Olney On Blanton/Mets

That's a lot for Joe Blanton who is only around a 3rd starter. This is like the Milledge thing all over. Trading too much to get middle of the road guys... Don't get me wrong I like Joe Blanton a lot and i want him on the team but, I feel like if the we still had Milledge I'd be more apt to make this trade with two other outfield prospects. Also i would like to see what Mulvey does, I have a feeling he can be a Joe Blanton kind of guy. In all honesty, I'd rather see the Mets let Heilman take a shot at making the rotation this year...

I guess I might do it, though it might or might not make Swisher expendable.

The A's could just move Swisher to first (he is signed cheaply for 5 years) and then Barton to DH, and Cust off the bench.

But if the A's did deal Swisher, I wonder what they could get for him? Lincecum? I mean, Swisher is better than Rios, right?

I tend to agree with cityfield5.. thats too much for just Blanton. I think both Mulvey and Guerra are going to be pretty good. I'd much rather trade Pelfrey & Humber. I think both of them could be pretty decent too, but I have a soft spot for the other 2 for some reason.

Now, if they threw in Swisher, I'd do it with the addition of one of Pelfery or Humber, or even both.

That is a ridiculous bounty for an average starting pitcher.

Swisher? Expendable? That's a little stupid, no?

As far as dealing with the A's, I would much rather check in on Rich Harden than Blanton.

I don't do this trade if I'm the Mets. The whole point of adding an "innings guy" is to take strain of the bullpen. But if your sacrificing your best setup guy plus two higher end prospects I see it as a fairly lateral move the short terms and loss in the long term for the Mets. I'd rather just hope John Maine and Oliver Perez can add 15-30 IP from their 2007 totals and keep their peripherals on par than make this trade. Sure we may have lost Glavines 200 IP, but we do get an extra 125-150 of Pedro's innings assuming his arm doesn't fall off.

As an aside: Replace Heilman with a mid-range prospect, say Jonathan Niese or maybe even Joe Smith, I probably do this deal. I'm pretty sure Bean would want at least one MLB ready player though.

As a HUGE Mets fan, NO...way too much for Joe Blanton...if the A's throw in Swisher, I would be more tempted...how does that look? "A's trade RHP Joe Blanton and OF Nick Swisher to Mets for OF Carlos Gomez, RHP Aaron Heilman, RHP Mike Pelfrey, and RHP Carlos Muniz...thoughts?

Also, before people yell that the Mets wouldn't be giving up enough, remember that this is one scouts view: "Gomez vs. Jacoby Ellsbury? Gomez more talent, but Ellsbury more polished"....so the Mets are giving up a really good, top prospect, plus Heilman, one of the more dependable relievers in the NL the last few years, and two solid pitching prospects...for a 3rd starter and an outfielder who K's a lot...but if im the Mets, i would do it

I have to say, I'd be SHOCKED if the A's decided Swisher were really expendable. If this trade were to go down, I'd expect the A's to move him to 1st with Barton going to DH and possibly trade Cust to another AL team. (White Sox maybe?)

No way. I'd like to keep gomez but would probably make this deal if it was Harden not blanton, and if they were giving me embree flores or blevins along with him. Harden is young and has #1 stuff blanton doesnt and hes fat. AS for the Milledge deal, I think peopel overreacted. Gomez can field and has speed. Lastings might fill out and hit 30 bombs one day but whats so special about that? Hes not goign to steel bases win a gold glove or play an infield position so for team liek the emts who have money hes a dime a dozen. we have the money to sign anyone if we really want to. If he was a second basemen, thirdbasemen a catcher or a shortstop I'd be upset. But hes not, hes an outfielder from bradington florida that thinks hes hard as nails. I've been to bradington, its a friggan suburb lol. Glad hes out of new york. Gomez is a different story, hes going to haver speed power and defense I think. Much more talented just not talked about in the same light. I'd rather trade for Harden and one of those lefty relievers, and I'd much rather give up pelfrey and humber both instead of gomez or something like that. Mike Pelfrey is a goon hes never going to make it NY he is so friggan nervous you can smell it in the stands and it wont change. He could become good but not here so his trade value to me has definitely passed its peak. unload him for what you can get Omar.

The only part of this trade that I'm not okay with is the Heilman part. If the Mets can replace Heilman with a guy like Niese, Smith, or even Humber I'd make the trade.

