Monthly Archives: November 2007
During his recent appearance on SNY’s Daily News Live, Seth Everett from MLB.com had the following to say about Lastings Milledge, who was traded to the Nationals today…
“Milledge’s value had plummeted. If you were gonna have the foresight to realize that Lastings Milledge will never make an All-Star team you should have traded him two years. They didn’t, and they held on until it was too late…Milledge is still a talented young individual, but you couldn’t get a starting pitcher – not a front-line pitcher, but a starting pitcher – for Lastings Milledge, so they addressed another need…
“Billy Beane is on record as saying he likes Lastings Milledge, but it was 18 months ago. That’s the point. Lastings Milledge’s behavior and lack of development have taught other GMs that they don’t believe in him any more. The book has changed. John Schuerholz used to be great at this in Atlanta, when you know that Bruce Chen isn’t going to be a Cy Young you get something in return for him…
“The point is, there isn’t a GM who is willing to give you a fourth starter for Milledge…Clearly Billy Beane wouldn’t budge on Milledge, because if he would have there’s no way Omar Minaya would have blown that chance.”
FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal also appeared on DNL, to comment on today’s trade.
To watch Rosenthal’s segment, click here.
…with today’s acquisition of C Brian Schneider and OF Ryan Church in mind, i contacted Chris Needham, who blogs about the Nationals for Capitol Punishment, to ask a few questions…
D.J. Short…
Brian Schneider was given a lot of credit for holding together a patchwork rotation last season. How much of this acclaim is warranted? Is Schneider someone you would classify as a vocal leader, or more of a lead-by-example type?
Chris Needham…
I’m a natural skeptic. The pitching surprised, in a sense, but that was on the backs of the bullpen. The starters were next-to-last in the league in ERA and Schneider presided over a disastrous staff the previous year. I don’t doubt that he’s an asset. I just don’t know how much that asset actually contributes. He’s not an overly vocal player, more of a quiet leader, sort of the Anti-LoDuca. He’s beloved by all the media because of the respect he shows them and most people. He seems like he’s a genuinely nice guy.
D.J. Short…
What kind of player is Church? Is he a maximum effort guy? Do you expect his offensive numbers to improve outside of RFK?
Chris Needham…
Church is sort of the really poor man’s Jim Edmonds. He strikes me as that same sort of laid-back California style which really rubs some people the wrong way. He was one of the few Nats who didn’t seem to be really crippled by RFK, which bodes well for how he’d do in Shea. He learned how to spray the ball into the gaps and down the right-field line, racking up an impressive number of doubles for someone with only 470 ABs. If you focus on what he does well (doubles, walks) and not the bad things he does (strikeouts, few homers), you’ve got a pretty good player.
D.J. Short…
Clearly the reaction over at Capitol Punishment is decidedly positive. That said, are you a little disappointed that Church couldn’t be spun as part of a package for a pitcher?
Chris Needham…
One of the reasons that the reaction was so positive is because the team has done such a good job of running Church down — the latest being the oft-used “fourth outfielder” moniker — that most Nats figured he was decidedly valueless. So I’m not sure anyone expected him to be able to go for pitching. I’d love to get my hands on a pitcher — I saw more Mike Bacsik than the human body is conditioned to withstand — and maybe Milledge could be the trading chit we need! Ok, that’s just cruel…
D.J. Short…
It was reported that the Nationals turned down Johnny Estrada as part of the deal. Who do you expect the Nats to pursue to tandem with Jesus Flores?
Chris Needham…
Good question. I know that the team is increasingly high on Flores, but I’m not completely sure he’s ready for a full-time job. For everything he did well last year, he did struggle at times, especially against RHP. I suppose the stars are aligning for a Paul LoDuca signing. There’s not much out there in the FA market either. If they do make Flores the starter, I imagine they’ll be content with whatever spring-training invitee impresses them the most in March.
…thanks again, chris…enjoy lmillz…
In an article for FoxSports.com, Ken Rosenthal writes, citing a ‘source,’ that the Mets also offered C Johnny Estrada to the Nationals along with OF Lastings Milledge in the trade for C Brian Schneider and OF Ryan Church, but the Nationals declined.
If the Mets fail to trade Estrada in the upcoming weeks, they will likely decline to offer him a contract, Rosenthal reports.
Tagged Brian Schneider, Ryan Church |
Newsday is reporting that the Metropolitan Transit Authority will continue to run express trains on the No. 7 line for weekday Mets’ games, as they experimented with halfway through last season.
They are also considering additional express service after weekend games.
