Mets Geek » Metamorphosis: The 2006 Trading Deadline Edition

August 1, 2006

Metamorphosis: The 2006 Trading Deadline Edition

by: Jeremy Heit on Aug 1, 2006 1:19 AM | Filed under: Articles

As all of you know by now, the Mets have traded Xavier Nady to the Pirates in exchange for Roberto “Kool Aid” Hernandez and Oliver Perez. This trade happened after the news came out about Duaner Sanchez’s taxi accident that has him on DL, possibly for the season, with a dislocated shoulder. So, let’s analyze the deal, by first starting with the main focus of the deal, relief pitching.

Duaner Sanchez has been an extremely valuable member of the Mets bullpen this season and has become a reliable set-up man in the 8th inning. He will be sorely missed, but to help pick up the slack, the Mets, at least in part, are turning to last year’s 8th inning shutdown reliever, Roberto Hernandez.

Roberto had a wonderful season with the Mets last year, where he picked up the nickname Kool-Aid, for the fact that he kept pitching well despite the fact that he was 40 years old and had not been good at all the last few years. This year, Roberto has landed in a set-up role in Pittsburgh, where he has been OK, but not nearly as good as he was with the Mets.

2005: 2.58 ERA, 7.88 K/9, 3.62 BB/9, 2.18 K/BB, .228 BAA, 1.22 WHIP
2006: 2.93 ERA, 6.91 K/9, 5.02 BB/9, 1.38 K/BB, .264 BAA, 1.63 WHIP

As you can see, Roberto’s stats have declined across the board. Also, he has given up 10 unearned runs, which makes his RA 5.02. Playing with an awful team like Pittsburgh, you can expect some of those unearned runs to be purely the fault of the fielders behind him, but that many unearned runs in only 43 innings is still a little troublesome.

The most troubling thing with Roberto though is his walk rate. The batting average against is still fairly decent and the K rate is still OK. But Roberto cannot expect to keep an ERA that low with a walk rate of 5 per nine innings.

So, Roberto is obviously a downgrade from Duaner Sanchez, who has a 2.60 ERA in 55.1 innings pitched. But how much of a downgrade? In my opinion not that much, based on two things…

1. Maybe I’m just drinking the Kool-Aid, but I think Hernandez will pitch better when he is reunited with Rick Peterson. Peterson is the one who helped turn Hernandez’s career back around last year and I think he will help him to figure out why he is walking so many batters and correct it.

2. The Mets have many other bullpen options for the late innings that they do not have to rely solely on Hernandez, who is not the workhorse Sanchez is. While Hernandez himself is a clear downgrade from Sanchez, when combined with the ROOGY/LOOGY combo of Bradford and Feliciano and hopefully a better performing Aaron Heilman (and maybe even some of Lefty Kool-Aid, Darren Oliver) in the 7th and 8th innings, the Mets have a solid group that should hold leads from the starters for Billy Wagner in the ninth.

While the bullpen will not be as good with Sanchez injured, Omar pulled a nice last minute deal to acquire Hernandez, a reliever who will definitely be helpful, in combination with the others already on the roster, in securing late inning leads.

The next thing to look at is rightfield, with starting rightfielder Xavier Nady being traded to the Pirates. He will be replaced by a combo of mostly Lastings Milledge and a little Endy Chavez. And to me, they are an upgrade on Nady.

Xavier Nady is hitting .264/.326/.487 this year, which is very solid for a corner outfielder. Xavier Nady is also bad defensively. His range is not very good, his jumps and routes are pretty terrible and he has this tendency to bobble the ball a lot, especially when playing the ball off the wall (just look at Sunday’s game versus the Braves). When combining both his offense and defense, he is a passable corner outfielder, but one that can be easily replaced. And the Mets have the tools to do it.

First, on the roster, they have Endy Chavez, who should be seeing a little bit of time in RF. Endy Chavez is a superb defensive outfielder. Great range, great jumps and a great arm. Endy is also hitting .289/.333/.431, which is pretty solid. Of course, Endy has been a pretty terrible hitter for most of his career, so I’m not sure you should rely on him to keep producing that well with the bat. Still, when you combine his superb defense with a downgrade in his offensive production over the rest of the season, you get a player that is pretty equal to Xavier Nady.

The other player, who will probably see the majority of time in rightfield, is Lastings Milledge. A lot has been made of Lastings’ first cup of coffee in the majors, in which he hit .233/.287/.419. He definitely showed flashes of the talent we all have heard about. And he also showed signs of immaturity and youth, especially on defense (dropping the ball catching it one-handed, the Green Monster experience, etc.).

This is what we do know about Lastings: He has a great arm and great range in the outfield, making him a plus defender in rightfield. We also know he has a track record of hitting in the minors, though not with that much power. He has all the tools to be a great player. But, for right now and this year, all the Mets need is solid production. If he plays plus defense in rightfield and hits around .275/.325/.450, the Mets have slightly upgraded from Xavier Nady. And if he does more, which I think he will, based on the talent I saw when he was up here and the adjustments I believe he’ll make, then the Mets have a big upgrade in rightfield.

The final piece of this trade is Oliver Perez. For this year, he is unimportant, but he is an interesting throw-in for the future. Two years ago, as a 22 year old, Ollie was a rising star. A hard throwing left-handed pitcher with a 2.98 ERA in 196 innings. But since then, he has been a disappointment with an injury-plagued and disappointing 2005 and a terrible 2006 that landed him a demotion to the minor leagues, where he had been pitching decently until he got lit up this past Saturday. Perez, who has lost velocity on his fastball, is a definite project, but not many 22 year olds have the success he did in the majors at that age, so there is hope.

Overall, I believe this is a good trade for the Mets. There is a slight downgrade in the bullpen, but a slight upgrade in rightfield, with the potential for a major upgrade if Milledge plays to his potential. Throw in an interesting pitching project who is only 24 years old and considering the circumstances (the news of the Sanchez injury coming today) under which Omar had to make this deal, I think he did a very good job.

Two thumbs up to Omar Minaya. And two thumbs down to car accidents.