I'd think if the Mets want Swisher and Blanton it would take at least Heilman, Gomez, Mulvey, Humber, Church (to hold a spot for Gomez/Gonazalez until they're ready), and maybe Guerra. I don't even know if that would be enough.

Swisher is a fan fav in Oakland, there's absolutely no way he'd be as cheap as you suggest metzfan22. And from everything I've read, Beane isn't all that enamoured with Pelfrey.

Swisher and Blanton would cost Gomez/Pelfrey/Heilman/Mulvey/Guerra or FMart. Swisher is signed cheap for 5 years, Blanton is cheap for 2 or 3 more years.

I doubt Swisher is expendable though, just move him to first(hes got a good glove there) and DH Barton and make Johnson and Cust expendable. Plus, with how the A's get injured Swishers ability to play OF and 1B is a luxury at 5mil a year.

I wouldn't do it. The A's are reasonable to expect a return like that in this market, but it's too much. At best, Blanton still isn't a number 2 on a good NL team. Why give up a good reliever, a guy who's fairly certain to be rotation-worthy in Mulvey, and a wildcard with star talent in Gomez if you're not getting someone that really slots ahead of Maine, Perez and Pedro?

Personally....as an A's fan, I say the heck w/ the Met's. They over-rate there farm system. All there "prospects" have shown nothing in the MLB when there called-up.

Blanton is a great #2 and a proven innings-eater with absolutly no injury history.

I like the rebuilding thoughts of Billy Beane because he knows he can get a bounty from those desperate teams.

If I were him I would love to send him to Cincinnati for Bailey/Votto/Hamilton.

That's way too much for just a decent arm. I'd rather keep the chips, and a top setup man, and go with youth in the 5th spot.

What about something like Harden, Blanton, Swisher for F-Mart, Gomez, Guerra, Mulvey, Heilman and Pelf/Humber?

Thoughts?

And no flames A's fans... I'm just thinking out loud here.

Thanks for the homer input OAKLANDHEC.

Blanton is NOT a #2. He may be yours, but he doesn't have #2 stuff.

What prospects have failed at the MLB level? Milledge held his own (at a young age). Gomez was quite overmatched (at a young age, only called up due to injuries). Pelfrey hasn't been impressive, but even he shouldn't be in the majors yet.

It's rare for young kids to come up to the majors and kick ass. The Mets spects aren't overhyped, they're just young.

Gomez is a high end prospect, but he's yet to really dazzle anyone statistically. He has more upside than Ellsbury in that he already has more speed and a better glove, but the hitting tool hasn't quite developed the way the Mets had hoped yet. He has the build to develop power, but it hasn't really happened. Ellsbury is ready to contribute at the big league level. That alone gives him an instant edge over Gomez, no matter what experts say.

Personally, I think Martinez is really the guy the Mets need to keep. A successful 2008 could earn him a September callup, even if he doesn't move up to AAA. Gomez's speed is nice, but his patience is pretty poor. Having Reyes locked in makes me a bit more comfortable moving Gomez. If he does pan out, Gomez belongs at the top of a lineup, but I just don't see where he fits on the Mets. They're pretty much locked in with their #1-4 hitters for the next four years. If Gomez hit #5-8 in his age 22-25 seasons, we'd see his value drop (just like Milledge) unless he really did develop 30 HR power, which is still a bit of a longshot despite his size.

HA!!!!! BAILEY VOTTO HAMILTON FOR BLANTON????? Thanks, I just found out I have to go into work early Monday and I really needed a laugh to pick up my afternoon.

Mets would be fools to to make this trade. Has to be a way to get close to similar talent for less.
On a side note if mets trade means Swisher is actually on the block the cubs better be in on him - not sure if we match up well though. Colvin/Pie/Patterson/Gallegher/Marmol/Cedeno for swisher and Street. nah not gonna happen but its fun to hope.

Ahhhhh...Met's fans....

So Brutal.

A's fans can dream too can't they????

It's cool...you can keep overpaying, overpaying for mediocrety while getting older & older.

Oakland will keep paying less & less for young talent while constantly competing.

P.S. Swisher is going nowhere! He's signed to a cheap 5-yr extension.

Talking to A's fans on Athletics Nation, we don't seem to think it is enough.

Heilman is kind of useless to us. Gomez is considered overhyped because he is a New York prospect, which only leaves Mulvey.

