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Ken Rosenthal: Trade Wright/Reyes

metsguyinmichigan Sep 20 2010 10:29 AM

[url]http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/maple-bats-need-looked-at-before-theres-a-tragedy-092010 NEEDED AT CITI FIELD: A STRONG GM The Mets are at a crossroads. They will gain financial flexibility when the contracts of center fielder Carlos Beltran, closer Francisco Rodriguez, left-hander Oliver Perez and second baseman Luis Castillo expire after next season. But they do not know what to expect from lefty Johan Santana coming off shoulder surgery, and soon must decide whether their future should include shortstop Jose Reyes and third baseman David Wright. If ever a team needed a GM with vision, it's this one. Ownership needs to make the right choice to replace Omar Minaya, and then allow that choice to implement a long-term plan. Rival executives say that ownership -- specifically, COO Jeff Wilpon -- is too involved in baseball matters. But perhaps Wilpon would back off, as he did in the early years of Minaya's tenure, if he had greater trust in his GM. Reyes will be one of the first orders of business. The Mets are expected to offer him an extension this off-season, but don't need to rush into anything. It will be difficult for the two sides to reach agreement on Reyes' value; he missed time this season with a thyroid imbalance and was slowed by an oblique injury. The most likely course for the Mets would be to pick up Reyes' $11 million option, then let the situation play out. But the new GM, whoever it is, would be wise to explore trades for Reyes and Wright. The Mets are not going to win a World Series with either any time soon. The team is not bereft of young talent, but is it star-caliber talent? One scout, for example, compares Ike Davis to Adam LaRoche and catcher Josh Thole to Jason Kendall. The Mets would be happy if those assessments proved accurate, but ultimately they need more high-ceiling players. Trading Reyes and/or Wright would be one way for the Mets to increase their talent pool. DUDA LOOKS LIKE A PLAYER Jerry Manuel, who almost certainly will not be the Mets manager next season, says that rookie left fielder Lucas Duda should merit "strong consideration" when the team puts together its outfield. Duda, 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, was the Mets' seventh-round pick out of USC in 2007. He is 5-for-10 since his 1-for-33 start, and Manuel is intrigued by his potential. "I like him a lot," Manuel says. "I like a big guy that is fluid, not stiff. When you can hit line drives the other way as well as he does, you know the other stuff will come." The Mets' 2011 outfield appears set with Jason Bay in left and Beltran and Angel Pagan in the other two positions. But the team could open a spot by moving Beltran, who is owed $18.5 million next season and holds a full no-trade clause. Moving Beltran would be a good idea regardless of the Mets' plans for Duda, and Beltran isn't necessarily opposed to the idea. "I'd like to finish here," Beltran says. "At the same time, maybe the organization has a different plan. My plan will be to get ready to play for this organization."

Ashie62 Sep 20 2010 10:39 AM Re: Ken Rosenthal: Trade Wright/Reyes

I now think I've seen it all. Rosenthal is proposing a complete rebuilding process with a new GM that Jeff trusts.

G-Fafif Sep 20 2010 10:47 AM Re: Ken Rosenthal: Trade Wright/Reyes

"Wise to explore trades" isn't the same as saying they should be traded. It would be wise to explore anything that might help. Whether trading one or both of your two best established presumably healthy players for some nebulous restocking of the talent pool is a different matter. But I wouldn't rule anything out just because it comes off as mere columnist folly.

Edgy DC Sep 20 2010 10:54 AM Re: Ken Rosenthal: Trade Wright/Reyes

Of course, it's wise to explore all options whether the team wins 100 games or 60, it's just more typical to advocate for more dramatic moves after the latter.

G-Fafif Sep 20 2010 11:07 AM Re: Ken Rosenthal: Trade Wright/Reyes

Edgy DC wrote: Of course, it's wise to explore all options whether the team wins 100 games or 60, it's just more typical to advocate for more dramatic moves after the latter. Ken Rosenthal: Your Typical Columnist. Last the the Mets won 100 games, their most dramatic move was Don Aase.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Sep 20 2010 11:10 AM Re: Ken Rosenthal: Trade Wright/Reyes

G-Fafif wrote: "Wise to explore trades" isn't the same as saying they should be traded. It would be wise to explore anything that might help. Whether trading one or both of your two best established presumably healthy players for some nebulous restocking of the talent pool is a different matter. But I wouldn't rule anything out just because it comes off as mere columnist folly. Yabbut... "The Mets are not going to win a World Series with either any time soon" sounds like one of those dog-whistle shibboleths that evangelical-right figures toss out in speech to let the knowing audience know what's really up regarding a hot-button issue ("intelligent design" in science class, say), all the while maintaining literal deniability that they actually brought up anything of the sort. He's not outright saying that they're not "winners"-- he's just heavily implying it.

Edgy DC Sep 20 2010 11:24 AM Re: Ken Rosenthal: Trade Wright/Reyes

G-Fafif wrote: Of course, it's wise to explore all options whether the team wins 100 games or 60, it's just more typical to advocate for more dramatic moves after the latter. Ken Rosenthal: Your Typical Columnist. Last the the Mets won 100 games, their most dramatic move was Don Aase. And then tossed the apple cart over a cliff when they went and got Juan Samuel and Frank Viola mid-season. As far as "not going to win a World Series any time soon," that's the sort of meaingless safe-as-houses opinion-stated-as-fact that discredits any article I see it in. It's true enough 95% of the time, and if it doesn't come true, nobody in the joyful aftermath is going to get you fired for it.

Ashie62 Sep 20 2010 11:28 AM Re: Ken Rosenthal: Trade Wright/Reyes

To rebuild or not rebuild, that is the question.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Sep 20 2010 11:52 AM Re: Ken Rosenthal: Trade Wright/Reyes

Edgy DC wrote: As far as "not going to win a World Series any time soon," that's the sort of meaingless safe-as-houses opinion-stated-as-fact that discredits any article I see it in. It's true enough 95% of the time, and if it doesn't come true, nobody in the joyful aftermath is going to get you fired for it. I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll be a terrible, terrible winner despite myself once the Mets finally bring another one back to Queens. I'd like to think that isn't the case, but then I find myself during the occasional rout of the Fighting Utleys wishing tears on the children of greater Philadelphia and laughing a black, black laugh... and I think, "Yeah, I may be insufferable for a short while." I suppose what I'm saying is, I volunteer for the unoffical role of Fan Revisitor of Championship Vengeance, writing nasty letters to morning-show hosts and gleefully correcting national columnists who say they saw this Met miracle coming.

HahnSolo Sep 20 2010 11:55 AM Re: Ken Rosenthal: Trade Wright/Reyes

As far as trading Reyes goes: did Rosenthal even watch the Mets without him the last two years? They're a lot closer to winning a world series with him than without him.

G-Fafif Sep 20 2010 12:04 PM Re: Ken Rosenthal: Trade Wright/Reyes

Twenty-nine of thirty teams won't be winning the World Series anytime soon.