Odds and Ends: Kendrick, Uggla, Haren

Thats too much for Haren. Billy Beane is more likely to deal Joe Blanton.

i would prefer maine and milledge over haren, but i wouldnt go crazy if omar pulled the trigger.

i still think milledge is going to be a star.

when ur getting a guy like haren, heilman is a non-factor.

he can be replaced with 2 million bucks.

A non-factor? Are you kidding me? Who replaces Heilman? Mota? Joe Smith? Hope you have your antacid ready.

You clearly didn't read what I said. I also said a FA. This year has some pretty damn good relief pitchers available. You could get a Linebrink, Mahay, or Gagne to replace Heilman. I said in 1 YEAR Gomez can replace Milledge and sign a FA to a 1 year deal with an option in case Gomez still isn't ready. Like bsox said Heilman is a non factor in a deal like this. He is a nice piece but can easily be replaced and we still have 2 great OF prospects in the wings to replace Milledge and Haren is an ACE as where Maine had a good year but tired at the end and finished looking like a 2 or 3.

This is unbelievable.

You say Maine had a good year, but tired at the end.... ok... so he's building his arm up. He's never pitched that many innings before. It's not unreasonable to think that he'll perform better next year.

Haren is good. but the difference between Maine and Haren is NOT worth a young guy with a LOT of potential AND a top-tier setup guy.

Haren: ERA 3.07 15-9 192K's 222.2ING's

Maine:ERA 3:91 15-10 180K's
190ING's

Haren is pitching in the AL managed to get 1 point lower ERA won the same amount of games on a terrible team that was I think 10 games under .500 and pitched 30 more innings. That is a good enough upgrade for me.

Just because someone has a LOT of potential doesn't mean anything. There have been plenty of people who have had great potential and flopped terrible argument.

Heilman can easily be replaced.

That upgrade is what the Mets need to take it to the next level LETS GO OMAR.

I'd probably bite if I was Omar. Haren's contract is a goldmine investment: two years at $9.5 million with a vesting $6.75 million club option.

Maine was good in the first half but, Haren dominated the AL. They both fell off a little in the second half, but a quick look at the game log reveals a big difference:

Over the final three months, Haren failed to complete six innings only twice, notched 12 out of 17 quality starts, and never gave up more than five ER. Maine on the other hand failed to complete six innings 10 times, recording only five quality starts out of 16, and giving up six or more runs four times over that same timeframe.

That right there is the difference in a starter taking pressure off the bullpen and a starter being a burden on them.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Maine fan, and I like Milledge too. But I think Haren is the most valuable commodity on the trade market right now, and if Omar had that opportunity, it would be foolish to not consider it. It would leave so much payroll flexibility. If a Santana or a Sabathia or any big name did hit the open market next offseason, you'd have a huge opportunity to have CitiField open with a real powerhouse team.

Even without this deal, the Mets will still have a shot at any player that hits free agency. In fact, they'll have MORE money available if they don't make this deal. Dealing Milledge and Heilman means signing replacements right now.

"Even without this deal, the Mets will still have a shot at any player that hits free agency. In fact, they'll have MORE money available if they don't make this deal."

Well of course they'd have more money, but would have a rotation with just Johan Santana, as opposed to a rotation with Dan Haren and Johan Santana (hypothetically speaking), at what amounts to virtually the same cost.

Your RF will be much easier to replace than putting together a 1-2 punch of that quality, and even if you don't find one you're not particularly weak with Beltran, Alou, Gomez, and Endy. Your trading from a strength to help a weakness.

I'm not saying its an easy call at all, but I think its got to be really tempting for a GM.

But, really if that's what your getting for Haren; Santana or Bedard should probably be cheaper. They're controlled for fewer years and will earn more money. So maybe that's a route to look.

Personally my first choice would be targeting a trade with the Orioles. Erik Bedard, Brian Roberts, Ramon Hernandez, and Chad Bradford all could be available and happen to exactly fit the Mets needs. A deal with all of them would be lunacy, but maybe for two or three. The O's also figure to be less interested in MLB tested players, as they have no shot in 2008. So, for example, they may prefer the more projectable Carlos Gomez to the more advanced Lastings Milledge, or Deolis Guerra to Mike Pelfrey, or Kevin Mulvey to Phillip Humber. So you don't sacrafice the immediate future as much in this type of deal. Plus, the more holes you fill via trade, the more early draft picks you get for letting FA like Glavine, Castillo, and LoDuca walk, and thus restocking the lower levels of the farm.

But if Haren's available for any three players whose names aren't David Wright or Jose Reyes, its a deal you must consider.

Well we can agree that it's a deal that should be considered. I was just shocked to see that some people actually thought it was a no-brainer.

And I agree that Johan and Bedard should cost less, and should definitely be looked into. Acquiring one of them without giving up Maine would be NICE.

"Then maybe Gomez, Guerra, and Pelfrey for Bedard. They get someone to hold a spot in the rotation with upside, and a projectable high upside OF who they can stick right in there for 2008 while he develops, a pitching prospect with upside to hold a spot in the 2008 rotation, and a low level developing stud."

Oops...one too many pitchers in there.

LOL okay its late, I'll stop.

Corey Patterson a bargain? Hilarious. He's terrible.