By The Way

[Guest Vince Coleman Firecracker]

soupcan wrote: Sure they could have, but if they did would they have held onto Pelfrey and/or acquired Maine?

Well, they traded for Benson the same day they traded away Kazmir. When they traded Benson to Baltimore, it was thought of as a starter for a reliever deal, with Maine as a throw-in (although, who knows, maybe Maine was the target to begin with). Might the Mets have sent Benson for Julio and Maine if they had Kazmir? Maybe. As for Pelfrey, he hadn't been drafted when they traded Kazmir, so who knows? Maybe they take Jed Lowrie or Chase Headley with that pick. I have no clue. I don't even really understand what I'm trying to say anymore. The Kazmir trade sucked? Santana is good? Jeff Wilpon is bad? Something along those lines.

When's the next game?

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Do you really think that the presence of a 21-year-old Scott Kazmir at Binghamton as the 2004 season closed would have led the Mets to determine that they didn't need Pedro Martinez or Carlos Beltran? Even though Tampa Bay promoted him early, he was probably a year or two away from joining the Mets. No way would they have passed on Pedro Martinez because they had an unproved 21-year-old who had pitched the previous season in Single A and Double A.

No, the question is whether Jim Duquette COULD have signed them. Much was made of Omar's persistance and Latino roots in obtaining Pedro.

Would he have come without being persued by Omar? I suppose if the money were right -- and I realize it's always about the money. But supposedly his connection with Omar made that deal happen. And lots of people say the arrival of Pedro gave the Mets the credibility to get the others.

We'll never know what Jim Duquette could have done. And it's not fair to use his tenure in Baltimore as comparision, given the strangeness of Angelo. But I think even he has said he wouldn't have been able to lure Pedro.