Wouldn't you want this kind of teammate at the All-Star Game?

Wright celebrates

I'm not the only one who thinks David Wright deserves to start the 81st All-Star Game. I bet Carlos Delgado would agree, too. Just look at Wright celebrating after Delgado beat the Cubs with a walk-off single in May 2007. What a great teammate.

First off, Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger points out how Wright is back in form.

And here are some others backing Wright for Anaheim:

ESPN New York's Adam Rubin, for a legitimate news source

The Examiner user-driven network

And not one, not two, but three arguments from folks at Bleacher Report.

So go, go, go! There are just about 15 hours left to vote and make things ... um ... Wright. (Sorry.)

VOTE WRIGHT!

The new Topps

2010 Topps 1 front

Every year, I buy myself a pack or two of the new Topps cards to see what they've come up with, and this year I may be buying quite a few more. The new design is one of the best in recent memory, and their cards of late haven't even been that bad. Compare that to 20 years ago, when the 1990 set looked like something out of the '70s (though the '70s sets weren't even that garish) and couldn't even coordinate colors for the same team.

This Prince Fielder card happens to be No. 1 in the set, starting the collection off with a bang by using a great photo from Fielder's walk-off shot on Sept. 6 last season. This card didn't come in my first pack; after that initial purchase, I bought a small box -- I think it was the "cereal box," the one with Gehrig on it, it turns out -- and when I got home to open them, I noticed that each one contained a Gold Refractor card. "Hope I get Seaver," I thought.

And then I got it. Sweet!

I also found Jeff Samardzija, Carlos Delgado('s last card/last card as a Met), Victor Martinez and Andrew McCutchen, among others. The team logo -- taken from the jersey front, it seems -- as a means to ID the club is unique and one of the first things that jumped out at me, especially on the McCutchen and V-Mart cards. The backs are sharp, too, with the hat logo and a clean, easy-to-read design, especially on one loaded with stats like Delgado's.

But these days, it seems the point of collecting isn't the cards of current players; it's the subsets and bonus cards in each box. The Seaver in the "cereal box" was a good start. As I went through the cards, I found Peak Performance cards of Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker, History of the Game featuring Cal Ripken and Bill Mazeroski, Tales of the Game reminding us of Wade Boggs' chicken infatuation, Legendary Lineage linking Roy Halladay (thankfully in a Blue Jays uniform) with Seaver and pairing Frank Thomas with Fielder, and something called the Turkey Red subset (from which I got Mark Teixeira and Johnny Bench). My favorite is probably the When They Were Young group, depicting today's stars as children -- and it's not even limited to Little League photos.

The big subset/promotion/gimmick this year, though, is The Cards Your Mother Threw Out. My first one? A 1993 Chuck McElroy! Score! At least, that's the first one I got with the code, allowing me to have the actual card sent to me if I choose. (I suspect I'll pass.) But in the "cereal box," I did get two replicas. The cool one was a 1974 Dave Winfield, his first card. The front is a high-def reproduction of the card itself; the back, which I didn't scan, describes the history of the card and/or player that year. The second I opened wasn't as exciting -- a 2008 Tim Lincecum. I mean, those cards are two years old! I bought some that year. I think I may have this actual card. I understand the idea of including every year in this historical promotion, but it just seems funny to me. Though, I shouldn't complain (and I'm not, really); that '08 Lincecum is still better than a '93 McElroy.

Unfortunately, I don't know how many of these cards I'll eventually get. The price today is just too prohibitive. I can't imagine being a kid today and finding myself that interested in baseball cards. Unless allowances have kept up with the rate of inflation, how can a kid afford to collect cards on a summer-lawn-mowing income? And for the completists, how can you ever feel satisfied about collecting an entire set when sets these days include so many rare and valuable cards, from autographs to relics and the like, that anyone who manages to legitimately collect a full set probably spent as much money doing so as the most valuable piece in the set is worth. Still, I'm sure I'll buy a few more packs, another box or two. I'll keep the purchases to extra additions when I'm at Target or some place for another reason -- no more walking down to the corner drug store for the sole purpose of buying baseball cards. Sadly, those days have gone the way of my dirt bike and, well, the corner drug store not named CVS or Walgreens.

