Mets Focused On Blanton/Haren?

Odds are if the Mets were to even trade Milledge straight up for Blanton I might start to cry a little bit. If it is Gomez, I might end up on suicide watch.

DONT DO IT OMAR PLEASE!

The Mets over-used their bullpen last year, and Blanton is an innings-eater who can stay healthy. That being said, I don't see any team who will get a good deal out of a trade for Blanton, the A's want too much. But kudos to the A's for getting so much out of their trades.

John Maine is terrible. Unless Pedro is healthy, Blanton would be the ace of the Mets staff.

Correction:
Slightly less painfull getting Haren.

Angelic. If the Mets want an innings eater, go sign Livan hernandez for a year. Gomez, Milledge, and Heilman MIGHT get it done? Jesus Christ. They dont need to give up 3 good players for a average at best pitcher who has solid numbers from pitching in Oakland and having a good defense behind him and pitching against the weak hitting M's, Rangers and Angels. He is not that good. It is crazy. Its like Bsox said, throw Livan into Shea and he looks like a 10M dollar pitcher, there is no reason to give up 10 years of Gomez and Milledge, two young stud potential outfielders, and give up a solid bullpen piece. We can sign almost any body that can still pitch and they will put up decent numbers at Shea. I would love for the Phillies or something to get this guy and see what his fat ass does in an extreme pitchers park, instead of vice versa.

Tim, why do you say that "if the Mets don't have the pieces for Santana, they don't have them for Haren or Blanton?"

Haren and Blanton (particularly Blanton) are a HUGE step down from Santana, regardless of age or contract status.

Haren is not a huge step down from Santana, I would be willing to give up more for him then Santana right now without even thinking about it. Blanton on the other hand.....

Blanton, sure. Haren, no way. The Mets could feasibly get Haren, but I don't think they'd part with Milledge, Heilman, AND Gomez plus another pitching prospect. Blanton's a far more reasonable expectation.

I was actually shocked to find this out, but go look on baseball-reference. Apparently Anaheim was a hitter friendly park last year, and pretty notably:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/LAA/2007.shtml

They aren't power hitting teams, I grant that, but I think a power hitter for offenses is a LITTLE overvalued. But if we want to be totally fair, Teixeira spent half his season in Texas, and I'd throw Nick Swisher, Jack Cust (top 10 in AB/HR in the AL last year), and about half of the Rangers guys can hit 20 homers a year. No one overpowers you, but they can sure the hell pester a pitching staff into a ton of runs.

But no, slugger for slugger, they don't go well against the NL East. Too bad none of those teams have a pitching staff I'd want.

I sure hope the Mets hang on to Milledge instead of moving him for a player who will improve their team. The kid is one of the most overrated players I have ever seen... he simply cannot hit breaking stuff, and I watched him get embarrassed time after time by low breaking stuff.

I agree with Akula. The Mets really need A.J. Pierzynski. If Joe Nathan and a couple of minor league chips like this "Liriano" and "Boof" fella are what it's gonna take, then what are they waiting for?

I have seen more times than I can remember that lastings has been called overated by somebody. My question is, how can anybody say this when he has yet to receive regular playing time at the ML level, and all he did was dominate at every stop in the minors. That and the fact that he is 22, and has probably the quickest bat on the Mets besides Alou, should show people the kind of talent he has. Of course, we know a majority of the people calling him overated have probably only seen like 4 at bats of his career. Anybody trying to draw negatives on Milledge using his ML sample size is ridiculous because he has never had regular at bats at the ML level.

All this Joe Blanton hate must be coming from guys who don't watch him pitch. The guy is a bulldog innings eater and a big game pitcher. Many of his losses come in games where he gets zero run support or close to.

He may not be worth two top OF prospects/players and a solid RP, but he will be a very solid #2 starter in the NL.

Last year:

@LAA gets the W in a 2-1 game.

home v. SEA: duels washburn both pitching CG, loses 2-0

home v NYY: 3 runs in 6.2

@ BOS: 7 in, 4 r

home v. CLE: 7 in, 2 r, W

home v. MIN: CG, SO, W in 1-0 game

home v. BOS: 7.1, 1 R, takes L

@ NYM: 8 in, 0 r, A's lose 1-0

@ CLE: 6.1, 3 r, takes L

home v. LAA: 7 in, 1 r, W

3 consecutive starts end of aug/beg of sept: Det- 7 in, 2 r, ND; @ LAA- 8 in, 2 r, W; @ SEA- 7 in, 2 r, W

And that is just last year on a mediocre (at best) Athletics team.

I never said that the Mets should give up all of those prospects, I just said that Blanton is the type of pitcher they need. Pitchers always seem to have more success when they come to the NL anyway. There isn't any reason that Blanton can't post a 3.50 ERA or lower. At this point, the Mets need to improve the team, they aren't playing for 4-5 years down the road.