…this is pretty much a necessity as most of us have dealt with the ridiculous subway schedule heading home from a game. after trying the subway a few times in the past, it became clear that despite the parking situation it was still more convenient to drive to the stadium as long as you knew where to park…
…hat tip to 2nd ave sagas for the link…
In ESPN.com’s Rumor Central, citing ‘the player’s agent,’ free-agent C Mike Piazza is ‘leaning towards’ returning to the major leagues next season.
Piazza’s agent told Crasnic that ‘three undisclosed teams’ have expressed an interest in his client, adding that a move to Japan is far ‘down on his list of options.’
A recent report from SI.com suggested that Piazza is open to playing in Japan, should nothing pan out for him in MLB.
…piazza at shea feels like a million years ago…it’s been a really, really busy two years, hasn’t it…
Keith Law, during a chat on ESPN.com, when asked if the Mets lack the necessary ‘ammunition’ to trade for a starting pitcher, said:
“I’ve seen that mentioned in some NY papers, and it’s absurd. Carlos Gomez is very highly-rated within the game. Fernando Martinez (who seems to be their one untouchable) is still one of the top 10-12 prospects in the game. Mike Pelfrey hasn’t even turned 24 yet, and he’s still mid-90s with plus sink. I have no idea why it’s fashionable to bash the Mets’ young players, but they have plenty of assets to go get another starter. Whether they choose to part with them or not is the question.”
Meeting with reporters at Citi Field yesterday, Mets GM Omar Minaya said that, while he has been in contact with nearly every team who may have a pitcher available, “No club has told us, ‘hey, forget it, you’re not in.’”
Before joining ESPN, Law spent four years with the Blue Jays as a Special Assistant to the General Manager.
Tagged Mike Pelfrey |…if the Mets have any shot at acquiring Johan Santana from the Twins, one of two things must happen…either, a) the Mets will need to bring in a third team, to make it a three-way trade, or b) santana will need to decide that he only wants to play for the Mets, and demand a trade to queens…otherwise, it’s not looking good, since many, many signs are suggesting that santana’s ticket may already be punched for boston…
The Mets officially announced that they have acquired OF Ryan Church 
and C Brian Schneider from the Nationals for OF Lastings Milledge.
During the call, Minaya said…
He and Nats GM Jim Bowden had been discussing this deal for a while.
Schneider will be his every-day catcher.
He checked around with other clubs, and, from what he can tell, trading Milledge will not impact whether or not he can acquire a starting pitcher from another club. Milledge did not fall out of demand, it’s just that the Mets have many other desired players to complete a deal. He had a very close, personal relationship with Milledge, and it was very difficult, emotionally, to trade him.
He does not feel Milledge’s value has changed much in the last 12 months, though he is sure he’d have been worth more had he come up last year and hit more. Either way, he is very happy to get two good players.
He has always felt he needed to acquire a catcher like Schneider, who is ‘big on defensive.’ These two players give the team balance, on both sides of the ball.
Church allows them to essentially go ‘with two center fielders.’ As of now, he views Church as an every-day, starting right fielder at the start of next year, who is under control for four years, whereas Milledge is still developing, and under control for five years.
Milledge would not have been guaranteed a starting job this coming spring training, though he is very confident he will eventually develop in to a very good player.
His goal is to win a championship, and this trade helps make them better offensively and defensively.
During the call, Schneider said he is looking forward to the opportunity, and to be on a winning team and playing in New York. He looks forward to working with the pitching staff. His favorite thing is to throw out runners at second and helping the staff as best as he can.
Asked to comment on John Maine and Oliver Perez, who he has hit against, he noted that he caught Maine while in Japan, and he’s already plotting how best to work with them. He’s excited.
Schneider has text messaged with David Wright, who is excited to have him, noting that Wright is very excited to get back to work and win. He hesitated to describe himself as a firey guy, but he knows he is capable of motivating a pitching staff, and he does not intend to come in and step on people’s toes right away.
Lastly, during the call, Church said he is thankful to the team for bringing him over, and to be on a team with a year-in and year-out chance to be in the playoffs. Church is able to play all three outfield positions, and is very comfortable in right, since it is where he played during most of his minor-league career. He is very excited to be a part of New York, and be part of a team with so much talent.
The Cardinals have announced the signing of SS Cesar Izturis to a one-year contract.
Izturis, 29, hit a combined .258 in a 110 games with the Cubs and Pirates last season.
The Mets will hold a conference call at 3 pm with Omar Minaya, and newly acquired OF Ryan Church and C Brian Schneider.
…i will be on the call, and will do my best to get a few quotes up as fast as i can…
…by the way, i know that this blog is running slowly…i am working on it…this will be resolved sooner than later, but requires some heavy lifting that cannot be done overnight…
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