No, we couldn't get THAT big a bounty from the Reds, but we could get something good.

The A's need, right now in order of need; Middle Infield Prospects, Starting Pitching Prospects, Center Field Prospects.

That is a TRUE centerfield, btw, not a corner. Carlos Gonzalez might be able to handle CF for a few years, but they need a True CF like Adam Jones. But since we don't know if the M's will even consider dealing him within the division, who knows. The Reds have some middle infield prospects, I believe, and some pitching prospects, but they appear to overvalue their pitching prospects.

You know who I think would actually be a good place for Blanton? A Team that has the need and the trading chips? Shockingly enough, I'd say the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. They have a lot of position player prospects that the A's could use and have a need for, and the Rays need pitching. Blanton would be under control for 3 more years on the cheap.

I would LOVE to see Blanton go the Phillies.

Why all the interest in Blanton? He has one good season and all of a sudden he is a top of the rotation guy? Please. I'm neither a Met nor an A's fan, but this deal would make no sense for the Mets.

If I were the Mets I would offer up Pelfrey for Blanton straight up if they REALLy wanted the guy. If Beane said no I'd walk away from the discussions. No way is Blanton worth anymore than Pelfrey.

"It's cool...you can keep overpaying, overpaying for mediocrety while getting older & older.

Oakland will keep paying less & less for young talent while constantly competing."

Oakland's average age: 26.5
Mets average age: 29.1

2 and a half years. It's not even like we rely on our older players. Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Church, Maine, Perez, Heilman are all 30 or less, and make our team good.

Constantly competing? Give me a break. The Mets are by far a better team than the A's.

Blanton is young, eats innings and is actually very similar to David Wells in many ways, only he started younger than Wells. In the weaker league (NL) he would be much more dominant.

Blantons walks keep going down, his Ks are going up and his ERA and WHIP are going down. So what he had a sophmore slump? Crazy how people can write him off just based off that. Give him 5 more good starts in 06 and people would have a lot more confidence in him.

The a's needs are middle infield, relief pitching and thats about it. Gonzales looks to be mlb-ready by mid-08 and we have Kotsay signed so they should just play Mark out until he's unbearable then plug Gonzales in. IMO the A's should hang onto Blanton and let him have another year to build his value. If Silva can get 4/44, joes value is about 5/60 at least. Just wait until the innings eaters start getting paid, Joe will be at the top of the list.

...I personally think this trade sounds about right...it might just happen...the Mets get to keep their pitching prospects, keep Nando, and get some value for Heilman (who they've been trying to pawn off for the last few seasons)...whereas, Blanton is able to get dealt by the As with them getting some solid prospects back, with some toolsy upside guy in Gomez...

...I think from what I read here is that a lot of Mets fans are over-estimating their prospects...the best guy they have is Nando, and he is a high-caliber prospect, but he's not an instant #1 prospect on most other clubs if he arrived in a trade...I wouldn't be surprised if Gomez goes to the As and he ends up being a borderline Top 5 prospect for them...the Mets NY media tends to over-hype their prospects which skews the image of these guys...

LOL @ "Jersey Mets fan", how are they "by far" a better a team? Both teams made their respective DS's in 06 and did not make the playoffs in 07.

I mean yeah they do have "superstars" that the A's dont, but that doesnt equate to wins. The a's were the 2nd most winningest team this decade from 2000-2006, thats "constantly competing", while your team stunk for 5 years and have been competitive for the last 2 in that same time frame. Advantage: A's.

haha innings arent the only thing blanton eats....by the way, how is blanton a "great #2"????????
2006 ERA: 4.82***
Yes, his ERA of 3.95 last year was better, but its still not at the #2 level, let alone a "great #2"....Mets should offer pelfrey and muniz for blanton, and if Oakland says no, good riddance, and enjoy last place in the AL west...and to be honest, i wasnt Harden LESS than i want blanton...how can you produce better results from the DL??? as long as Harden is always hurt, the injury-free players are the way to go.

***WANT harden

HMMMM Hell nooo .. Omar If you Do This Trade You Better Go To The A's With It ... Cause you ain't coming bac any where near NY

Sophmore jinx affects many players, Joe is just one in a long line of guys who had to suffer through one. His 06 shouldnt be examined as thoroughly as people are examining it.

Nick Swisher cannot be traded...it would break my heart.

He's my favorite player and I'm not even an A's fan. It would be a waste of the jersey i bought last year haha.

