After reading the Metsblog this winter, it seems the almost all of the regular contributors view this winter as one opportunity missed after another. We didn't get Zito, we didn't get Haren/Harden etc.. The fan-confidence rating is 7.3 out of 10...AND WE WON 97 GAMES LAST YEAR!!! As the kids say today, WTF?
I want to say emphatically now that I am overjoyed with Omar's restraint.
Almost every deal has involved the names Heilman and Milledge. Short of getting a Jason Schmidt or a Dontrelle Willis, I wouldn't trade either of these guys. It amazes me, in fact, how easily people throw these names around as trade fodder.
Heilman was nothing short of outstanding in '06. He was the consummate set-up man after Duaner went down and I have no doubt in my mind that he would be a better starting pitcher than any of the guys he has been rumored to be traded for. I think Heilman wins 15 games with his eyes closed if you give him the rock next year, or continues to be lights-out as the lead-in to Wagner. You don't trade a pitcher as good as Heilman unless you have to, or are getting someone AMAZING in return.
Milledge is the classic example of how short sighted fans love to rush to judgment without enough evidence to go on. What is the rush to determine if he's a success or a failure as a pro? Why trade him now when his stock is apparently at its all-time low? This guy was the apple of every GM's eye a year ago and for good reason...he has got MAD raw skills. So what has changed since then? In truth, nothing. The kid got some high-exposure playing time in '06 and showed he is still green and needs some grooming. Everyone who is willing to trade him for a ham sandwich because he didn't take the league by storm last year needs to lighten up:
A) He turns 22 in April
B) He only has 166 AB in the majors
C) He hasn't been given the development time in the minors that Reyes and Wright were given
What is the big rush to declare him a bust? Lets go under the assumption that everyone and their mother that loved the guy in 2005 weren't crazy and give the guy a chance to learn and develop. This is a kid I really want to watch blossom in the orange and blue. He attacks the ball at the plate, has tremendous bat speed and has shown a gun of an arm. He has looked shaky in the outfield, but he spent the lions-share of his time in the Minors as a center fielder. Learning the corner positions is not a skill someone develops overnight. My message to anyone who is in panic mode over last years performance is this....lighten up, Francis.
The other area I am pleased that Omar has left untouched so far is in the blue-chip prospects. Every rumor that has mentioned Heilman/Milledge invariably includes Humber or Pelfrey as well . There is nothing more fun than watching a blue chip starter come through the system. Seaver/Koosman, Gooden/Darling, Wilson/Pulsipher/Isringhausen (at least in theory) and then, of course, Kazmir. I am SO glad Omar has thus-far held onto Humber and Pelfrey. When was the last time we had the fun of watching a highly touted pitcher grow up in front of us? Furthermore we still have Gomez and Martinez drawing raves in the minors.
Rather than bowing to public opinion, Omar has taken a team that almost went to the Fall Classic, shuffled the bullpen a little, added a power bat in Alou and a decent outfielder in Johnson and otherwise kept an excellent team and farm system pretty much intact. This is a team that needs a tune up, not an overhaul. Minaya has given me a winter I can live with today, and more importantly 2 or 3 years from now.
