According to Boston Globe, one of the two players to be named in the Billy Wagner trade is 26–year-old 1B-OF Chris Carter.
Carter is batting .279 with a .340 OBP, 14 HR and 59 RBI this season for Triple-A Pawtucket.
Red Sox Monster says Carter is known for his ‘intensity,’ while Sox Prospects writes the following:
“Extremely intelligent, Carter is a real student of hitting, and has demonstrated success with the bat at every level. Excellent power with the potential for more. Hits for average and consistently gets on base at a very good clip. Hits lefties and righties well. Below average speed. In the field, Carter has spent much of his career at 1B but was moved to the outfield in 2008. He has always been known as a poor fielder, and still doesn’t look particularly comfortable at any position. He has focused on his glove and footwork and has improved slightly, but still not enough.”
The Sox acquired Carter from the D-Backs in 2007, during a trade involving Wily Mo Pena, and a three-way deal with the Nationals.
{ 78 comments }
So, Omar lied again is what you’re saying.
A 26-year-old career minor leaguer is not a “prospect”
Especially considering he’ll be 27 in 3 weeks.
If the 1 mil the mets saved for next season is going to go towards a big bat or pitcher…then im fine with getting career minor leaguers.. but if the wilpons dont spend the money and they get worthless prospects….fail
but i dont even see how thats possible. say they saved 3 million total.
do you really envision them saying, well, we’d only go 5 years, 72 million on Holliday. but now, we’ll go 5 years, 75 million and we can get him.
Mets have bigger needs at this point than wasting that kind of money on 1 player, esp a guy that needed to hit behind Pujols to start hitting again. I don’t want to waste $75 million more on Holliday in a pitchers park. To many people on here keep crying for Holliday and I think it’s an unrealistic wish at this point, both for financial reasons and the fact they have multiple needs and pitching staff in shambles.
He’s hitting behind yes, not in front of Pujols…
Don you are going to have to turn this opportunity yes.
LF is a big hole for the Mets right now, so if not Holliday then who? Crawford? I’d be OK if they can trade for Crawford, but they only have enough reasonable prospects for one trade, and another big hole is a legitimate #2 to pitch behind Johan. So I guess you’re thinking John Lackey?
Yes, Lackey would be priority #1 of guys who are free agents if I were GM. I agree, LF might be the 2nd biggest problem behind another starter. But I can’t see them acquiring 2 starters, a set up man, a catcher, a 1b and LF if they spend 75 mil for 1 OF.
Poor fielder? Not good. But lets see for ourselves. There’s time in September to take a nice long look at youngsters like Evans, Thole, Carter and Kunz. I have little hope for Kunz, though I hope I am wrong.
This will be fun. Watching younger kids play. I will still enjoy the games. I will still watch the Mets at every chance.
Also, I think Omar made a nice deal here. Doesn’t matter if the two players don’t pan out. They got rid of 3.5 mill in salary obligations and that’s good in itself.
Good luck to Billy. I am a Red Sox fan for the rest of the season and hope they go all the way.
And I’m so happy about Johan. He should be good as new next year. And he’ll have this extra month of rest.
The WBC is a curse! While Johan didn’t participate, remember, he planned to and even altered his workout regiment to be able to be ready for it. So he did gear up for it.
No more WBC’s for Mets players. Ever. Unless it’s after the season.
the 3.5 mil they saved is meaningless unless you are in Fred Wilpon’s will.
That money is saved off of this year’s budget. (Except for 1 million.) That’s money they’d already budgeted for and budgets don’t tend to carry over from year to year.
If they’d saved money off a contract for next year, that would be a different story.
Meanwhile, 26 is not a prospect, and Carter won’t likely be much more than a AAA, or bench kind of guy.
I disagree. And if they bought Wagner out, the $1 million buyout would come out of this year’s budget. Not next year’s.
So theoretically they saved 3.6 million from this year’s budget. That’s 3.6 million that can go toward’s next year’s budget or for any other debt obligation they have.
And I know 26 is not considered “prospect” age. Who cares? I think the Mets are lucky someone claimed Wagner at all. Not even one NL team was willing, which I’m surprised at.
I’m a little late on this, but much love for the “Fred Wilpon’s will” line—very funny, Tidewater.
He sounds like Daniel Murphy with a little more power.
I am just amazed the Mets have actually gone after a guy who doesn’t need to be standing on 2B in order to hit a home run.