The man's a gamer...all out at all times.

Why are people so down on Blanton. This is my first post here so don't beat me up about it but after reading all these comments about Blanton I had to chime in.

Blanton is still very young and has not even hit his prime yet. Blanton has shown he can eat innings and be a workhorse atop the rotation. He rarely walks anybody (only 40 last year) and has a 3.5:1 Strikeout to Walk ratio. And he's durable, he has never missed a start with injury.

People can rag on him about being chubby, but if he's so fat how can he pitch the way he has? David Wells was even fatter and if I remember correctly he was a darn good pitcher in his prime.

People rag on him about his bad sophomore year, but forget his other years were good. People are putting way to much stock in his sophomore year. It's not called the sophomore slump for nothing

And people say he can't be a #2 starter and is a fringe #3 at best yet he was a darn good one for our staff and we had one of the better staffs in the AL last year.Yet people say he can't be a #2. I don't get it.

Blanton is s good pitcher who has shown he can get major league hitters out. is doesn't hit free agency for three or four more years and will be just entering into his prime next year. So is it just because he doesn't put up flashy numbers and big strikeout totals like Bedard does that people don't like him?

No, I wouldn't do it. Mainly because I don't want the Mets to trade an MLB ready player and top prospects for a #3 starter. They already have a bunch of #3 starters: Maine & Perez did alright last year but fizzled in the 2nd half; Pedro did OK in his few starts but could barely get out of the 5th inning, El Duque is like 90 years old and is bound to get injured. So basically, if you're going to trade your best trading chips get something you really need and not something they have plenty of (in this case #3 starters.)

"Sophmore jinx affects many players, Joe is just one in a long line of guys who had to suffer through one. His 06 shouldnt be examined as thoroughly as people are examining it."

It wasn't JUST a sophomore jinx. Check out Blanton's 2nd half stats last year.....4.90 ERA, 1.40 WHIp in 95.7 innings! The guy completely fell apart.

I'm not an As or Mets fan. Calling Blanton a #3 starter is a bit much. He plays in a stronger league and would enjoy a nice boost playing in more pitchers' parks without a DH. Blanton projects to be a 16-18 win, ~3.40-3.60 ERA, ~200 IP, 150 K SP. COnsider that he'd be added to Perez and Maine which is a nice young solid core. I'd rate those 3 in this order:

STUFF: Perez, Blanton, Maine
CONTROL: BLanton, Maine, Perez
CHANGE SPEEDS: Blanton, Perez, Maine
HR RATE: Blanton, Perez, Maine
GROUNDBALL RATE: Blanton, Maine, Perez

PROFILE: 90-93 live fastball. Above-average slider, curve, changeup. All pitches can be thrown for strikes. The curve is a bigtime "out" pitch. Very durable solid frame. Has some weight issues at times. Defensively he is below-average. He knows how to pitch and has good very control for a young pitcher, add that to a repetoire of 4 above-average pitches, and he is a pretty damn good pitcher.

...Mets fans, I realize that you guys aren't happy about maybe dealing away prospects you like but, BLanton is not a #3 pitcher...adding him he might suddenly be the best out of Maine and Perez...and, in a year from now, after such a deal, with a .50 ERA boost in the NL, I can see how many of you think you got him for very cheap.

I would be majorly disappointed if the Mets traded that much for JBlanton. As far as I'm concerned his only upside is that he eats innings. I don't even think he has a plus pitch, frankly. I'd rather count on my high octane offense to make up for the rookie mistakes of Humber & Pelfrey &/or Mulvey. A year from now, you wouldn't even go for a Gomez/Blanton trade straight up, my point being, if everyone undervalues your prospects hold on to them and prove 'em wrong. I would overpay for Santana (though not with both outfielders), and that option may still materialize. Just say no to Blah Blah Joe.

Case in point, don't let Mets propaganda affect your view of your own prospects. WFAN and NY media can skew reality on these "promise" guys. Take past prospects like Yusimeiro Petit, Alex Escobar, Billy Traber. Even getting Lastings dealt for relatively little this season should be a clue. And, in spite of once being a Mets top prospect, the Mets have never yet been able to deal Aaron Heilman.

Why is it that every offseason we hear about how Heilman is a starter when he is being discussed in trades. But then when the season starts, he gets placed in the bullpen? This offseason the Mets have an opening in the rotation but, if Heilman is a starter, then how come he has never been even considered to be given a shot there? Hmmm.

