but... who the fuck is Ron Mahay, and thier starting pitching includes Jo-Jo Reyes and Buddy Carlyle, that ain't gonna get it done.
I love the Castillo deal. The Mets are about 4 years too late, as they should have signed him instead of Kaz Matsui but whatever, he's here now and I think he's going to be great even if every aspect of his game is declining. The only thing I was dissapointed in seeing from Castillo was his .350 OBP, something that I'm used to seeing in the .380's and higher. I think it'll be higher with the Mets.
And the Mets only gave up Drew Butera who sucked and should never have gotten drafted in the first place, then there's Dustin Martin who I liked but was 23 and in Single A. Very nice deal.
4:00 AM
Willie’s move on Saturday night was met with disbelief by both Gary and Keith. Willie was left with Tom Glavine pinch hitting in the bottom of the 9th. He also used El Dugue as a pinch runner for Lo Duca after it was decided that Lo Duca had to come out. I pictured El Dugue going down with an injury on the bases. Although the move was bad Willie is still learning to cope with these situations since he refused to manage at the minor league level. So its learn at the big league level and I think he has shown improvement each year and all those posts at other blogs calling for his firing are foolish and a waste of time. Anyway I believe that managers in baseball have less of an impact on their team than head coaches in football, basketball or hockey. I also believe that compared to an average manager a bad manager can hurt you much more than you gain from an exceptional manager. Overall I consider Willie average.
The trade for Castillo cost the Mets very little and if he should walk at the end of the season the Mets would get a draft pick that could land them a better prospect than the two suspects they gave up. OTOH I don’t think they gained very much for the stretch run. I originally didn’t think much of Gotay but I have come to like him. He brings energy to the team and has a nice swing from the left side. With hard work he should become an acceptable defensive 2nd baseman to go along with his offense. I hope he still gets his share of playing time. Also I hope I’m wrong about Castillo and he helps the Mets win a few games with his bat and glove. BTW Goatay reminds me very much of Robinson Cano.
I just want to remind you that it was an incident with a goat that caused all the misery lo these many years for the Cubs. Hopefully the Mets will not make a mistake with their Goatay.
I remind myself when assessing the Braves moves that based upon Schuerholz’s track record it’s hard to question his moves. The Braves are stronger and only time will tell whether or not they can overtake the Mets.
4:02 AM
I want Eric Gagné
4:40 AM
Did you guys see that F-Mart was pulled after one at bat last night, and Humber was scratched from his start? Hmmmm. Could there be a big deal about to come down? I hope we can somehow get our hands on Oswalt.
6:43 AM
we need to dl beltran and loduca. willie cant manage a bench as is and have it short two players is not cool.
duque is old as hell. his simple jogging cost us a world series last year. i dont want him running.
willie butchered that game and cost a sweep.
8:08 AM
How many times does Beltran do this? He's hurt, he sits out for a few days, we don't DL him, and we play shorthanded? Put him on the DL, let him get healthy already....maybe he'll even get a big hit somewhere down the stretch.
8:42 AM
Castillo is a win win for the Mets. Martin wasn’t even the fourth best outfielder in their system and was in A ball. Butera didn’t even look like a big league backup at this point. Good stuff….
Salty was a nice bounty though for them. The market didn’t develop and he’s a top tier prospect. Hard to really complain about that one and if he can stay as a catcher in that park….30 homers is not out of the question. I believe Botts can play first as well.
Benny, the Mets really went half assed for Castillo and it didn’t make sense. Something like $5million per year? What was that crap?
Two-by-four, I think managers can cost you up to five games a season…that is a big thing though in tight races and some moves are inexcusable. Willie makes a ton, but I blame Omar in that spot. You know you have a manager incapable of deftly managing through that type of situation and you leave him short handed. They should have just sit Beltran down and we need you to get rested and not rush back. Instead, they let him dictate these things after him doing this every season. Omar needs to be smarter and give Willie a more Willie-proof team. I mean, they carried three catchers for like a month and he used Castro once to pinch hit. You need to ensure Willie has things idiot proofed. I no longer blame Willie because he just can’t do it. I blame Omar for not recognizing it and not setting things up better.
John, Kershaw was pulled as well. I’m sure legions of minor leaguers were pulled. Hopefully they don’t get traded for 2 months of Gagne. Sorry. You need to balance the now and the future. Gagne will never resign to set up and I just cannot condone making that deal. RE: Astros…they are so lost that they need to trade Gagne. They have no bats and are in desperate need for some building blocks. I cannot imagine Oswalt not wanting to win after five years of futility. I cannot see them being competitive for a while and a fire sale wouldn’t hurt at all.
Ossy…we agree on that Willie issue. You cannot leave him short handed.
Haus, it’s silly…I’m not mad at Beltran…he’s obviously not a grinder. That is fine, but you have not manage your personnel better.
9:05 AM
u cant blame omar. its hard managing a roster with the minor call ups, travel, payroll and who knows what else.
willie should know better than to burn players when he is short 2 players. the announcers called it on the spot and most savy fans did. a manager is supposed to be smarter than us all. willie is not
9:22 AM
Willie should know better but he doesn't and now it's Omar's job to ensure he has what he needs so the team is Willie Proof...or as Willie Proofed as possible.
I'd prefer they just gotten someone from the start who knows this stuff but whatever. He's not bad enough to fire and eat the three years they tacked on, but he's a tick below average and I'm not a big fan of average managers either. His stubbornness just really gets to me and his brain synapses fire in an entire different way than ours.