79 Responses to “Metamorphosis: The 2006 Trading Deadline Edition”

Comment posted by robert griffin on August 1, 2006 at 1:45 am (#65958)
WoW. im the first. I like this trade as well. I for one thought Nady would be traded in the off season to aquire a #3 type starting pitcher. This also opens up a hole in LF in 2007 from which I think will be filled by either Lee or Soriano. This trade also pushes Milledge a year up early into gaining valuable experience in the regular season, and also in the Playoffs, kind of like what Andrew Jones got as a rookie. I see a lot of A. Jones in Milledge by the way. I really do not like the way Smirky plays the game, it seems like he loafs a lot when he knows he can’t get to the ball, and I hope Milledge isn’t like this as a pro. I hope Beltran and Willie get his kiddie crap in gear. I know he’s young and immature, but so was Jose Reyes ,and David Wright at his age, and you never heard of them having problems on or off the field. I think Willie will consantly be in Mill’s ear on a daily bases like he was with Jose Reyes, but for different reasons. Its time for Milledge to become a man Today and leave his childish ways behind him. He needs to come in the Mets dugout with open ears, and ask questions instead of being offered advie.

Im glad that we didn’t lose anyone one from our minor leagues for the second straight here. Im glad tht Omar didn’t give up Milledge for Zito or Schimdt or Oswalt. If we play our cards right in the off season we can have both schimdt, and Zito, and Soriano. Hey thats a lot of money for those 3 players, but its worth it isn’t it. Say goodbye to Glavine, and you save 12-14 million, Say goodybe to Cliff Floyd and thats another 11 Million. You give Glavines money to Schimdt, give Floyds money to Soriano, lets not forget we won’t be paying 8 million dollars anymore for KazMat, and add another 5 million to that savings and then get Zito. Just in those 3 moves the Mets will probably come out 5-7 million dollar difference then what we are at right now. Oh yeah, Jose Reyes and David Wight need to have contract extensions like right after the season is done. Pretty much between saying goodbye to Floyd , Glavine, and Kaz Mats 8 per year the Mets will get off close to 32-33 million off of the books. Add tanother 5 millin to that in 2007 and we can have Zito, Schimdt, and Soriano. its not that hard.

I would love to see a rotation with Pedro, Zito, Schimdt, Pelfrey, Bannister or Maine.

Not dealing any of our youth has also made our minor league system that much stronger :) I think 90 percent of the Norfold Tides should be just out right waived, they are wasting valuable space for our younger players.
Comment posted by Happy Recap on August 1, 2006 at 1:52 am (#65965)
Yeah, tremendous job by Omar today. Perez is very interesting.
Between him, Maine, Bannister, and Heilman, and Humber, the Mets
can count on two of those guys to emerge as average to above-
average starters. Throw in Petey, Pelfrey, and, perhaps, Zito, and
the pitching is looking pretty good for next year.
Comment posted by Gallomac on August 1, 2006 at 1:52 am (#65966)
I am not heartbroken that Nady is gone. I will no longer panic when a ball is sliced down the right field line. I think Endy Chavez is our secret weapon anyway. I hope Duaner Sanchez can make it back this season. He reminds me of K Rod. I love Oliver Perez. I see him making the post season roster.
Comment posted by TheGlider on August 1, 2006 at 1:53 am (#65967)
Thanks Jeremy. That was excellent. I felt like somebody kicked me in the gut when I heard about Duaner. It shows you how things can take a sudden horrible turn for the worst. Let’s hope we don’t have any more injuries serious injuries to our players this year.

I was hoping you could also enlighten us on what exactly happened with the potential Oswalt deal. When I heard we had a chance to get him, it almost made me forget about poor Duaner. I understand that the Orioles got cold feet, but didn’t hear why.

Comment posted by The “un”official fanclub of the Havana kid on August 1, 2006 at 1:56 am (#65970)
I noticed in the other thread that alot of people tried to explain the waiver process and how trades can be completed. Well, a friend of ours, Steve Phillips explained it last season. I’d link it but its part of the insider section of the website.

What complicates these trades is the timing necessary to move multiple players through waivers and between teams. It can be done. My first trade as general manager of the Mets was a six-player waiver deal which sent Lance Johnson, Mark Clark and Manny Alexander to the Cubs for Mel Rojas, Turk Wendell and Brian McRae

What are waivers?
The way to best understand waivers is to look at it as this: Teams trying to earn the right to trade their players.

Things to know about waivers during this period
These type of waivers are called Major League Waivers. It is different from “outright waivers” and “unconditional release waivers.” I will explain both of those another day.

Players are often not informed they are on Major League Waivers.

Players remain on waivers for a period of 47 business hours. (The waiver period starts at 2 p.m. ET on the given business day and ends at 1 p.m. ET two business days later.)

A waiver claim can be submitted anytime during the 47-hour period a player is on waivers. There is no advantage to submitting the claim in the first hour or the 47th hour.

Major League Waivers are revocable, meaning that if a player gets claimed, his club can pull him back and keep him if they do not reach a deal with the claiming club. If a player is pulled back off of this type of waivers, he cannot be placed on them again for 30 days.

If a player is claimed on waivers, the team which claims the player has 48½ hours (from 1 p.m. ET on the day he was scheduled to clear waivers to 1:30 p.m. ET two business days later) to make a deal with the player’s club or he is automatically pulled back off of waivers.

If a player has a no-trade clause, he can be placed on Major League Waivers, but can only be traded or dumped to a team not on his no-trade list or to a team that he gives written approval to waive his no-trade rights.

Also, a player to be named later cannot be an active major league player.

Players can change teams one of three ways during this time of year
1. A player is claimed on waivers and the team awarded the claim makes a trade with the other club. Remember, all 40-man roster players must go through waivers in order to change teams even if they are in the minor leagues. So timing is critical when teams are moving players back and forth.

2. A player is claimed on waivers and the player’s team just decides to dump the claimed player on the claiming team. This is what happens sometimes when a team tries to block a deal that their competition might make. The Padres got burned a few years back because they claimed Randy Myers from the Blue Jays. There were rumors that the Braves wanted to make a deal for Myers so the Padres claimed Myers to block the deal. Unfortunately for the Padres, they blocked the deal but the Blue Jays dumped Myers and his hefty contract on them. Myers went on to suffer a significant injury after that.

3. A player clears waivers, meaning that no team claimed him during the 47-hour period, and is later traded to an interested party.

Here’s how it works
Starting Aug. 1, each team can have up to seven players per business day scheduled to clear waivers. (The commissioner’s office is closed on weekends and holidays.)

Each business day, teams receive a computer-generated document which identifies those payers who have been placed on waivers.

Imagine the waiver wire as a fashion show where up to seven players per day per team are walking down a runway in front of the general managers. The GMs are looking at them, evaluating them and trying to decide whether they want them for their team or whether their competition may want to acquire them. During the 47-hour period in which players are on waivers, general managers are busy talking to scouts and strategizing about players.

General managers decide to claim a player for the following reasons
1. If they really want to trade for a player.