I'm not here to bash the Mets system because I think they don't get credit for some things, and, I don't think the Mets system is as bad as it's become fashionable to say. The Mets have certainly had their successes in being the org that developed Reyes, Wright, and Kazmir (I'm not raising him to rub any wounds; the Mets do deserve credit for acquiring and developing him).

I'm just saying that the Mets fans are sometimes victims of their own hype and think theyir prospects are better than they are. Fernando is a great prospect and certainly the best they have, but, he is not in the class of elite prospects of all baseball, and nearly every system has a prospect of the caliber of Fernando.

I'm an A's fan, so take that into consideration. For all you Mets fans that have not watched Blanton pitch, you have no idea what his value is. He consistently keeps the team in the game. He may give up more hits than we'd like, but he keeps the ball in the park. He may not have high profile stats, but he is a tremendous asset to the club. On the flip side, he does get completely blown up occasionally, but he still eats up innings in his poor starts.
For those that don't think he is a worthy #2 starter, look at the facts. His OPS against was 16th best in MLB among starting pitchers while pitching the 4th most innings...both stats considerably better than anyone on the Mets' roster.
He was 14-10 last year including a 1-0 loss to Boston(Schilling's near no-hitter) and a 1-0 no decision against who?... the Mets at Shea. Maybe that was an early audition for him. If he gets a little support in those two games his record flips to 16-9, more than respectable.
Added incentive, good old fashioned country whoop-ass.
Beane might be able to get more than Gomez/Heilman/Mulvey after the available pitching market pans out.

"It wasn't JUST a sophomore jinx. Check out Blanton's 2nd half stats last year.....4.90 ERA, 1.40 WHIp in 95.7 innings! The guy completely fell apart."
-Haren's second half numbers were just as bad. Something to do with trading away the best game caller in basball and handing over the staff to a rookie catcher. Expect more consistency as Kurt Suzuki figures things out.

"I'd rather count on my high octane offense to make up for the rookie mistakes of Humber & Pelfrey &/or Mulvey."

-Just like the offense showed in September.

"Haren's second half numbers were just as bad. Something to do with trading away the best game caller in basball "

Not quite as Haren's 2nd half ERA was 4.15.....just about inline with his career numbers before 2007. And who exactly were you considering as the best game caller in baseball? Maybe once upon a time Kendall was, but as a Cub fan, trust me when I say he lost whatever it was he use to have.

I would consider Swisher untouchable right now. Oakland owner Lew Wolff absolutely loves him like his own son. He's got a very reasonable contract. He plays the game the right way, all the time. He constantly works hard to improve. He is one of the most popular players in basball outside NY & Boston.
No way Beane could get away with trading Nick Swisher.

"He is one of the most popular players in basball outside NY & Boston."

Huh? I like Nick Swisher, but I don't get your comment about him being one of the most popular players. What exactly do you mean by that?

Considering that Mets fell apart in September because of their bullpen completely falling apart, I'd stick with my comment.

" And who exactly were you considering as the best game caller in baseball? Maybe once upon a time Kendall was, but as a Cub fan, trust me when I say he lost whatever it was he use to have."

Kendall may be pathetic with a bat in his hands, but he had the lowest catcher's ERA among full time starters in the majors last year. I'm sorry the Cubs couldn't get it done for you, but don't blame Kendall. I was thrilled when Oakland traded him, but I cannot deny his ingenious handling of the pitching staff. Look at some stats before and after Kendall was traded in mid July.

Haren
With Kendall: 10-3 with a 2.33 ERA in 135.1 innings
Without Kendall: 5-6 with a 4.23 ERA in 87.1 innings

Blanton
With Kendall: 8-6 with a 3.36 ERA in 142 innings
Without Kendall: 6-4 with a 4.91 ERA in 88 innings

Gaudin
With Kendall: 8-4 with a 3.34 ERA in 113.1 innings
Without Kendall: 3-9 with a 5.86 ERA in 86 innings

DiNardo
With Kendall: 3-6 with a 2.80 ERA in 64.2 innings
Without Kendall: 5-4 with a 5.40 ERA in 66.2 innings

Combined
With Kendall: 29-19 with a 2.96 ERA in 455.1 innings
Without Kendall: 18-23 with a 5.08 ERA in 328 innings

Swisher becoming expendable is silly. Cust would be the guy to go in that scenario, not Swisher.