9:32 AM
I've heard rumors that Willie's play on Saturday was political.....he wanted another bat, and Omar wouldn't give him one. A kind of "told you so".
11:48 AM
an i told you so would be omar firing his ass and saying i told u freddie wilpon loved me more
12:03 PM
Haus...If that is the case, that is silly. However, I do get Willie's anger. Omar left him short and that is not right. But I guess if he asked for something and is resorting to this, that doesn't speak will of their relationship. Maybe there is trouble in paradise...couldn't see that happening in Brave land.
1:54 PM
If Willie made those moves to show up Omar, it didn't work, it just made him look stupid. I'm not sure that's what went on.
I think he had a certain plan that he was following, and when LoDuca got hurt, he got that deer-in-the-headlights look, and blew it.
Maybe he'll learn as he goes along, but that was just obviously dumb.
2:42 PM
I think he had a certain plan that he was following, and when LoDuca got hurt, he got that deer-in-the-headlights look, and blew it.
Which sounds more believable really. Once Willie gets a head of steam and something in his mind, forget it. It's over Johnny and there is not changing his mind. Sad but true...
2:49 PM
That's Willie's biggest fault, he can be outsmarted when things happen quickly. He's mediocre as a tactician, at best.
The boy wonder in Boston has now officially lost his title and has become an idiot. Red Sox fans will not forget the day that Kason Gabbard was traded away for an old reliever with his arm hanging by one tendon.
Braves get lefty and righty in their bullpen plus Texiera. and the Phillies are red hot. Hang on to your hats, folks.
4:27 PM
Great moves by the Braves...but the Mets have a cushion and would have to fall on their faces or the Braves will need to be white hot...of course they are gunning for the Wild Card as well.
Looks like the Mets were saved from themselves. I like Humber in the pen more than Cordero. Not that I can complain argue with Cordero's track record, I just think six years of him is worth more. I am still very high on him and would prefer to see the Mets roll the dice with Phil.
4:29 PM
Back to the prospects and trade deadline stuff, it looks like the Nats balked at Humber for Cordero straight up, and this is our team.
If that's the case - and Pedro (or at least an artist formerly named Pedro) will be in the rotation within a few weeks - here's my suggestion.
Move Humber and Pelfrey to the pen in AAA today. Have them start rotating as closer. Promote whoever performs better within the next week or two, the other one in Sept when the rosters expand. For all the talk about deadline deals, it's the young arms from the minors who usually make the difference in the playoffs - Rivera in '96, KRod in '02, even Wainright last year. I actually see a lot of Wainright-potential in Humber for the stretch run...
4:35 PM
Could not agree with you more. The Yankees are doing things perfectly with Joba to the pen in preparation for the bigs to get them used to being relievers. They pulled Humber early, so get him in the pen now and in a game by Friday.
I would think that Pelfrey would perform better numbers-wise, but I still think Humber is better suited for the bigs at this point owning more than on pitch. Maybe in the pen Pelfrey's 1.5 pitches works...maybe it won't. But I think trying is the right thing to do.
5:09 PM
you guys are crazy...
Would have loved to trade Humber for Cordero. I would have traded Pelf for him too... but after the suck fest he has shown this year he is not worth trading. Codero would have made our BP solid. Very Solid. I do not believe for 1 second that Omar does not have a plan B (already in motion), plan C, and plan D ready to go. I would love Pelf or Humber to the pen, but I suspect that would be in the plan D area.
Pumped about Castillo. Always liked him. I think he will be a positive on our team for many reasons. I think Gotay will learn a lot from playing with him for the rest of the year. Plus, we get draft picks that should easily equal what we traded.
"Excuse me Twins, can we please have your 2nd Basemen? You dont want anything in return? Well, Bud will be pissed... take these 2 guys just to shut him up. I have to see him this week in Milwaukee."
I wish I could be as mad as you guys are about the pinch hit thing. But it just doesnt really bother me. I know you guys hate the guy, but he is a great baseball mind. Plus he is of great character. A leader with a reputation for winning. He is such a positive influence to younger players. Is he the greatest tactician in the game? No... He is not. But strategy is something that can be worked on and learned. Character is something that never changes.
Cordero would have been sweet. But not worth Gomez or FMart. They are our LF and 1B of the future.
6:23 PM
Why do I get the feeling that if Willie were managing the 1925 Yankees Wally Pip would have gotten his job back? :)
7:29 PM
I'm not mad about the pinch hit thing, I'm just scratching my head. There have been lots of managers who weren't great tacticians that were very successful, and even won championships. Willie's strength is that players seem to like him, and play hard for him.
9:07 PM
I fucking hate Guillermo Mota. Piece of shit. Fuck. Steroid piece of shit. OK, I'm done with that rant.
Anthony
10:59 PM
gbaked....a great baseball mind? Knows how to win? Please... Willie played on winning teams and was a third base coach for some...that does not mean he knows how to win.
Humber and Pelfrey for Cordero? I'm not getting it. There were whispers about Cordero losing a little bit over the last two years and the throws an 88 mph fastball followed by 83 mph change-up. I have a hard time giving up not one, but two high ceiling arms. He would have been welcome...don't get me wrong but not for Humber. Bowden got greedy anyway because that was a great return for him. They want a potential front end starter and he could have been that guy.
Mota is pretty annoying. He loooooves his change-up. That tends to get him in a lot of trouble.
11:08 PM
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