So When Do We Get Desperate?

By Metstradamus
Posted Friday, November 30, 2007

All right, so we know that Omar Minaya isn't quite that desperate ... yet.

His polite decline of Jose Reyes (and most likely a couple of what the Mets call "jewels" thrown in) for Johan Santana shows that Minaya isn't going to make a splash for the pure sake of making a splash. That's a good thing, especially when you factor in that the Yankees are most likely not going to give up their starting second baseman (Robinson Cano) for Santana, and the Red Sox probably aren't going to have to give up 2008's starting center fielder (Jacoby Ellsbury) for Johan.

So Omar Minaya hasn't lost all of his marbles. He can now forget about Johan (as much as it will pain some Mets fans to concede) and go after a more reasonable return like Dan Haren of Oakland. Yup, good strategy, there's just one flaw ...

Billy Beane is like that obnoxious fantasy football owner who sees that there's a team that doesn't have two good starting quarterbacks, and tries to take advantage of him by offering Brodie Croyle for Maurice Jones-Drew. Okay, so I was the guy who tried that deal (it was turned down, of course), but it's just a demonstration that it takes one to know one. And if I'm going to ask for Maurice Jones-Drew in return for Brodie Croyle, think of what Billy Beane is cooking up for Haren.

In fact, it's worse than that, because Beane is listening to Omar Minaya's pitches for Dan Haren, and instead of asking for more from Omar, he's replacing Haren with Joe Blanton. It's the bait and switch! Joe Blanton has become the Folgers Crystals of baseball (let's see if Omar notices.) And while it's a good thing that Minaya doesn't want to make a deal for the sake of making a deal, it seems like the lack of sizzle among the Mets' pitching prospects are going to make it impossible for Omar to make any sort of deal that would satiate the Mets' rabid fan base (or at least satiate me.)

But while it's not Omar's fault that Pelfrey and Humber are drifting away from the island of Hudson, Zito and Mulder and more towards the land of Pulsipher, Isringhausen, and Wilson, Minaya must be able to work with some handicaps (deserved or merely perceived) and make the best deal possible for the club. Not every deal can be of the Castillo for Butera or Estrada for Mota variety (that is, something for nothing right off the bat). Teams know the Mets need an ace. Opposing GM's are putting on cowboy hats and bandanas over their faces and getting ready to hold up Omar like they were Billy the Kid. It's going to be a unique challenge for Minaya at this week's winter meetings with no big name free agent to bail him out. Not that Minaya would sign him anyway (see: Zito, Barry) but without that option it's like Minaya's playbook has been copied and faxed to the other 29 teams. As the highly esteemed Matt Himelfarb put it, Omar indeed is a Prisoner of Circumstances.

I give Minaya no sympathy, but I'm glad I'm not him this week. I can't even make a fair fantasy football trade, so what do I know?

***

I'm also glad I'm not Metstradamus, because ... oh wait, I am Metstradamus. Damn. Oh well, come pay me a visit. It gets lonely during the cold winter months.

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