2. If they want to block an opponent’s possible deal.

Once the 47-hour period is over, the commissioner’s office informs the player’s team if he has been claimed by any major league team(s). Only the player’s club knows who put in a claim on the player and who was awarded the claim. The claiming teams are just told whether they were awarded the claim or not.

What happens if more than one team claims a player?
Only one team ultimately gets awarded a waiver claim, no matter how many submit claims. Claims are awarded based upon the following criteria:

1. National League teams get first rights over National League players and American League teams get the first shot at American League players.

2) For teams in the same league, the club with the worst record is awarded the claim.

Once a claim is awarded, the two teams’ general managers have a discussion and sort through the grounds for the claim: Was it a claim to make a deal or to block a deal? The GMs may have already spoken about the potential for a trade before the player cleared waivers and quite possibly even before he was placed on waivers.

After these discussions, a deal may be consummated, the player may be dumped to the claiming team or the player could be pulled back off waivers.
Comment posted by TheGlider on August 1, 2006 at 2:00 am (#65974)
You give Glavines money to Schimdt, give Floyds money to Soriano, lets not forget we won’t be paying 8 million dollars anymore for KazMat, and add another 5 million to that savings and then get Zito.

My understanding is that Soriano is arbitration eligible next year. And if the Nats don’t offer him arbitration, then they loss him without getting anything in return, which they obviously don’t want to do. From what I heard in the media, they are expected to offer him arbitration.
Comment posted by nyleetch2 on August 1, 2006 at 2:00 am (#65975)
hate to burst your bubble robert, but i believe the mets restructured Glavine’s contract so that he has the option for next year instead of the club. (meaning he can decide whether to become a free agent or take the 8 or 9 mill option and stay with the mets.) given how hes been pitching lately, how likely do you think he is to turn down that money and test the FA waters. I doubt it.

That being said, I would think the Mets will go after a SP (Zito or Schmidt) and either an OF (Lee Dye Holliday i believe are all FAs-to-be) or a 2B (Soriano). I say soriano 2b because willingness to play him at second may still be a point of leverage in signing him, since he can choose to sign only with a team that is willing to use him at 2nd if thats what he wants. i could be wrong, though. Maybe he would sign with the mets to play LF. We’ll have to wait and see.

All that said - We’ll have Pedro and Glavine in the Rotation next year and 3 spots to fill with Free agents (zito, schmidt, el duque etc.) and any of the following guys: Maine(likely if he continues pitching well) Bannister(hes looked good in rehab) Pelfrey(the kid looks just about ready to stick in the majors-next year is probably his year) Perez(boy would it be great if Peterson could actually fix this kid in ten minutes, or even in 10 months…) Humber(has looked great at high A since coming back from Tommy john - probably will start the season at AA though) I don’t want to overplay our prospects, but 5 young pitching prospects at least 3 of which are probably somewhere around major league ready and effective. If we do sign Zito, leaving only two spots for the youth, then you’ve got some great trading chips as well in case you dont sign an OF and want to trade for one (everyone needs SP)

Hopefully Sanchez is healthy next year and we’ll be right back on track even after trading Nady. Btw does Roberto have another year on his contract or is this it?

Comment posted by The “un”official fanclub of the Havana kid on August 1, 2006 at 2:02 am (#65977)
I’m sorry. I only meant to post parts of that, not the whole thing . If you want to delete it, go right ahead.

Comment posted by chris in ga on August 1, 2006 at 2:06 am (#65979)
Soriano is a free agent this offseason, Holliday isn’t. If you want a list of upcoming free agents, go to mlb4u.com and there is a list in the free agency section
Comment posted by Kenny T. on August 1, 2006 at 2:07 am (#65980)
Brian Bannister,
7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K’s
Comment posted by nyleetch2 on August 1, 2006 at 2:07 am (#65981)
ah thanks chris someone mentioned holliday when talking about available OFs this coming offseason. I’ll have to check that list first next time…

Comment posted by chris in ga on August 1, 2006 at 2:10 am (#65982)
If you want a list of upcoming free agents, go to mlb4u.com and there is a list in the free agency section

And if you click on a players name, you can find out whether they have an option or not.

HEre is the info they have on Glavine this season and next

5.25M of 2006 salary is deferred at 6% interest- + deal was RE-STRUCTURED on 5/8/06- + 2006 salary is reduced to 7.5M of which 2.25M is payable during 2006 season and the remainder deferred at 6% interest- + as part of re-structuring, a Player Option worth 5.5M and a Team Option worth 12M for 2007 added- + if either option is declined, he receives a 3M buyout- + the value of the player option can rise by 1M each for 180, 190 and 200IP in 2006 and the value of the team option would increase by 2M if he reaches 180IP in 2006- + if either option is exercised and his 2007 salary is less than 14M, his deal would include performance bonuses that would allow him to make a total of 14M in 2007
Comment posted by Ramon on August 1, 2006 at 2:17 am (#65985)
is anyone here in favor of putting Pelfrey in the pen to help him get ML experience and to alleviate some of the strain on the pen?

His fastball could be mucho effective in 1-2 innings of work…
Comment posted by Jose Reyes, RBI Machine on August 1, 2006 at 2:18 am (#65986)
I would be okay if Omar never made another trade again. If I had told you last September that we would:

Trade Kris Benson for El Duque and Maine
and
Trade Mike Cameron for Roberto Hernandez and Oliver

You’d be pissed. We should have resigned Roberto and kept Cameron, who is having a fine season. That Cameron trade was horrendous. Argh. The only reason his trading resume isn’t completely horrible is because Maine has turned out great the last few starts, something that was really unforseeable.
Comment posted by Ramon on August 1, 2006 at 2:21 am (#65988)
a Player Option worth 5.5M and a Team Option worth 12M for 2007 added- + if either option is declined, he receives a 3M buyout-

Therefore, the team can buy Glavine out next season. Oh, happy, happy, joy, joy!
Comment posted by Ramon on August 1, 2006 at 2:26 am (#65992)
I would be okay if Omar never made another trade again. If I had told you last September that we would:

Trade Kris Benson for El Duque and Maine
and
Trade Mike Cameron for Roberto Hernandez and Oliver

You’d be pissed. We should have resigned Roberto and kept Cameron, who is having a fine season. That Cameron trade was horrendous. Argh. The only reason his trading resume isn’t completely horrible is because Maine has turned out great the last few starts, something that was really unforseeable.

Are u kidding me? Cameron was traded because he wanted to play CF and not RF so the team went a got a good player young to handle right so as to add payroll flexibility.

