Opinion: Trade Milledge for a Starting Pitcher
Earlier in the week, when asked during a conference call whether re-signing OF Moises Alou will impact how he approaches staffing right field, Mets GM Omar Minaya said…
“I feel that if we were to go with one of our young players in right field, be it a Lastings Milledge or a Carlos Gomez or Endy Chavez, who we control, I feel like if we need to go in that direction we could - or we could continue to look at the free-agent market. Right now, I think it’s safe to say, given our position, our outfield, with the people we have under control right now, if we needed to go with those guys, I would feel comfortable with the outfield right now…That being said, there is no doubt that we will consider adding another veteran to the mix, if we find a veteran who can fit in and play that role.”
…ok, so, what is that role…in looking at the team’s potential lineup, to me, it would be a strong, right-handed, defensive outfielder, who hits for average, and who will bat towards the bottom of the order…frankly, i trust milledge to fill these shoes…i think it’s his time, and i believe he will step up…
…however, the Mets need another, established, young starting pitcher, who ideally is or will be an ace, and who can bridge the time-gap between Pedro Martinez to John Maine and Oliver Perez to the team’s youngest talent…pedro will be gone soon, and then what…maine and perez will not be this team’s ace…neither will Mike Pelfrey or Philip Humber…the next ace will have to come from the outside, and not from the free-agent market - at least not this off-season…and, the Mets cannot wait another season to address this need, which is why i would push hard to trade milledge and either pelfrey or humber, among others, to land another team’s top pitcher…
…as i have said before, i like milledge and believe he will be a very good player one day…i’d love for him to mature and succeed with the Mets, and believe he can…however, it is a lot easier to find a right-fielder on the open market than it is to find quality pitching…in fact, with the way teams are re-signing their own talent these days, it’s becoming nearly impossible to bring in new, young, top-quality arms…therefore, if a right-fielder can help net such a pitcher it has to be done…
…so far this off-season, a variety of young pitchers have been rumored to be potentially available, such as Twins LHP Johan Santana, Indians RHP C.C. Sabathia, A’s RHP Rich Harden and RHP Joe Blanton, Giants LHP Noah Lowry, O’s LHP Erik Bedard and White Sox RHP Jon Garland, among others…though i have my doubts that santana will ever be traded, frankly…
…on the other hand, the Mets could keep milledge, and pelfrey and humber, and gamble on a free-agent pitcher like Bartolo Colon or Carlos Silva, who will certainly net at least a three-year deal, while hoping they can also sign a pitcher like santana, harden or sabathia next off-season or after…however, in limited discussions with people connected to the team, my sense is that a) few people believe that pelfrey and humber will contribute regularly in the way the team needs over the next few years, and so b) it is not worth sitting tight, knowing full well that the current trend in baseball is to lock up top pitchers before they get to the open market…so, if one can be had now, it has to happen now, otherwise it may never happen…
…in other words, knowing the Mets must at least field a dominant team over the next two years, if milledge is replaceable, he should be traded for a pitcher better than pelfrey, because there is no guarantee a better pitcher will be available on the open market next off-season…
