How About Juan Pierre?

There was an interesting little nugget of information in MLB Trade Rumors regarding Juan Pierre.

"The Dodgers have their own outfielder with an oversized contract: Juan Pierre. The team might try to trade Pierre for an equally overpriced back-of-the-rotation pitcher."

How would Pierre fit in with the Mets? The team has talked about playing to CitiField, athletic and fast. He fits that mold and would add a dynamic element to the lineup. If given 500 AB, Pierre would bat close to .300 and steal about 50 bases. He would be a good fit batting in the number 2 hole. Reyes, Pierre, Beltran, Wright is a good way to start off.

The trade for him could be either Oliver Perez with the Mets eating the difference of about 5.5 million or how about Castillo and the Dodgers chipping in to resolve the difference in salary. Either way, it is addition by subtraction. The Mets get rid of a headache and fill the LF spot.

If it was Perez that went, then the Mets would be in position to go after Lackey, or two of the 2nd tier pitchers. Maybe Pinero and Wolf could both be added. Something to think about.

Be Bad, Be Very Bad

Barring some kind of 20 game win streak, coupled with about 8 teams totally collapsing, the Mets are done as contenders this year. If that is the case then there is no reason to be mediocre. If they are not going to contend, then be bad, really bad. There is so much more upside to being totally awful rather than middle of the pack. The Mets have had a lousy draft position the last 3 years based on their record. Plus, they have been in the category of teams that have to give up a 1st round round draft pick to sign a Type A free agent. The bottom is so much better than the middle in terms of building for the future. A series of great draft positions, imagine having the 4th or 5th pick every round. Add in the bonus of not giving up a number one for signing a top free agent and the rebound can begin. Lets Go Mets, all the way to a top draft pick!

Enough is Enough

It's time for the fat lady to start singing. The Mets are not only a bad Major League team, they are a bad AAA team. Look who is on the field. Other than Wright, K-Rod and Santana, who else on the team is even league average. Time to make some changes. Here is who I would keep for 2010: Wright, Santana, K-Rod, Pagan, Cora, Santos, Green, Feliciano, Pelf, and Parnell, ok maybe Francoeur. The rest can go. Get rid of them and start over. Start tonight or even tomorrow but start cleaning house. If the Mets don't start making some moves then they will be playing to an empty house.

Holliday Trade in the Works?

According to MLB Trade Rumors the A's have acquired Scott Hairston from the Padres. Why would the A's trade for a solid OF unless they were looking to move Holliday? Has Omar seen enough? Pure speculation, but if Omar was interested what would he be giving up? Don't mortgage the farm, but how about Parnell, Evans and Niese for starters. Who else would you throw in? If the A's have added an OF then that would seem to negate the need for a major league ready OF. I have been in the camp of don't mortgage the future. However, there is a chance of keeping Holliday through arbitration, and if he goes then the Mets get 2 first round draft picks. The Mets were 40-41 at the Allstar break last year and went on a run. If they are getting Beltran and Reyes back within the next two weeks then there is still time to get on another run.

Of course, it could be Atlanta making a play for Holliday. They are right back in it and they have the prospects to throw around. How bad would that be for the Amazin's fan base to see Holliday go to the Braves. Stay tuned.

It will make me stronger

As hard as it seems, it is time to move on from last night's debacle. Sure, Castillo caused us all to feel that sharp blow to the stomach that can only come from a sporting event involving the team you live and die for, especially the Amazins. Outside of analyzing how warped it is that we are so invested in the performance of extremely well paid athletes, we have to move on as fans. The last 4 days have been excrutiating but the great thing about baseball in June is that there is a game today and 100 more to go. We can all analyze how Orlando Hudson would have caught that ball if Omar had not become suddenly deranged two years ago when he re-signed Castillo. We can cry about all the injuries and the "Woe is Us" Mets syndrome. Or we can get off the deck and break out our hearts for another wrenching game at the new improved Death Star stadium. Fernando Nieve, our new savior.

Don't Panic but Make a Dunn Deal

The Mets have been looking like a bad AAA team at times this past 2-3 weeks. It is hard to recognize many of the names and even harder to imagine significant contributions by some of these guys. So what should the Mets do:
1. Don't go get another shortstop. Let the current guys led by Alex Cora get the job done until Jose is back, even if it takes a couple of months.
2. Let Ollie work himself out and be that starter we trade for. There was a reason that he received a $36 million contract. Patience is difficult with him, but lets give it a try.
3. Big Splash: go try to get Adam Dunn. He is exactly what the team needs, a banger with a manageable contract. The Mets need a power hitter but cannot clog up 1B in case Delgado comes back. Dunn can play some first, play left, and be a DH in all the American League parks. His stats are incredible. He has consistently compiled a plus .900 OPS and always hits 40 HRs. Maybe he is not the best fielder but with Beltran and Church there is room for him to hack around in left. Plus he can play some 1B to help out.
There's the plan! Go get it done, hang around until August and make a move on first.

Now What Ollie?

I have been reading some old posts and its a good thing I am not the Mets GM. Some of my suggestions included the following:
1. Don't over pay the way the Braves did for Derek Lowe. Maybe good advice 2 years from now but I sure wish he was the Number 2 behind Santana.
2. Go get Sheets and Garcia. At least I gave myself the caveat that I did not know their medical histories and that turned out to be crucial info. Signing Garcia was a relatively inexpensive shot in the dark, not signing Sheets was smart.
3. Add Randy Wolf - now this would have been a good move compared to the Ollie signing.
4. Which brings me to Oliver Perez: I was kind of circumspect on this one, get him at a reasonable price. Well the Mets did and it has been a disaster. I still think he will find his way but there is always going to be that feeling of impending doom hanging over his starts. Maybe he should go visit Scott Boras's training facility to get straightened out.
5. Cut ties with Luis Castillo. I have to admit that I have been rooting for him after he came into camp in very good shape. Nice to see a well paid athlete want to prove himself. So far, so good and I hope Luis keeps it up.

So now what to do with Ollie? There doesn't seem to be a lot of internal solutions for this problem. It seems too early for a trade so what do the Mets do? First, they need more quality starts from Pelf, Maine and Hernandez. If Ollie is the only one of the starter's struggling then it is much easier to deal with. Second, keep an eye on the trade market. Not many teams are looking to take on salary so a trade might pop up. Finally, succeed in the other aspects of the game. Hit with RISP, hold leads, and play good fundamental baseball. If Ollie becomes the only problem then we can deal with it.