The Benson trade was brilliant and I am happy that he got rid of that waste for what turned out to be el Duque and Maine. This is not even to mention getting rid of Anna Benson’s big mouth.

If Omar was clairvoyent and could see into the future, I’m sure he would have known that Zambrano, Bannister, Padilla, and Snachez would have missed the majority of this season and would have kept Kool-Aid. But considering that the guy got a decent reliever before news of Sanchez’s injury busted out….I think the trade was success.
Comment posted by nyleetch2 on August 1, 2006 at 2:32 am (#65993)
Jose i think youre not giving Omar enough credit. I agree that he should have re-signed Roberto Hernandez. That being said, he would not have traded Nady for Bert if not for Sanchez’s injury, so i can’t really put him down for it. Under normal circumstances he probably would have tried to do it for less or walked away. As for Benson for El Duque and Maine, Benson is having another good start:so-so finish year and youre just writing off Maine as being “unforseeable” to minaya? how do you know Minaya didn’t like what he saw in Maine when he made the trade? We got two starting pitchers for one and they’re both in our rotation pitching pretty well (duques been rocky but could be a key for us in the playoffs) And while we’re bashing Omar for deals that really werent that bad, lets be sure not to mention the good job bringing in Franco whos been great for the clubhouse and the team, Valentin who everyone else said was washed up, Chavez who never hit before and was fighting Prentice Redman for a job. But those are just bench players except for Valentin who fell into the job, so lets also not mention trading Mike Jacobs who has become a platoon first baseman cuz he cant hit lefties and Yusmeiro Petit who got a shot at the Marlins starting rotation and couldnt cut it in exchange for Carlos Delgado, who despite having a particularly bad season in terms of his career stats is still hitting better than most of the 1st Basemen the Mets have put out there the last few years or how about trading for a catcher in Paul Lo Duca who has been the heart of this teams at many times and plays despite being hurt (an injury that wont go away til surgery in the offseason but he plays on) even while everyone was telling him to just sign one of the two free agent catchers who were on the market.

No you’re totally right man. What a horrible job Omar does with trades.

jeez

by the way chris, i had just noticed the glavine thing on mlb4u, but im still not sure. I heard from a few places that the Restructuring had given the option to glavine…
Comment posted by nyleetch2 on August 1, 2006 at 2:35 am (#65995)
that being said if Glavine really can be bought out, and bannister maine and pelfrey all look major league ready and you bring in a guy like Zito, i buy Tommy out in a second.

The way he started the season I really wanted to keep him and see him get the 300th here, but boy has he looked awful. I don’t want to be rude or anything about him, but he’s been looking like hes gained some weight lately, and pitching like hes washed up. Makes me nervous for the post-season and I’d rather give a young guy a chance if thats how hes gonna be next season.
Comment posted by briancuster on August 1, 2006 at 3:10 am (#66002)
Nady wanted to be a Met(and deserved it) and he’s gone; Heilman wanted ro be traded and he’s still moping arund in our bullpen sheesh…
Comment posted by fernz on August 1, 2006 at 3:22 am (#66003)
Jeremy, thank you for looking at this a bit more positively than other ppl. It was a good trade for the time. Yes it hurts our bullpen, but with 2 out of the 3 parts in the deal lookin positive, it was OK. I hope Millege just absolutely goes on a tear in the Majors, that would shut up a lot of people.
Comment posted by robert griffin on August 1, 2006 at 3:42 am (#66005)
I think R. Hernandez signed a two year contract with the Pirates, so we have him for this year and next year. :) I don’t see why we just didn’t resign him, it wasn’t like he was asking for a whole lot. I mean we gave 8 million to Kazmat per year without even see him play in the MLB, we can’t fork over a couple of million to R. Hernandez who pitched great for us last year, and is pitching very well again this year. We need to thank R. Peterson for the work he did with kool aid, before Peterson got to him kool aid was crap, a journyman with high era’s each of the last 4-5 years.

I was just reading an article about the Braves wanted to trade A. Jones to the Redsox and the writher said theat the Braves pretty much are fuc&&*&^%$%%ed the next 2-3 years because they have no Star pitching power either in Triple A or Double A ball, the people who can help them are years away, and they will probably have to trade them at a later date to keep up with us, since they don’t spend mone on FA. A. Jones is a free agent after the 2007 season and Boras his agent already said Atlanta will not be getting a Home discount this next contract, and I doubt they can come up with that kind of money to keep smirky. If I were Atlanta, I would trade Jones to Houston for Oswalt and a player. Trade Chipper JOnes to the Mets for Chris Woodyard :)

Im glad after the trading deadline is done we still have Milledge, Pelfrey, Gomez, Flores, Humber :)
Comment posted by fd on August 1, 2006 at 3:53 am (#66006)
Benson is 9-9 with a 4.71 ERA, and he’s not going to get any better. I’d take Maine over him any day.

Cameron is having a good year in terms of his own career stats, but it didn’t make sense to keep him in right field, and we are certainly no worse off with Chavez/Milledge in that spot.

Omar has done great work. The Hernandez trade was really the best he could do with a bad situation, and if Perez can turn it around, this trade is no less than great–a veteran reliever & potential 20 game winner for X. Nady???
Comment posted by nyleetch2 on August 1, 2006 at 5:24 am (#66007)
robert i have feeling omar didnt want to give bert a 2nd year bc of his age, and he wanted 2. but i agree w/ u. should have just signed him
Comment posted by Mike on August 1, 2006 at 6:16 am (#66009)
The key to the trade is . . . Heilman.

If he can get his act together (he was actually ok in July after a disastrous June), we’ll be fine. Sanchez wasn’t pitching perfectly anyway.

If Roberto can do 3.50/1.25 or less, and Heilman can at least get back to the 3.00/1.15 range of the first two months of the season, the Mets can cover the 6th with a combo of ChadBrad, Otro Pedro & Oliver.

(Actually, Otro Pedro’s pitched poorly lately, so Oliver may get the call).

As to the RF situation, we’re in far better hands with Chavez/Milledge than with Nady.
Comment posted by john on August 1, 2006 at 7:50 am (#66010)
I agree with mike. Heilman is the main 8th inning guy now……hes going to be the key
Comment posted by Danny on August 1, 2006 at 8:34 am (#66014)
The important thing for people to remember is that the trade did not potentially hurt our team. It was the injury that hurt our team. It’s all a matter of how you want to look at it:

(1) OH NO! We traded an everyday OF for a 41 year-old reliever and a 24 year-old lefty who has completely fallen on his face. The sky is falling! PANIC!

or…

(2) You know what, Omar was dealt a tough hand with Dirty’s injury. But he was able to trade an easily replaceable corner OF for a pretty good setup man, and a young 24 year-old lefthander who could have been the Cy Young in 2004 if he played on a better team. And he did this with an insanely skewed market for pitching.