I picked this guy out as a reasonable target, and he’s about what I expected. Maybe he just needs a chance – plenty of ABs to be had here.
Yeah, but that’s all minor league power.
Look at the 1B/OF who have cycled through the Sox system just this year — guys like Laroche, Kotchman etc. If this guy was any good, they would have given him a chance.
If you’re 26 and in the minors, you’re not going to be any good.
Kotchman and LaRoche are both superb defensive 1Bs, which is what the Red Sox wanted in that spot. This kid wasn’t going to play that role.
He is what he is, but maybe he can be a valuable role player in the future. We’ve all talked alot about the lack of pop on the bench – maybe he can turn into a Greg Dobbs-type….the intelligence and intensity attributes can help make a good bench player.
Lets see.
Shane Victorino. Drafted as a rule V guy by the Phillies at 25. Was even offerred back to the Dodgers that same season but they declined him. Jayson Worth. Signed a 1 year $850K deal with the Phils at the age of 27. How have those two late bloomers worked out for the Phillies?
Werth
Ethier
Kemp
Pierre
Who would you Not rather have back at the end of 06′?
hey beckfan…what do you mean?
Which 3 at the end of 06′ would you rather have?
If it’s true that Carter is poor defensively everywhere, then that’s a slight to Murphy who is above average at first base. I think Murphy will also improve at first base in the future.
Wow. We just traded for Daniel Murphy.
Why?
You just took the words right out of my mouth. Then again what do you expect from the Omar and the Mets.
So that makes Murphy expendable as part of a trade package during the offseason.
I will add – I’d love to think we could have got premium prospects by eating some salary, but the Red Sox have plenty of money and I doubt they offered that option. Saw a bit earlier that the incentives that they factored for Smoltz and Penney which they won’t acheive cover the $4.5MM exactly.
The Red Sox I am sure are happy to pay the money and keep their primary guys.
I agree the Mets were never going to get good prospects. Which is why they should have eaten the 3 million, taken the draft picks and went from there.
PS — thank you BullpenHelp fo speaking the truth
We’ll see – let’s all keep track of whether the Sox end up getting the picks and see what they do with them.
Also, I want to make a big apology to Castillo. He has been awesome. Hey, it’s not his fault Omar wanted to overpay him. I would have taken the money too.
Also, kudos to Pagan for continuing to play so well and to Francoeur for being such a gamer.
There is still a lot to look forward to this season — especially being able to watch Thole and some of the other youngsters get playing time.
Gee, was it not his fault that after signing his contract he gained 30 lbs and came into camp in the worst shape of his career? Look, it’s great he came out and admitted that this pre-season and made a new effort to shed those lbs and apologized for being out of shape last year, and he bounced back nicely, but that doesn’t make me apologize for thinking he was a bum last year and neither should you. He deserved every boo he heard for being a fat half-ass the season after signing a huge deal.
He just had knee surgery on BOTH knees. I heard Ronny Darling say recently (not in relation to Castillo) that when you have knee issues, it’s hardest to keep in shape. Because you can’t work out like you would normally do.
So, Castillo was not able to work out after the 2007 season to keep in shape. What do you expect?
The problem is, what GM in his right mind would give a second baseman of that age a 4-year contract coming off of double knee surgery?????
2 years maybe with an option for a third year. But Omar is awful giving out contracts sometimes.
If I’m Castillo, I’m taking the money.
As for booing, that’s nonsense, no matter who it is. OK, sometimes the booing is warranted but not the way Mets fans have done it in the recent past. For example, Schoeneweis and Matsui.
And btw, razor, you better go get some remedial third base coaching lessons this winter. You’ve been awful this year.
So then what was Castillo apologizing for if being out of shape and gaining weight was not his fault?
By the way, Chris Carter is NOT a prospect. No one who spends four FULL seasons at AAA can be considered a prospect. He’s an organizational filler, at best.
And in those four seasons of AAA, he slugged a whopping .488. He’s NOT a power hitter. He’s got modest minor league power.
If this guy ever gets 200 ABs with the Mets, it’ll be because our top 7 guys are hurt. In other words, he could have helped this year… and that should tell you all you need to know.
I fear he is the Wilpon’s answer to LF next year.
Anyone traded for Willie Mo Pena in 2007 cannot be a bona fide prospect.
a) That’s a silly fear, especially since the Wilpons don’t make up the roster.
b) Wily Mo Pena was once traded straight up for Met-killer Bronson Arroyo you know!