I'm not an A's fan overrating Blanton, he's probably a 3 in the NL, and would look really good in Shea. He's not a star by any means, but he is a durable, cost-controlled, above-average starter, and I think some people undervalue that.

That said, Mets fans seem to overrate Gomez. If he continues to post poor walk rates, he's Juan Pierre with a better glove. John Sickels says, "right now he's a .240 hitter, with no power and a weak on-base percentage. The only things he does well right now are field and steal bases, and you can find guys who do that ... Grade B because of his long-term potential." B's can become stars, or they can become role players. So Gomez is no sure thing. Incidentally, Blanton was a B+ prospect.

As an A's fan, of course I do this if I'm the A's. As for the Mets... I think they should try to change out Heilman for a lower level prospect.

Blanton could be a #2 in the NL though. He was already a #2 in the AL and did just fine. I would only expect his numbers to improve moving to a new league and getting to face pitchers.

catcher's ERA? are you serious?

If Carlos Silva is worth $48 million over 4 years, what would that make Blanton?
At least $60 million over 5 years, maybe $70 million?

@1quik6

That is not giving any credit to the loss of Eric Chavez as well as Crosby. Running out J.J. Furmaniak and Marco Scutaro on the left side of the infield took a toll on the team as well. I do think it was a combo of everyone getting hurt/leaving/all seasonal aspirations going out the window. Good stats though.

I agree that the offense was basically AAA for the second half, but that doesn't change ERA. Maybe the decreased range will affect ERA by .10-.20, but that's speculation. Throw out W-L and the numbers are still amazingly convincing.

Good to see some sensible comments from non-brainwashed "our team is the best in mlb!" Mets fans.

Also, the a's pitchers having average 2nd halves had more to do with their previously quality defense being substituted with patchwork guys to cover the injuries, Swisher hadnt played CF in 5 years and he ended up being the main guy out there. Cust played too often in the OF as well and Chavez and Crosby were out with injuries as well.

Bad D = worse pitcher peripherals, its a fact of life....

if u want a fat guy who can toss 200 innings just sign bartolo colon. end of story. that guys a shame. I'd give him a contract if in the contract he had to agree to drop at least 40 pounds and get into shape. maybe he took hgh and didnt know he still had to lift.

I would have to say forget about making all these trades that are really unnecessary. Aaron Heilman is worth a whole lot more than even the Mets are making him out to be. By all means, he should be starting with the large amount of relief help in the free agent market. It's better than trading Gomez, Mulvey, Humber, and whoever else these teams are trying to steal from the Mets.

To be honest, I think these teams are actually trying to undervalue the Mets prospects on purpose to get so much more in a deal, due to the Mets' recent failures.

The fact of the matter is that the Mets need these guys far more than any other team does. Why trade them? They've already improved their rotation with Pedro, their pen with Duaner, and recent additions. The offense and defense has been improved a great deal. Despite me not being a fan of trading Milledge, I can't deny those moves to be a positive, even if it's for a short term.

Omar, don't fall for this nonsense.

HELL NO!!!!!! Giving up three talents for a number 3 starter?!?! This has to be just a sick rumor. Not eeven Minaya would go for something like this.

At what point do these 1-for-3 and 2-for-6 deals overload the A's 40 man roster? They've got a full roster now and while I know they can release a couple guys, who would they be?

Everyone's talking about the Mets prospects and how their roster would change with Blanton, but giving up Heilman and gaining Blanton seems like a completely lateral move to me, and that's what this deal comes down to in the short term. You get a few more middle of the rotation innings by sacrificing your top setup reliever. That doesn't seem like a big gain to me in today's game. If Gomez or Mulvey become anything, the deal becomes a loss for the Mets, and because they're losing Heilman, I don't see how this move puts them over the top of anything. They still don't have a #1. They have a fairly deep rotation combined with a fairly shallow bullpen and an above average offense. They amount of talent on their roster still doesn't come close to what it should be given their payroll.

The reason the Mets need an innings guy is so Heilman and co. can get adequate rest and perform to the 2006 standard. But if you have Scott Shoeneweiss pitching the 8th inning that just won't happen.

