smg58

Thankfully, Piazza just barely missed a third homer that would have put the Padres ahead. I'd rather bring in a lefty (like Wagner for a 4-out save) than walk the go-ahead run on base here.

OK, Piazza owns Pedro like he owned Clemens. If we face the Padres again in October, we need to keep that in mind.

Dear Mike Napoli, Was it something I said? Dear Minnesota Twins, Is there a reason you waited a day to DL Liriano? I had a pitcher in mind, but I couldn't make room while Liriano was active, and now abogdan just picked the guy up. I suppose I'll forgive you if it turns out that Liriano is healthy enough to go out and pitch a shutout this weekend, but we both know the chances of that. Thanks.

It's a great deal for the Mets, and sets the bar for Wright which should make negotiations with him simpler. Lots to like, nothing to complain about.

The Twins will never live down non-tendering him. Think about it: they had full control of him, but decided he wasn't worth offering a contract to. The Pierzynski trade for Nathan/Liriano/Bosner might not even cancel that one out.

At this point, yes, but two more months of major league experience might do Milledge a world of good.

Yes, nice going!

Our defense is upgraded considerably by this. As far as offense goes, it depends on what Milledge learned during his first stint here. Given the obvious difference in upside, I don't think the Mets will suffer from this. I have to think, though, that Minaya could have found somebody more appealing than Shawn Chacon to throw in to get Craig Wilson if he wanted to. Hopefully Bert can be as good for us as he was last year. His WHIP has been awful, but his ERA is very good; I'm not sure what to make of that. But I don't see why Peterson can't get the best out of him again, and with Sanchez hurt the pen became a more urgent need than the elite starters that weren't actually available. I don't know if Perez can remember how to pitch in a month, but even if he's decent by April he'll be worth the gamble. All that being said, I feel horrible for Nady. Yes he was ordinary, but he did make some significant contributions to get the Mets where they are, and now he's stuck on the worst team in baseball. And presumably he woke up this morning with no inclination that he might be going anywhere. Obviously it was strictly business and nothing personal, but that's one bitter pill to swallow.

Yancy Street Gang wrote: Of course, if the Phillies get four good young prospects, we may regret it in the years to come. Only Henry was in minorleagueball.com's top 20 for the organization, and he's underachieving right now. It's a salary dump, pure and simple. I don't see Lidle as a difference maker, but Abreu brings another .400+ OBP to the Yankees and makes it that much harder to get through their lineup unscathed. The Phillies might be able to make good use out of the money their freeing up though, so don't rule next year out for them.

No. I don't see him as an upgrade over Maine and El Duque at this point.

I'm yes this time, the big difference being the two years before free agency. Again, I'm not sure of the plausibility, because I think the Marlins can contend with the Mets next year if they hold on to Willis and Cabrera. But the Marlins have confounded me before...

But the Rangers get the best player and a really good prospect out of it. Cruz and Corey Hart would probably make a better outfield tandem for the Brewers next year than Nix and Mench. And if it puts the Rangers over the top in the AL West, why wouldn't it be worth it? Maybe the Rangers are giving up prospects that are better than Cruz, but to me this looks wonderful for Texas and puzzling for Milwaukee.

Like I just told a friend of mine, if Beane wants Milledge badly enough that he'd trade Zito when the A's are a half-game ahead, that should gives us all pause. Not that I see any evidence beyond rumor that Zito is available.

Here's a good one. I just traded for Dave Bush, only to find to my horror that the Brewers have gotten into the habit of using him in the pen three days after his starts. WTF??? And it's not like he's thriving under these conditions. I'm just glad he was on my bench last night.

The column just seems like rationalizing, though. The Mets were right even when they were obviously wrong. I get the sense that the people who are making this kind of argument now are the ones who defended the deal two years ago. As far as lamenting not having Kazmir goes, well, we really could use another starting pitcher, and the fact is there aren't any available that are as good as he is.