Pena was also voted by his peers a few seasons ago as to have some of the best raw power in baseball.
I swear some Mets fans will cry about anything. They traded Wagner to have a shot at a winner. They saved money in a year where the team is going nowhere, got a couple of pieces that won’t be stars in return but can help fill holes when needed (something the mets couldn’t do this year and many of you grilled them for it), and what exactly did they lose out on? A draft pick that likely wouldn’t have been all that good anyway. This move is inconsequential in so many ways but yet this is what the fanbase is reduced to this year. Sad.
I agree – in the end he is a 38-year old coming off major reconstructive surgery who has pitched 2 total innings and who had to be traded within a 10-day window to only one team.
I too would have been furious had they let him walk for nothing, but they were never going to get much. It’s amazing he ewven came back at all, and if he didn’t there would be no arbitration offer, no picks, no nothing.
So they get a potential bench bat for the future, whatever else, and some savings that they will hopefully invest next season. Let’s move on.
Couldn’t agree with you 2 guys any more.
Your damned if ya do ……….
Great poitn guys. The fanbase should be happy we got something for this guy. They dont he would retire or miss all of 2009. So the fact we landed this Carter fill-in and someone else is good. Maybe we could have recieved a draft pick or maybe not.
In defense of the Mets fanbase, things usually do not go our way. We struggle everyday and we compare ourselves to those crosstown rivals. The Mets fanbase has a chip on our shoulder. We thought mid-way through 2007 that we had turned the corner. Imagine if Pedro or Duaner were healthy in 2006…..we would have gone to the world series. Might have been different in 2007 and 2008. It is what it is.
lets go mets
Count me in as agreeing with you guys as well. Some fans will find ANY reason to bitch. Lord knows our team has made plenty of dumb moves…this ain’t one of them. It’s a modest move that will pay dividends, but no all you moaners it was NOT intended to change the world nor will it.
Seriously, for all of the fans out there that whine about everything this team does/happens to them, what did you expect?
Dustin Pedroia?
Enough with the complaining already. There is nothing that can be done now. Too many players are hurt.
Its the same thing day in and day out. Figueroa is going to lose tonight and were going to hear, “Wow, this is bad. is this what we have to look forward to for next season? He’s going to be our #2?”
I guess you dont understand how sorry some of you guys sound.
It happened, get over it and move on.
It’s like people expected the Sox to give up one of their top prospects for a 38 year old middle reliever coming elbow surgery who can’t pitch every day and is a 5 week rental. You weren’t going to get Bucholz for him. Hell, if the Sox were willing to give up Bucholz in a deal, they could’ve possibly gotten Cliff Lee.
If we werent going to get anything for him, then we shouldnt have traded him. His value will be at its highest this offseason, and Boston will reap the rewards when they get our draft picks, turn them into studs, and laugh for years as we wonder who the **** Chris Carter was.
I don’t care who we got back, frankly, but let’s not pretend this guy will EVER help this team. He’s an organizational filler. He’s a AAAA player. He’s spent the last four seasons in AAA. He will NEVER be a productive major league player. If he ever has a substantial role with the Mets it will be because we’re in the middle of a disaster season.
I’m not whining about who we got back. I’m merely trying to quelch the suggestions that we got some kind of prospect in return.
We did not.
He could one day be the extra depth guy that puts a multi-player deal over the top.
Do you have Pawtucket season tickets? Or do you just get to as many games as you can?
Is he going to report to the Mets, or Buffalo first and the Mets after 9/1?
chill out guys
i’m sure the other guy is buchholz
YESSSSS!!!! My dreams have come true. 2 high draft picks for a Shelley ****ing Duncan clone.
**** You Omar, you just got raped by Boston
**** You Jeff, for giving that horrible GM a thumbs up
**** You Coupons, for finding $3m too expensive to keep around through the end of the season so we could get those picks in the first place.
This was the line for me. We gave up our best trade chip this offseason, OR 2 compensation picks, for THIS?
Clearly financially motivated. We packed the house while you embarrassed us, and now you’re gonna spit in our faces by cutting payroll, and taking lesser players to do it.
Not one red cent, NOT ONE is going to this organization until they sell this team. Not going to games, not buying merchandise. Go **** yourselves you penny-pinching pieces of ****.
UUurrrgggggghhh!!!
Its embarrassing admitting that Im a Mets fan sometimes with this type of fan behavior.
It’s venting is what it is. Why is he a bad fan? Was anything he said untrue?