Yes folks, it's time for Buster Olney to make up a Mets/A's rumor involving Aaron Heilman for the fifth consecutive year now. By year...
2003-2004: David Wright and Aaron Heilman were going to Oakland for Barry Zito. Reported by Olney and no one else.
2004-2005: Lastings Milledge and Aaron Heilman were going to Oakland for Barry Zito. Reported by Olney, called "imminent," and no one else even thought it possible.
2005-2006: Milledge & Heilman or Mike Pelfrey & Heilman to the A's for Joe Blanton or Rich Harden. Reported by Olney and no one else.
2006-2007: Milledge, Heilman, Pelfrey, and Humber were supposed to go to the A's for Rich Harden, Joe Blanton, or Dan Haren and Santiago Casilla. Reported only by Olney.
2007-2008: After numerous Milledge/John Maine/Aaron Heilman for Danny Haren combos that Olney and Olney alone reported, now he's reporting this.

Buster, for God's sake man, why don't you just give it up?

Let's get one thing straight, people keep repeating the garbage they've heard from other people here, such as "the Mets over hype and over value their prospects." This is not true, these prospects are not given their status by the Mets they are given their status by all the scouts throughout baseball. It was not only the Mets saying Milledge was a great prospect and is, it's a lot of knowledgeable scouts throughout the game and the same goes for Gomez.

Ohh yeah and this would not be a good deal for the Mets, I've watched Blanton pitch many times and he is not worth it especially considering his weight. Pitchers with weights problems tend to fade rapidly.

If the Mets are going to try and give up all that for just Joe Blanton, I'd say go for it and try to get Swisher as well. He sure would be much better in their 2008 lineup than Carlos Delgado, or they could play him in right and hope that Delgado has once decent season left in him (which I doubt), and let him take over at first when they let Delgado walk in 2009.

Blanton? Eh...meh. A #3 in the NL. I'd rather take a chance on Harden, myself, but he's better than the FA garbage that's left out there.

I agree with 3rdLeg. The Mets do hype their own system, but scouts do like some of their players a lot. The common problem throughout though is that there's more projectability and potential than performance. All of Mike Pelfrey, Carlos Gomez, Fernando Martinez, and Deolis Guerra have at least a tool/pitch or two that scouts drool over. Pelf has a mid 90s plus movement sinker but virtually nothing else yet. Gomez has superspeed and great glove to go with a good strong build, but the power and patience at the plate are still yet to arrive. Martinez was a major international signing and just finished a league average season of AA as an 18 year old in his first year of full season ball. Guerra was in a similar situation in A+, plus he's already 6'5" 200 at 18 and has a plus changeup. He finished his season strong, but scouts seem to want/expect him to add velocity if he's to put it all together.

The irony is that the Mets least projectable prospect had the biggest season in Kevin Mulvey. He's smallish and doesn't really have an out pitch or throw particularly hard according to most scouting reports I've seen, but he does have pretty good command of three or four average or better pitches.

I would rather stick contaminated needles into my c*ck then give up those 3 guys for Blanton. I dont want to go threw this whole thing again.

through*

If I were him I would love to send him to Cincinnati for Bailey/Votto/Hamilton.

Blanton isnt worth any of those guys straight up from the Reds. He would get rocked beyond belief pitching there. Blanton has been available for like 18 months now at least and nobody has bit on the stupid crap Beane has proposed. I dont think teams really want Blanton much, or atleast dont want to give up much for a fat pitcher with very little upside and not much stuff, who relies on a good curveball and a 90 mph fastball and doesnt strike anybody out. This guy looked like Steve Trachsel in 2006. Give me a break.

"I would LOVE to see Blanton go the Phillies. "

As a met fan, I second that notion.

"...I think from what I read here is that a lot of Mets fans are over-estimating their prospects...the best guy they have is Nando, and he is a high-caliber prospect, but he's not an instant #1 prospect on most other clubs if he arrived in a trade..."

Exactly, but this doesnt mean that he isnt as talented as a number 1 type prospect, which is exactly why the Mets should not and will not make any trade for anybody of importance. Because they will have to grossly overpay. Here is my question. What is better, having Kyle Lohse, and keeping your setup man, high upside OF prospect, and one of the better pitching prospects in your system, or having Joe Blanton, and having to go spend even more money on the bullpen, and lose two of your best prospects, all for a guy who will be the number 4 starter this year.

To the guy that brought up "catcher's ERA"...

Interesting.

Never In a million years would I do this trade. Never. Unless they throw in Harden as well then maybe would I consider it if I was Omar.