Omar's Worst Nightmare

[MFS62]

and every Met fan's dream.
Omar has said Lastings was being brought up to "give him a taste of the major leagues" and when Nady gets off the DL, he would be sent back to the minors.

Well, what happens if at the time Nady is ready to return, Lastings is hitting, say .325 with 40 RBI in 45 games?

Will Omar have the cajones to send him down?

Whaddaya' think?

Later

EDIT: If you think this belongs in the Lastings thread, you can move it there. But I feel this is more about Omar than it is about Milledge.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I think Omar could have worse nightmares than that one.

How about Lastings hits .180 and Nady is out for the season?

[MFS62]

you forgot about the "every Met fan's dream" part.

No, if what you said happens (shudder), Omar will be in his glory. It will be his excuse for making an overdramatic deadline deal. He loves to do that stuff, back to his days in Montreal. Too bad we don't have anyone in the minors like a Jason Bay for him to give up this time.

Later

[Elster88]

So far I have yet to see an "overdramatic deadline deal" during Omar's tenure with the Mets. I'll reserve judgement until then. Which deals are you referring to from his Expo-days?

[Frayed Knot]

I believe Nady is expected back long before Milledge could get 45 games in.

But in any case, if Milledge is hitting well - however long it is - two things can happen:
1) He stays up and together with Nady & Cliff fit into 2 positions (plus the occasional Beltran day off and even Delgado by slotting Nady at 1st).
2) He gets sent back down so as to get regular ABs and is back by September (or earlier if something else pops up)

Not a nightmare at all.

[Guest sharpie]

Omar had to say that Milledge would be sent down when Nady came back to cover himself if Milledge bombs. Just as they kept Mike Jacobs last year, if he plays well they would find a way to keep Lastings whenever Nady comes back. Could spell the end for Kaz.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

That's what I was thinking. Keep an outfield of Nady, Floyd, Beltran, Milledge, Chavez. With Woodward getting less outfield time, he could take whatever infield time Matsui would have gotten.

Matsui's time as a Met is down to its final months. The chance of getting much out of him are diminishing rapidly. So is the remaining money owed to him. A release seems to be getting more and more likely.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I should have such nightmares as Omar Minaya.

[MFS62]

Elster88 wrote: So far I have yet to see an "overdramatic deadline deal" during Omar's tenure with the Mets. I'll reserve judgement until then. Which deals are you referring to from his Expo-days?

I dunno. I got that impression from the articles about him when he joined the Mets. Memory fails me. Didn't he make a deal involving a fat righty pitcher for a bunch of kids?

You have to admit, since he's been with the Mets he has made more than a few star-power acquisitions (trade or FA signing).

And
Sharpie's response is sorta' what I expected. I agree. It was an in-advance face saving statement. If Lastings keeps it up, ain't no way he's being sent back down.

Later

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I can't imagine that Omar would be rooting for his players to underperform just so that he can make a desperation trade.

[Frayed Knot]

Omar's BIG deadline deal while in Montreal was getting Bartolo Colon for a package of Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore, and Brandon Phillips. Oddly it was Phillips who was expected to be the gem of the three but has had the worst time of it since.

But you have to look at the Montreal situation as unique. He was told that the team had no future so there was no reason for him not to burn all his bridges and go for the brass ring (mixed metaphor alert!!).
I don't think we can judge there to be a "trend" to his methods solely from that trade.

[Elster88]

="MFS62"] ="Elster88"]So far I have yet to see an "overdramatic deadline deal" during Omar's tenure with the Mets. I'll reserve judgement until then. Which deals are you referring to from his Expo-days? I dunno. I got that impression from the articles about him when he joined the Mets. Memory fails me. Didn't he make a deal involving a fat righty pitcher for a bunch of kids?

Do you mean the Colon deal here? That one never really bothered me because it seemed like he was doing it to try to keep baseball alive in Montreal, and they were on the fringes of a races back then.

]You have to admit, since he's been with the Mets he has made more than a few star-power acquisitions (trade or FA signing).

True...but the only move that bothers me is Benson for Julio, and I don't think that one was made at all in the mindset of trying to create buzz. Have any of his star-power acquisitions bothered you? I think they smell more of trying to make the team better than trying to create buzz. In short I just think that >>>Omar will be in his glory. It will be his excuse for making an overdramatic deadline deal. He loves to do that stuff, back to his days in Montreal<<< is unfair.

___________________

But I did hate the Benson deal and I could see it really hurting us in a playoff series.

[MFS62]

Of course I don't believe that Omar is hoping the kid flops so he can make a deal. I titled the thread by saying the situation is his worst nightmare, NOT his wet dream. Wishing for a situation to go bad and then doing something dramatic to save the situation is, I believe, called the "Munschausen Syndrome". And I don't think Omar suffers from that.

But making trades is what a GM lives for. And you did admit he's made some headline grabbing acquisitions/ trades.

The purpose of my post was to ask if you thought Omar would send the kid down if he was going well when Nady is healthy.
Sorry if I confused the issue by all the extraneous words.

Later

[Elster88]

Is this the baseball related 666 post you were talking about?

[MFS62]

Nope. Just started a new thread.

Later

[metirish]

if Miulledge hits and sticks with the team it could be a nightmare for our opponents not for Omar or the Mets....Go Lastings.

[Guest old original jb]

Frayed Knot wrote: I believe Nady is expected back long before Milledge could get 45 games in. But in any case, if Milledge is hitting well - however long it is - two things can happen: 1) He stays up and together with Nady & Cliff fit into 2 positions (plus the occasional Beltran day off and even Delgado by slotting Nady at 1st). 2) He gets sent back down so as to get regular ABs and is back by September (or earlier if something else pops up) Not a nightmare at all.

The extra depth on the bench could be of great help in interleague games in AL parks (where a DH plays) and extra inning games, as well as, dare we even dream it, a post-season series with an AL team.

[MFS62]

Dare
Dare

Later

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

I agree with Yancy in that Woodward and Valentin can split time at second base and handle the reserve infield role. If additional help was needed there is always Keppinger and A. Hernandez back in Norfolk. Beltran, Floyd, Nady, Milledge, and Chavez can easily handle the outfield and provide some offense off the bench. Nady can fill in for Delgado on the rare day he needs off. Factoring in Wright Delgado, Reyes, with LoDuca and Castro handling the catching, there are still 12 slots left for the pitchers.

Kaz Matsui's days are numbered. If the Mets can't move him (highly unlikely) they will likely release him out right or possibly send him down to AAA so they have him in the event of a serious injury to a middle infielder.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Is it so awful to have him on the roster that the Mets should fly with only one reserve infielder?

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

This is all predicated on the big if: if Milledge plays too darn well to be sent down when Nady returns.

In that case, I think I'd really consider Matsui more expendable than Milledge.

But your point is a good one. I hadn't done all the math. Woodward would be the only middle infielder on the bench.

[Guest cleonjones11]

Well,,Omar could trade Lastings for any available player he wants right now.

I hope not but his stock is that high..Oakland?

[soupcan]

Florida?

[Elster88]

Buffalo?