If you fall into camp #1, you are the classic pessimistic Met fan.

Chris, by the way, an Eli Marrero fan club, GOLD!

Comment posted by Confused on August 1, 2006 at 9:03 am (#66016)
Until yesterday, the mets didnt need hernandez, their bullpen was fine.

The pirates didnt sign him for 2 years, they signed him for more money.

bradford should be the main 8th inning guy.
Comment posted by joemetsfan on August 1, 2006 at 9:12 am (#66017)
is anyone here in favor of putting Pelfrey in the pen to help him get ML experience and to alleviate some of the strain on the pen?

His fastball could be mucho effective in 1-2 innings of work…

Um, no. He’s got SP stuff and build, and more usable pitches than, say, Aaron Heilman. Plus, he has struggled with his control, especially early in the games he’s started. Using him in relief would probably lead to lines like, “0.1 IP, 2R, 1H, 3BB.” Not good for the team or a young pitcher’s confidence. I’d much rather send him down to work on control of his offspeed stuff until September.
Comment posted by Ed in Westchester on August 1, 2006 at 9:28 am (#66020)
Benson is 9-9 with a 4.71 ERA, and he’s not going to get any better.

Plus, he just had his annual “my arm is tired” missed start.

The trade needed to happen. If Omar did nothing, we would be killing him. Nady was not a cornerstone guys.

Cameron did not want to play right field, and he is strike out prone, moreso than Nady was.

Could Omar have resigned Kool Aid, sure, at $3 million. Considering the cost, it was a good move.
*********************************
shameless blog plug
for my detailed thoughts on the trade, click my name.
end shameless blog plug

Comment posted by Confused on August 1, 2006 at 9:33 am (#66021)
btw, according to omar the deal for koo-aid was done before the pireates got word on dirty.

I guess they dont read this blog. :)

Comment posted by dptydwg420 on August 1, 2006 at 9:54 am (#66023)
hey guys…i knew someone predicted the demise of Sanchez:

Check out this comment from Ken on 7/29/06

Andrew,

I’ve been reading this blog and I am sure that you know Seo’s having an offseason. This Sanchez guy’s arm is going to blow out any minute

boo
Comment posted by agamemmnon on August 1, 2006 at 10:20 am (#66028)
Post 7 from nyleetch2 said,

or a 2B (Soriano). I say soriano 2b because willingness to play him at second may still be a point of leverage in signing him, since he can choose to sign only with a team that is willing to use him at 2nd if thats what he wants. i could be wrong, though. Maybe he would sign with the mets to play LF.

Soriano actually prefers LF now. He likes it in DC, but wants a no trade clause, which Stan Kasten does not like. We got Beltran because of the no trade issue.
Soriano is OK, if not really good, in LF. He threw out a runner at the plate last night. The other Nats gave him an ovation, a fruit basket and a bottle of champagne when he showed up for wrok today.
They also laid their towels down in a path to his locker. He likes it there.

Comment posted by Wdwrkr35 on August 1, 2006 at 10:21 am (#66029)
Say goodybe to Cliff Floyd and thats another 11 Million.

Cliff is making 6.5 million not 11, your numbers dont compute
Comment posted by Danny on August 1, 2006 at 10:21 am (#66030)
Ken, wherever you are… you’re dead to me.

Just kidding man :)

Comment posted by Wdwrkr35 on August 1, 2006 at 10:36 am (#66032)
Castro cedes power in cuba, therfore el duque can go be dictator of cuba
Comment posted by fd on August 1, 2006 at 10:43 am (#66033)
Benson is 9-9 with a 4.71 ERA, and he’s not going to get any better.

I just looked at Benson’s season more closely & noticed that he did not win a game for the entire month of July. Ok, Tom Glavine hasn’t either, but he has only 2 losses to Benson’s 4. And I would certainly rather have Glavine around in the post-season than Benson, who just doesn’t seem that smart.
Comment posted by thehotcorner on August 1, 2006 at 11:08 am (#66038)
by the way chris, i had just noticed the glavine thing on mlb4u, but im still not sure. I heard from a few places that the Restructuring had given the option to glavine…

i think its a team option but when the contract was restructured the club agreed not to pick up the option unless glavine wanted them to.
Comment posted by Marc on August 1, 2006 at 11:09 am (#66039)
While I won’t agree that we got the most we could out of the Nady deal (and ultimately Cameron), I am surprised that some of you are giving Minaya crap for not signing Hernandez in the offseason. He’s 41 and wanted a two year deal (I know I know Julio Franco….) which means it was likely the second year would be a bad contract if he faltered. By comparing lines, you’ve shown that he’s tailed off - which also backs up that he might have made the right decision. But in desperation mode, Hernandez is a lot more valuable and we have to get him. What would we done with him if we had him this year? There’s only so many roster spots on the team.
Comment posted by Hubie on August 1, 2006 at 11:12 am (#66040)
Good piece on the trade. I tend disagree with a lot of people who like the trade. I understand Omar was pressed into making a move but I’m not convinced reacquiring Bert was the answer. He looked pretty shaky agst us a few weeks ago and his lack of control this year is alarming. I think trading Nady really weakens the bench as Chavez will be pressed into service more. Now we may have no LH bats off the bench. I also disagree with you on Nady being a bad defensive OF. I would say below average for the year but he has improved overall and is probably more an average OF at this point. He also has a good throwing arm. I also thought it was silly to state Nady also bobbles balls in the corner a lot. How many times has Beltran and CLiff done that in the last 2 weeks too? Andruw did it all weekend. That stuff just happens some times and is not really something you can control.

Getting back to Bert, rather than give up Nady at this point of the season and really weaken the bench, perhaps giving Pelfrey a shot in the pen may have made more sense. With his fastball, he certainly could have cahlleneged hitters for an inning or two.

Anyway, hopefully Bert gets his control back some but I don’t quite buy this re-uniting with Petersen theory. Its not like he can make Bert 29 again.

Comment posted by dptydwg420 on August 1, 2006 at 11:14 am (#66041)
RoboHernz signed a 1-year deal at 2.75M with the Buccos.

I think anyone that criticizes Omar today should just go outside and get back to shooting kittens.

JRRM I’m usually with most of your posts 100%, but i think its not fair at all that you dont give Omar credit for Maine’s success, calling it “unforseeable”. The guy called Maine the key to the deal.