The truth is Wagner was much more valuable in the off season. What’s your explanation for the trade?
Yes, Beckfan—do tell. And do explain why your opinion is so obviously correct, and anyone who expresses frustration with what they think is a bad trade makes it embarrassing to be a Mets fan.
Please note that some of us on here come to discuss things, and learn from our peers on this comments section (even if we hold opposing viewpoints), rather than read someone else’s condescension. I sincerely ask you to consider your newfound commenting privileges with this in mind.
KD Bart just did for me below.
Thanks Bart!
Yes I know it is venting and I never said he is a bad fan. Please dont put words into my mouth.
I get frustrating that some of the fans here complain about the same issues day in and out when there was nothing that could have been done to salvage the season.
Also, playing with arbitration eligible players can be a gamble. Look at Maddux and the Braves back in 02′.
And with the way the Mets are with signing their draft picks………
Say Wagner decided to accept the arbitration because no other team wants a guy who’ll be 39 next July for 6+ million?
Then what?
[laughing] yeah, I think almost everyone here is frustrated about one thing or another—we just can’t agree what we should ALL be frustrated about. Sorry about being p!ssy earlier, btw.
You’re absolutely correct about the arbitration risk. I guess folks in the “keep Billy” camp (like me) are making the assumption that Billy would refuse to take arbitration and be a setup man. I’d think he’d be the kinda guy who’d take a million to close over 6 to set up, but then again, I’ve never sat down with him and talked about that kinda stuff.
I know this is heresy, but does K-Rod have a no-trade clause? Otherwise, I’m not sure what value having K-Rod is next year, unless we find some starters and a bat or two.
His NTC is limited.
Heres the thing, if Minaya doesn’t make this deal and Wagner accepts arbitration next year because he doesn’t get the money he wants, then everyone is pissy about that.
So he’s damned if he does……….
I just get angry when the fans get all riled up because Corey Sullivan goes 0-4 as if it was the plan to play him all a long.
It’s amazing that people think that you can get a lot for a 38 year old reliever coming off surgery who would cost $8 Million if you picked up his option in a trade. Did anyone bother to noticed that he completely passed through the NL and almost the entire AL before he was claimed. Not one NL contender was interested in him.
What do you guys not get about “we understand Wagner doesn’t have much straight up trade value so we would rather have the two draft picks”?
It’s pretty simple, really.
Offer arbitration, gets turned down = two high draft picks.
Two high draft picks – $3m > Chris Carter + bad prospect.
How the hell can anyone defend this move?
I didnt say we had to pick up his option. Decline it and offer arbitration. Someone will sign him. Thats a guarantee, he’s too good of a reliever to not latch on with a team.
When Murphy gets hurt, Carter is our 1B for the rest of the season!
If he can hit .250/325/450 in the 8 hole next year, with 15 HRs and 60 RBIs, that would be awesome. Remember, as of now, the team leader on offensive production is Frenchy, with .268/299/402, 11 HRs/59 RBIs. So if Carter = Francouer (minus the defense), with Murphy as a late-inning replacement, then as long as they’ve added a top starter and catcher who deserves to hit 6th, it’s not the end of the world.
I think the other side of the argument is not “we should’ve gotten Pedroia,” but instead “we should’ve kept him and rolled the dice with arbitration, and tried for 2 high-round draft picks.”
For those of you (kd, dave, beck, cb) that approve of this trade, please tell me why the arbitration approach is untenable. (And please don’t say, “well, the draft picks might not amount to anything.”)
Exactly. With two high draft picks you have a better chance of striking gold than you do hoping an older prospect finally comes around. Of course nothing is 100%, but which of those two scenarios would any sane person predict to be more likely?
Lets be honest here….we have no idea if a team would surrender 2 picks to have the right to sign this guy. Furthermore, depending on who signs him will factor in what type of picks you get – may not even be a 1st round pick.
So lets see what the Mets get with the 2nd player.
Understood. A few weeks back, another commenter (I wish I could remember who, so I could dispense credit—maybe VCarver?) broke down Epstein’s horde of draft picks obtained from letting all sorts of free agents go—Damon, Pedro, even guys like O. Cabrera and Dave Roberts netted picks—and it was mighty impressive. I believe some of these picks became some of their current roster (Papelbon, for example).
My own feeling—based on this commenter’s research—is that Epstein obtained Wagner not for some amazing 2009 contribution, but more for the compensatory picks.