The fact that Berkman walked off the field was encouraging. They have today off, and I'm assuming till I hear otherwise that he plays on Tuesday. Watching the play, I couldn't help thinking of Gagne -- one lousy save all year, and it had to be against the Mets. I'll have more depth when the Pirates finally deal Craig Wilson, but at least he plays against lefties. I'm guessing that the Reds/Nationals deal makes Aurillia close to a full-time player, but I bet I'm not the only fantasy owner who wishes he could figure out the pattern to when Narron starts somebody and when he sits him.

I went prospecting on Kendrick about a month ago, but a couple of my regulars got hurt and I needed the roster space. I had Kennedy earlier in the year too, but I figured out he's just not that good a hitter anymore and the Angels evidently haven't yet. I also had Juan Rivera, who sucked for me and was showing no signs of becoming good when he got hurt and I dropped him. You win some, you lose some. As poorly as the Angels have handled Kendrick and Weaver, they could still blow past the A's and win that division handily.

Hillenbrand wound up in San Franciso, although Jeremy Accardo could turn out to be a very steep price to pay, especially if Benitez goes to the DL again. The Astros felt they could improve on Rodriguez' 5.22 ERA. They have a bunch of young starters, but are still waiting for one or two of them to establish some consistency.

I'm glad most of my subsequent trades have worked out better than my first two. I was sure Mussina was washed up, but at least he's the only guy I regret dealing. Hermida gave me a decent average and nothing else. Garland has been passable since I traded him, but he had been terrible up to that point. I don't regret the Patterson deal because I was cutting at least Garland and possibly Davis otherwise.

Bizarre treatment for a productive player on a competitive team, to be sure, but you just don't know what he said. The Padres desperately need a third baseman, and the Angels would happily move Kennedy to get Hillenbrand, so I wouldn't expect Shea to be in limbo for long.

Edgy DC wrote: "Worst trade of the decade gets Mets off hook." Pierzynski for Nathan, Liriano, and Boof Bosner was the worst trade of the decade, as bad as the Kazmir deal was. I don't like the Reds deal at all, but I think you can at least try to make the argument that replacing Kearns and Lopez with Clayton and Denorfia doesn't hurt the lineup as much as Majewski and Bray will help the pen.

Gotay is younger. I'm worried that his BB/K ratio has dropped this year, but I think the Mets see more long-term upside with him, while the Royals probably see Keppinger as a guy who can play for their big league club. The Marlins could compete with the Mets next year if they stand pat, and at some point that would have to factor into their thinking regarding Willis. At least you would think it would. I'm guessing it would take both Milledge and Pelfrey to get their attention, and that's an offer I wouldn't make.

Vic Sage wrote: He DID do fine in 02 (as indicated by an OPS+ of 130). The problem was, after an awful 01, he came back in 02 without the same pop of his earlier years, and so it felt disappointing. While he was a perfectly good #2 hitter in 02 (though not always used in that slot), he was no longer the Fonzie we once knew. And his last 3 1/2 years have been dreadful. In fact, I've never seen an excellent player have his production fall of a cliff like his did, at such a comparatively young age. Washed up at 31? geez. Still, i'm happy to see him back and wish him well. I'm inclined to think Fonzie is more likely 35 than 32, but I'm suprised by the number of people who think he's a LOT older than he says he is. That would mean he convinced somebody he was 17 when he was well into his twenties. And his development through the minors was not abnormally fast. Plus, did he go back to Venezuela while preparing for the WBC? As much as I loved Fonzie and was angry to see him go, and as much as I welcome giving him a last chance here, I can't help wondering. A power spike in 99 and 00, then his back gives out, then he's not the same player... I hate to think it, but I don't know how to avoid being suspicious. As for now, I could see moving him up in favor of Marrero if he gives a reason to think he's a better hitter. Otherwise, it think it would take an injury to see him.

I still see my original offer on the table. If you have a counter offer, make it.

I have to agree with Olerud Owned concerning Vazquez or Garcia; Heilman is negotiable, Sanchez isn't. Westbrook could post a sub-4 ERA at Shea. Milledge and Pelfrey would not be on the table for him, but I could see them asking for Bannister and I'd have to consider it.