Sorry buddy, a lot of us saw it coming just like we saw Benson falling apart coming, just cuz u didnt doesnt mean others cant or didnt

Comment posted by dptydwg420 on August 1, 2006 at 11:16 am (#66042)
Anyway, hopefully Bert gets his control back some but I don’t quite buy this re-uniting with Petersen theory. Its not like he can make Bert 29 again.

but he was 40 when peterson got his act together…thats all we need, a 1year turn back in time.

The guy has put together a solid season outside of walking too many ppl…
Comment posted by Hubie on August 1, 2006 at 11:20 am (#66043)
is anyone here in favor of putting Pelfrey in the pen to help him get ML experience and to alleviate some of the strain on the pen?

His fastball could be mucho effective in 1-2 innings of work…

Ramon, a definite yes here. While agreeing with an above post that he has struggled with his control, given we are 14 games up, you certainly can experiment. This would not be a career move but just for this year to take advantage of a talented hard throwing right arm.

I would have tried this before trading for Bert. I’m not convinced he will help us as much as people think.

Comment posted by MetsFanSince71 on August 1, 2006 at 11:34 am (#66049)
I’m not convinced reacquiring Bert was the answer. He looked pretty shaky agst us a few weeks ago and his lack of control this year is alarming. I think trading Nady really weakens the bench as Chavez will be pressed into service more. Now we may have no LH bats off the bench. I also disagree with you on Nady being a bad defensive OF. I would say below average for the year but he has improved overall and is probably more an average OF at this point. He also has a good throwing arm. I also thought it was silly to state Nady also bobbles balls in the corner a lot.

I completely agree with you, Hubie. Plus, those 20 homers Nady would’ve probably hit will be hard to replace. I know this deal needed to be done with the Sanchez injury, but I would’ve tried very hard to hold onto Nady, at least through the end of this season. As much as I like Roberto, I’m very iffy about this trade right now.

Comment posted by chris in ga on August 1, 2006 at 11:42 am (#66053)
Who is the person Bert has given the most credit for even being a major league pitcher? Answer: Rick Peterson. Who Turned around his career after to subpar seasons? Answer Rick Peterson. I bet this guy is as happy to be a Met b/c he’s now on a contender and he’s back with his boy Peterson. I don’t know the relationship between Bert and Heilman but Bert is the only guy left that saw the amazing run Aaron had. This could benefit Aaron alot.
Comment posted by Danny on August 1, 2006 at 11:43 am (#66054)
Omar had to patch a hole in the bullpen. Who else did you guys want him to trade for? What impact relievers were out there that could replace Dirty? The only 8th inning guy in the entire league I would take over Dirty is Scott Shields, and even barely. And Anaheim would never trade him. It was going to be a downgrade in the bullpen, there is nothing that Omar could have done to change that. I liked Nady as a guy, but I never loved him as a player. He had a good throwing arm and good power. He did nothing else above average. Milledge is much more dynamic. This lineup has enough pop with Beltran-Delgado-Wright-Floyd, it can afford to have another guy without a lot of pop like Milledge.

An Oliver Perez resurgance might also quell the need to sign Barry Zito. Perez has better stuff than Zito. He has even probably had a better year than Zito’s Cy Young season, particularly when you consider the team he was on when he did it. And he is only turning 25 in a couple of weeks.

Am I being too optimistic about Perez? Probably. But he has an enormous ceiling. I think Omar got a good haul for an easily replaceable corner OF.
Comment posted by Brian on August 1, 2006 at 11:46 am (#66055)
shameless blog plug
for my detailed thoughts on the trade, click my name.
end shameless blog plug

Mike - see what you started - Ed is now infected

Kidding

I think
Comment posted by Joe A. on August 1, 2006 at 11:47 am (#66056)
if either option is declined, he receives a 3M buyout-

this sentence is wrong. It should read “if BOTH options are declined”. The Mets DO NOT have the right to buy out Glavine if he chooses to exercize the player option. The only way the Mets can get rid of him is if he declines the option - which he will only do if he gets an offer from the Braves.
Comment posted by Joe A. on August 1, 2006 at 11:52 am (#66058)
The next thing to look at is rightfield, with starting rightfielder Xavier Nady being traded to the Pirates. He will be replaced by a combo of mostly Lastings Milledge and a little Endy Chavez. And to me, they are an upgrade on Nady.

Why do you think it will be mostly Milledge. Last night Omar said he expects them to platoon, and since Chavez is a lefty, that would mean mostly Chavez and a little Milledge. Have you heard otherwise? Ultimately it is Willie’s decision, but I don’t really think of Willie as a guy who likes to play rookies over vets.
Comment posted by Super T on August 1, 2006 at 11:54 am (#66060)
I had internet problems all day yesterday so I’m just now getting to weigh in on the trade, and I
have to say that I like it. Roberto Hernandez helps the team in the short term and Oliver Perez
could possibly end up being a HUGE acquistion.

I really like the way that OM is seemingly making it a point that every trade he makes he brings
back young pitching in -
Duane Sanchez
John Maine
Oliver Perez

It’s also nice that Pelfrey, Milledge, and Humber are all still in the Mets organization. Xavier
Nady was NOT a big loss.
Comment posted by Brian on August 1, 2006 at 11:54 am (#66061)
He’s 41 and wanted a two year deal (I know I know Julio Franco….)

Julio Franco is different:
1. He obviously has a long term deal with Satan allowing for continued success in this comeback. I thinj it runs out when he turns 50.
2. More importantly, a 2 year deal to an aged player to be a bat off teh bench and occasional fielder is a lot less risky, and would potentially have less direct cause of losses than a similarly aged (or 5 years younger in this case - scary) relief pitcher.
3. Franco got half as much money per year than Bert did - and assume Bert would have wanted that amount from the Mets. If the Mets had to cut him it would be less cash thrown away

Comment posted by dptydwg420 on August 1, 2006 at 11:56 am (#66066)
Why do you think it will be mostly Milledge. Last night Omar said he expects them to platoon, and since Chavez is a lefty, that would mean mostly Chavez and a little Milledge. Have you heard otherwise? Ultimately it is Willie’s decision, but I don’t really think of Willie as a guy who likes to play rookies over vets.

Joe A - If Chavez starts and stache is at second, we have no lefty bat off the bench.

That might factor into Willie’s decision a little.

Also, I dont think they’d call up Milledge if he wasnt gonna get significant playing time.