But at the same time the Mets draft history blows. And they always have a hard time signing their picks because they are cheap bastards.
Ah. Forgot about that. Excellent point, really—suddenly it’s gone in my mind from “two high round draft picks with unlimited potential and can rejuvenate our franchise” to “two future flops who’ll sign for slot.” Sigh.
D@mn you and your reality, Beck [laughing]. Suddenly, I visions of Billy Traber and Phillip Humber dancing in my head. And Eddie Kunz, and Mike Pelfrey, and…..
I still believe in Lastings Milledge, tho, if that counts for anything.
But who would you rather have in AAA next season? Rob Mackowiak or Chris Carter?
To be honest, I’m pleased that they obtained someone who can hit a home run and COULD break out in the next few years. I’m not saying he’ll be Ryan Ludwick, but I think he could amount to something. My only fear is that he’ll be announced as next year’s LF when spring training opens.
I personally don’t have a problem with amassing minor-league sluggers. I’d rather give one of them a shot than send out Jeremy Reed and Cory Sullivan to slug .320.
Someone is going to sign him. Barring some set-back, or horrible performance, someone is going to sign him to close.
You’re absolutely right, may not have been first round. But it’s still two extra draft picks with the potential to flourish. With Carter you know what you get. And that isn’t much. Who knows who the second player is, but I doubt it’s anyone highly touted.
I personally would have taken the chance on two extra draft picks rather than AAAA players. And I think most people would lean that way as well.
Why am I not so crazy about just holding onto the draft choices as oppose to acquring at least one player who might help you now. I went back and looked at the first two rounds of the MLB draft between 2002 and 2005, 5 to 7 years ago, which included the sandwich picks. I eliminated the first 15 picks of the first round from each year because they would not obtain one of those picks. That left 164 draft picks. As of this season, 83 of those picks have made the majors. Out of those 83 about half have been cup of coffee type guys. Not many at bats or innings and names that I hardly recognized. That leaves about 40-42 players who had some impact at the major league level. So there would be about 25% chance that any one draft pick would have an impact at the major league level by 2015. There’s probably an equal or better chance that a player that you obtain will make the majors. You may get lucky and draft David Wright but there is a better chance that you’ll draft someone like Matthew Durkin (The Mets 2nd Round and 44th overall pick of 2004)
What percentage chance does Carter figure to be an impact player?
Sadly, we have an entire minor league system full of Matthew Durkins. Nice reference, btw.
I was on the 2004 draft page and realized I’d never heard of this guy and he was a second round pick. I looked him up. He was releaed after 3 years. Never got above A ball. Was playing in some California Independent League as of last year.
is this the same chris carter from “gimme a break?”
WE JUST TRADED FOR A FIRST BASEMAN BECAUSE GUESS WHAT MURPHY LOVERS… THE METS FINALLY SEE WHAT I SEE AND THAT IS THAT MURPHY BLOWSSSSSSSSS
“According to a source with knowledge of the Red Sox acquisition of left-handed reliever Billy Wagner from the Mets, one of the players dealt to New York for the 38-year-old is Pawtucket outfielder/designated hitter Chris Carter.
According to the source, the other player dealt away to the Mets is a prospect “not of significance.”’
Oy.
In Carter’s favor he was blocked by being in a couple of organizations with really good 1B and OF situations. And he hasn’t played much OF until recently anyway. Here he should have a fair chance to win a job.
Seems like he could be a lefty version of Nick Evans without the defensive ability at 1B, but a bit more pop. But with the AAA numbers he has put up he could be a legit power threat, his 2008 IL season is particularly impressive.
Boston has used up two of his option years, so next year will be a now or never year for him.
Similar to the pickup of Ben Johnson from the Padres. A very short term prospect without much upside.
some people on this site kill me. What did you expect Omar to get for Wagner exactly?? I think this is actually a very good pick up. It looks to me like this guy can actually hit a ball over the fence, but might have been blocked by Youk @ 1B. And for those of you who insist because he’s 27 and hasn’t “made it” to the show yet that he won’t amount to anything, some guys are in fact late bloomers. Garrett Jones is doing pretty well for PITT right now, and last time I checked, Carlos Pena isn’t too shabby either.
Get him in a uniform now and see what happens.
Lets not forget the Mets have a pick of 3 guys on Bostons A ball squad.
I’ve read that it will be a GCL roster player ‘not of consequence’ so yea, its just Carter.
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