The fate of Steve Trachsel

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

What should be done with Steve Trachsel?

I considered adding a "wait and see" option, but opted not to. Let's assume the decision has to be made today.

In your comments, you can add any hedging, such as, "Well, if he pitches shutouts in his next three starts..."

[metirish]

I voted in the rotation and consider bringing him back next year,I like Steve and think it would be a shame if he were not on the post-season roster,having said that though he is not making that decision easy,but as he said himself he has had four good months and a few bad starts so I think he'll make it.

[duan]

y'know what, I'm going with my gut here and saying that I think he's a bad playoff bet and that I'd rather take my chances with someone like John Maine, David Williams or Oliver Perez as my fourth starter in the playoffs if we need one.

I also don't see the point in bringing him back next year unless it's very cheap. I know there's a value in innings munching but it ain't that high.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Duan didn't say it explicitly, but I think he voted the way I did:

Not on the postseason roster, don't bring him back next year.

I'd consider Maine or Williams as the fourth starter.

And I'd use a fourth starter as little as possible.

[Valadius]

He's been with us for a while, but let's face it, the rotation is getting old, and Trax is standing in the way of a Pelfrey or an Oliver Perez being in the rotation full-time. He's still serviceable, but let him go after this year.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

If you're gonna use 13 or 14 different starting pitchers in the regular season, someone's going to wind up disappointed at the postseason and Trachsel has just been too unreliable.

That said, I'm guessing this poll assumes that ... y'know ... one of the starters is Pedro.

[Vic Sage]

my antipathy for Trax goes way back. I've given him a free pass for a while, but i'm happy to take this opportunity to dump on him.

His pitching style is not only tedious, its cowardly. He gets ahead, and then slowwwwly nibbles. I can't count the number of times he's walked a guy who he had 0-2. And thats on his good days, when he's able to get ahead in the first place.

His results (in terms of peripherals) have only ever been (at best) league average, and often below average. I don't think the fact that the Mets have scored a huge amount of runs in most of his starts this year should be allowed to disguise that fact.

His useless in the pen, due to his reported need for a long warmup period. I don't think you want to see him pitching a game 3 or 4 against a good team in the playoffs.

[MFS62]

]I ... think it would be a shame if he were not on the post-season roster

I agree. Its one of those "long and meritorious service" kinds of things. But I would bury him in the bullpen. If he has to pitch, then the Mets have deeper issues than whether or not he is on the roster.

As for next year, I don't know the specifics of his contract. If the Mets could retain his services without spending a lot of money (cheap ooption clause), then keep him. That way, if some of the youngsters aren't ready next Spring, he would be cheap insurance until they are. If this would be a costly option, or the Mets would be in a situation where they'd be limited in how much they can cut him (see Piazza, Mike) , I'd let him go.

Later

[RealityChuck]

I'm not sure if Trachsel is able to pitch out of the bullpen -- he may take too long to warm up and be only useful as a mop-up man.

But there's no need to renew his contract. The team has better, younger options.

[Guest Edgy DC]

duan wrote: y'know what, I'm going with my gut here and saying that I think he's a bad playoff bet and that I'd rather take my chances with someone like John Maine, David Williams or Oliver Perez as my fourth starter in the playoffs if we need one. I also don't see the point in bringing him back next year unless it's very cheap. I know there's a value in innings munching but it ain't that high.

Lookin at the voting stats, we're all over the board on this thing. That said, I hope that Minaya/Randolph/Peterson have more in play than a gut call, even if that's all duan has, or I have.

Besides, a gut call is a bad thing to make the morning after the day before, even if his performance was more typical than not.

[Gwreck]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: That said, I'm guessing this poll assumes that ... y'know ... one of the starters is Pedro.

I think that's a fair assumption. He's scheduled to start Friday or Saturday.

[Guest martin]

his ERA is just too bad to make the cut over maine. i feel bad for the guy, because he apparently really has been waiting his whole career for a chance like this, but he just hasnt pitched as well as maine.

[metirish]

Of course the one time Trax got to the post-season he got bumped fpr Kerry Wood...it might happen again with Maine...

[Guest cooby]

That's not fair!

[Guest Rotblatt]

Frankly, I think Trachs is going to feel shitty either way. If he doesn't make it, he'll feel like he wuz robbed. If he does make it, he'll most likely suck and will feel guilty for letting his team down.

It's a lose-lose proposition for Trachs, at least the way he's throwing right now. I don't mind carrying him as an emergency starter, but he's not one of our four best starting pitchers, and from the pen, I'm not sure he'd crack our top ten. In short, there's no place for him EXCEPT as an emergency starter, IMO.

Trachs has been great for us over the years, but he's pitched poorly this year, and he's old enough that there's no reason to expect him to improve.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I'd carry Dave Williams into the NLDS before I would Trachsel.

I feel bad for the guy, and for Cliff Floyd too if he's unable to play, but you don't give out playoff roster spots like gold watches as rewards for past service.

If either or both of them miss out on the roster, they should certainly get a full playoff share, a ring (if things turn out well), a seat at a victory parade (if things turn out really well) and whatever else the active postseason guys get.

But starting October 3 (or 4) it's Mission World Championship. And you have to go with the guys who give you the best chance of winning.

[metirish]

I wonder when Trax takes the mound lately if he's thinking about all of this.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I suspect that he is.

[duan]

so does WIlliams' implosion last night mean its now Tracschel vs Perez/Maine

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Perez will have to pitch another two or three shutouts before I'd put him on the mound in a playoff game.

I'd definitely prefer Maine over Perez.

[duan]

sure; I'm not saying perez' is the solution but does last night rule Williams out?

[Guest Edgy DC]

I think it certainly knocks him below Trachsel for now.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

It does complicate matters a little.

[smg58]

You have to put Williams below Trachsel. At this point I'd be leaning to Maine for the rotation, but I couldn't keep Trachsel off the roster. Certainly you look elsewhere for pitching next year.

[MFS62]

Since neither would realistically get a start, Oliver and Williams would be redundant (lefty long-man). And if someone had to "take one for the team" IIRC Feliciano pitched 4 innings in a game during his first go round with the Mets as well as being a LOOGY.

Later

[Guest old original jb]

So that makes Feliciano both a LOOGY and a TOFTTG?

[MFS62]

old original jb wrote: So that makes Feliciano both a LOOGY and a TOFTTG?

Indeed*

Later

* = the recent hot word of the CPF. Thought I'd jump on the bandwagon.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I think we can mostly agree about this one: If it comes down to a choice between Steve Trachsel and Dave Williams for a round of the playoffs (not saying it should or will, but if it does), Steve Trachsel doesn't get chosen if our opponent is Los Angeles, and Dave Williams doesn't get chosen if our opponent is Florida.

[duan]

well both are entirely plausible situations, indeed, one could face LA and THEN the marlins if one were lucky enough to progress.

Isn't it fun to be able to debate post-season rosters in SEPTEMBER without worrying that we're going to jinx the whole fucking thing!!!

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

With decision time near, it's time to revisit this.

Trachsel's had one good recent start, but he's looking better now only because Pedro is looking so much worse.