But you may be right, only time will tell.
Comment posted by nyleetch2 on August 1, 2006 at 12:17 pm (#66073)
well Joe A. one of the things about bringing up your star prospect, even if its because of injury, a general rule is that you have to play him. Thats why Pelfrey will probably be sent down now that Maine is pitching well - pitching him out of the bullpen would be like using Milledge purely as a bench player ( i know its an entirely different scenario, but i’ve seen too many mets pitching prospects crash and burn to even consider using Pelfrey out of the pen. i just know he’ll either pitch poorly in the new role and lose all his confidence, or hurt his arm or something bad.) so my guess is, much like Nady was doing, Milledge will start against ALL lefties, and SOME righties, evening out the platoon.

So have we decided that Bert has a 1 year deal, not 2?
And the Mets are not in the position to drop Glavine unless he so desires?

Agamemmnon, as for Soriano in Wash and in LF: Are we sure that he prefers left field, and hasnt simply finally realised that youre better off appearing happy with what you have, because it makes everyone around you happier and treat you better. He was very adamant about 2b earlier on, so i’m not convinced. As far as liking washington but not getting a no-trade-clause: pretty stupid of Bowden. knowing his owner’s rule, he should have traded Sori. At any rate, plenty of players have said they liked where they are, and then signed somewhere else. I’m not convinced the Mets can get him, but I think they have a decent chance, whether it be at 2b or LF.
Comment posted by fd on August 1, 2006 at 12:17 pm (#66074)
they can’t outright give milledge the starting job because they want him to work for it. but unless he doesn’t play well, i bet he will get significantly more playing time than chavez.
Comment posted by Durkin on August 1, 2006 at 12:52 pm (#66092)
is anyone here in favor of putting Pelfrey in the pen to help him get ML experience and to alleviate some of the strain on the pen?

His fastball could be mucho effective in 1-2 innings of work…

I think he could be a nice 7th inning option in October.
Comment posted by Kevin in toga on August 1, 2006 at 12:57 pm (#66093)
When you say that Perez has lost velocity, what are we talking about? 2-3 mph, 5-6 mph or 10 mph? Also, is that why he is struggling? Is it Zambrano all over again? A guy who threw in the mid 90’s before the Mets traded for him and all of the sudden he was topping out at 90. From what I understand Perez threw in the mid to high 90s. Is he now a mid to low 90s guy? He is only 24 going on 25. Someone want to help me out before I break the record for most questions asked in a single post?
Comment posted by Marc on August 1, 2006 at 1:03 pm (#66095)
When you say that Perez has lost velocity, what are we talking about? 2-3 mph, 5-6 mph or 10 mph? Also, is that why he is struggling? Is it Zambrano all over again? A guy who threw in the mid 90’s before the Mets traded for him and all of the sudden he was topping out at 90. From what I understand Perez threw in the mid to high 90s. Is he now a mid to low 90s guy? He is only 24 going on 25. Someone want to help me out before I break the record for most questions asked in a single post?

From what I read in one article yesterda, Perez used to throw at 97 and is down to 91. I would guess that Dr. Peterson took a good look at him and decided that he could work the fifteen minute fix he did that was so successful with Victor Zambrano.
Comment posted by agamemmnon on August 1, 2006 at 1:05 pm (#66096)
Nyleetch: I agree there is no point to putting Pelfrey in the bullpen. We are not that hard up for relievers. I’d rather bring up Bell. No point in screwing with Pelfrey’s game prep and having him overthrow to try to get to 99 mph.
From everything I read, and see at the ballpark here in DC, Sori really likes it here. Of course, there may be 16 million reasons he might like it somewhere else. But I take him at his word that he likes LF better. I’d rather have a subpar LF than a subpar 2B.
Others have speculated that he can concentrate more on hitting when he’s in LF compared to 2b.
Comment posted by Jeremy Heit on August 1, 2006 at 1:06 pm (#66097)
Joe A,

Basically, what others have already said. If they are going to call Milledge up, I believe he will get significant playing time because you don’t want a young prospect sitting on a major league bench not playing.

Also, I believe Milledge is going to play quite well, forcing Willie’s hand to play him more, if that is not already the plan.
Comment posted by nyleetch2 on August 1, 2006 at 1:17 pm (#66099)
I have no problem with Sori in LF. It would probably be a better fit for the Mets if they could bring him in, since it lets Chavez go back to the 4th OF role and Valentin and another guy (Gotay?) man 2nd base where Valentin has looked good (and from the sounds of it Gotay has as well since joining the Tides).

I’m not trying to be one of those Mets fans who just wants to go out and get every big FA, but right now the Mets biggest holes are SP and OF. After looking at the list of FAs for this offseason, Zito and Soriano really do stand out as the obvious guys to go after. (Dye and Lee also work as OFs but I feel like Soriano is a better fit for the current team makeup with his mix of speed and power as opposed to Lees mix of power and power) So if youre a team with a lot of cash (especially with Trachs, Zambrano, Matsui, and Floyd coming off the books) and a competetive team, you may as well give it a shot.
Comment posted by ElSidRulz on August 1, 2006 at 1:52 pm (#66114)
El Duque into the pen

Pedro, Glav, pelf, trax, main> not a bad rotation at all, even some potential in post season to say the least.

Pen

lr oliver, bell
mr feliciano, bradford, hernandez
su heilman,el duque
cp billy the kid

I can’t pretend to have done the numbers, but it seemed like lastings hit as many big knocks as nady when it comes to a per at bat basis
Comment posted by nyleetch2 on August 1, 2006 at 1:57 pm (#66117)
i find it unlikely the mets put el duque in the pen. they have said on several occasions they don’t plan to

Comment posted by dptydwg420 on August 1, 2006 at 1:58 pm (#66119)
I have to agree with the Leetchman.

Willie seems to love El Duque as a starter in big spots and as said on numerous occasions he’s one of his guys.

I would put $$$ on El Duque getting a postseason start.
Comment posted by Ed in Westchester on August 1, 2006 at 2:13 pm (#66128)
Mike - see what you started - Ed is now infected

Kidding

I think

Brian - I got infected a month or so ago.
Since I tend to ramble at times, felt it was better to set up my own blog for that. Then I can post my good (hopefully) and bad (more realistic) thoughts.
Still come here for short and sweet. Wouldn’t want to bore everyone with a long rant/post.
Comment posted by Ed in Westchester on August 1, 2006 at 2:15 pm (#66129)
I would put $$$ on El Duque getting a postseason start.

Agreed dep. The man loves the spotlight. The problem is when there isn’t any, that is
when he does poorly. Big spots he does well, like the Yankee game, and against the Braves.
Comment posted by nyleetch2 on August 1, 2006 at 2:16 pm (#66130)
Big spots he does well, like the Yankee game, and against the Braves.

and playoff games… that would work fine by me.

Comment posted by MetsFanSince71 on August 1, 2006 at 2:19 pm (#66132)
is anyone here in favor of putting Pelfrey in the pen to help him get ML experience and to alleviate some of the strain on the pen? His fastball could be mucho effective in 1-2 innings of work…

NO WAY I would even think about Pelfrey for the pen! Pelfrey has no experience to come out of the pen for any crucial situations. And if he’s only gonna be used in non-crucial spots, then why bother having him on the team at all? Pelfrey should and must remain a starter - let’s not have another Heilman situation on our hands please.
Comment posted by Brian S. on August 1, 2006 at 2:27 pm (#66139)
I wonder if we sign Everett now that Nady is gone. Has he signed anywhere yet? It might not be
a bad idea.

Comment posted by dptydwg420 on August 1, 2006 at 2:34 pm (#66144)
I doubt Everett would ever play for the mets again.

Don’t forget that mgmt turned his ass into child services last time he was here.
Comment posted by Ed in Westchester on August 1, 2006 at 2:59 pm (#66154)
No to Everett.
People think Milledge has an attitude. (I personally do not agree with this)
Everett would make him seem milquetoast in comparison.
He bitches as much as Sheffield, with less talent.
Comment posted by Ed in Westchester on August 1, 2006 at 3:01 pm (#66156)
and playoff games… that would work fine by me.

Uh-oh, a Ranger fan and an Islander fan agreeing.
Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria.
:)

I liked Leetch, great player. Wish my former GM had signed him instead of Poti.
Comment posted by nyleetch2 on August 1, 2006 at 3:14 pm (#66161)
haha we better get a Devils fan in here to mediate

well youve got one crazy owner over there

…but at least he cares what happens to the team (Garth Snow, though?…)
Comment posted by udamnwright on August 1, 2006 at 3:28 pm (#66173)
Leetch best American born D-man and class guy, Favorite player growing up and still is. I was miserable when he got traded.
Comment posted by nyleetch2 on August 1, 2006 at 3:55 pm (#66186)
hes still my screenname people asked if i would change it when he was traded. Hes still my favorite player even though he was traded so i didnt see any reason to. As my handle says he’ll always be NY #2 to me… (i understood the trade though when it happened. why rebuild if youre not gonna rebuild all the way? it had been the rangers’ problem for years. theyve finally figured that out it seems)
Comment posted by kap on August 1, 2006 at 3:56 pm (#66188)
Wouldn’t it be neat if Oliver Perez made us forget Kazmir?
Comment posted by Mike on August 1, 2006 at 4:22 pm (#66207)
Let’s open this post with what needs saying: NOBODY better be dissin my man, Brain Leetch. Anyone messes with #2, I’m sending my other main man, Endy Chavez after your ass.

How was that for a smoooooove transition? (As smooth as landing a plane on a mountain with the landing gear up, I’d say.

Nady’s gone. So what? He hasn’t played that often, his numbers weren’t that good, his baserunning was average, his fielding was below average. Endy plays gold glove D, he’s been clutch (Nady wasn’t), he runs the bases as well as anyone on the team save Rapido.

And . . . Milledge comes back to Queens.

As to the pitching angle, I’m with Danny. As Dpty or others’ll point out, I’m anything but an Omar guy, but what was he gonna do? He lost a solid major league reliever, and he needed to replace him. In the bargain we get a lottery ticket, but one that pays BIG if it comes in. Perez is lost now, no doubt. But if he can repeat 3/4 of his 2004 at any point he’s with the Mets, they win this trade.

Plus, I hate to say this, but let’s be honest: Roberto’s K/BB is poor. But Duaner’s was sub-2 as well. And now he gets a Beltran/Chavez/Milledge/Floyd outfield (and deeper fences that in the ‘Burg) to chase down those fly balls.

He’ll walk more guys than Sanchez, but Heilman/Hernandez/Oliver/ChadBrad/Otro Pedro gets the Mets into the 9th most games.
Comment posted by Brian on August 1, 2006 at 4:59 pm (#66220)
haha we better get a Devils fan in here to mediate

Didn’t know they had fans
Comment posted by ElSidRulz on August 1, 2006 at 5:03 pm (#66224)
I was a devils fan . . . until the owner of the yankees got involved with them
Comment posted by Marc on August 1, 2006 at 5:19 pm (#66236)
While they wait a week to see if Duaner needs surgery, they said it’s a Grade 4 shoulder separation, which according to this, usually requires surgery:

Q. What is the treatment of an AC separation?

A. Mild degrees of injury to the AC joint are treated with rest, ice and occasionally a shoulder sling. An oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen or naproxen sodium may be prescribed. When the swelling and pain subsides, activities are gradually resumed.

More severe degrees of injury are often treated surgically. The treatment of a grade 3 separation is controversial and may be treated surgically or nonsurgically. A grade 3 AC separation is one in which the bone ends of the joint are completely apart and the end of the clavicle is elevated. The injury is often treated nonsurgically initially similar to treatment of milder degrees of injury.

Occasionally though, the shoulder will be persistently painful and weak and surgical treatment is recommended. The joint may be placed in its normal position with the use of a screw or alternatively the bones are placed in their normal position by using another ligament close to the area of injury. Suturing this ligament to the clavicle to simulates the function of the previous torn ligaments. If a screw is used to repair the separation, the screw must be removed at a later date.

Larger degrees of separation, grade 4 and grade 5 are usually treated surgically.
Comment posted by Ramon on August 1, 2006 at 5:28 pm (#66243)
NO WAY I would even think about Pelfrey for the pen! Pelfrey has no experience to come out of the pen for any crucial situations. And if he’s only gonna be used in non-crucial spots, then why bother having him on the team at all? Pelfrey should and must remain a starter - let’s not have another Heilman situation on our hands please.

There have many good pitchers who have started their careers in the pen. Kenny Rodgers and Curt Schilling go thier start there and now Papelbon is moing them down in Red Sox land when he was a starter throughout the minor league season.

Also, you cannot compare the heilman situation with Pelfrey as this move is only a temporary fix until the season is through. Until then, Pelfrey can begin to work through lineups 1-2 innings at a time every other day. Face it, Pelfrey is far more apt to succeed as a reliever now in this season than as a starter.

I think it is a way better move than putting more polished pitchers like Maine and Hernandez there and having Pelfrey start.