Shea Goodbye: 70 to go

I'm always wary when going to Shea Stadium with the Braves in town. I tend to get my hopes up -- This is the day. Today, they'll turn it around and bury those punks. -- only to have Tim Hudson throw a one-hitter through seven, or some such dominance. Had I attended last night's game, I probably would've felt the tide turning during the three-run-on-four-straight-walks third inning ... only to have Mike Pelfrey piss it all away in one at-bat to Kelly Johnson.

And so as I dragged myself out of bed this morning to check the weather and the ticket situation, I half-hoped for an ominous forecast of rain, or a single ticket in the far reaches of the upper reserved, indicating very little chance of using the courtesy pass this afternoon. But the Weather Channel told me that any precipitation for the day had already passed through, and Mets.com told me that I could have two tickets in the orange field-level seats if I wanted to pay $167.

But things started looking up as we made our way from the house. Casey and I went our separate ways at Secaucus, where she took the Northeast Corridor line to Trenton and I awaited the next Penn Station-bound train. Mine happened to be a train of the new double-decker cars -- a first for me heading into the city, or on a weekend -- and as I sat down on the left-hand side of the train, facing the platform on which Casey had been standing, I saw she too had the luxury of two-story cars, and would get to enjoy it five times as long as I would for my 10-minute trans-Hudson traverse.

My train luck didn't transfer with me to the E, which went local through Queens instead of the much more efficient express, but I got to Roosevelt Ave. with enough time to walk from the back of the platform to the front to ride the first car of the 7 the final six stops to Shea, getting some nice photos of the blue ballpark as we approached.

My comped seat, as usual, was way up in the upper reserved, but row B, which does make a difference. And once there, I scanned the starting lineups for each team -- my smile growing ever wider as I went through the Braves' lineup and over to the Mets. No Yunel Escobar, the talented young Atlanta shortstop. No Chipper Jones, the long-time villain in the Mets' battle against evil. And on the Mets' side, no Luis Castillo, the 32-year-old slap-hitting second baseman with two bad knees and a fat, four-year contract that the Mets should already be regretting with every downward chop at a fastball and each four-hopper to second base with runners in scoring position. Carlos Delgado was still in the lineup, but at least he drove in a run in this game ... albeit on a dribbler up the first-base line that Mark Teixeira probably should've let roll foul, or charged harder for a play at the plate. (And later, on the throw Tex did make home, he was given an out by the home-plate umpire, even though it looked like Angel Pagan slid in safely before Brian McCann got the tag down.)

It was nice to see the Mets bunch their hits together in the third inning for a four-run rally, but some insurance would've been nicer. On Friday night, when Jair Jurrjens lost his cool with the umpire's strike zone and walked four in a row, he provided all the Mets' runs in a 6-3 loss. They had two hits at that point, too, and I later found out that that's all they'd get for the game. Though they managed a few more hits after their only run-scoring frame today, they're going to have to put up more crooked numbers on the scoreboard if they want to put together any kind of winning streak.

Hopefully, they'll find some magic against John Smoltz tomorrow. The chances aren't good, but perhaps they're due. They're due for a six- or seven-game winning streak (the Pirates arrive for three beginning Monday, and then the Mets head to Arizona, where they've had great success the past three years; though with the D-backs' solid pitching staff, I'd be happy starting off with one win and going from there). The Phillies have been fattening up on weak pitching (the Pirates) and child-like ballparks (particularly their own), and the Marlins are playing over their heads. If the Mets can keep the Braves down and start another four-game winning streak on Philadelphia when the next series starts, the division lead will come back to them. But first they've got to start hitting.

This is why they play the game

Thursday afternoon, May 17, the Mets came back to defeat the Cubs, 6-5, after entering the ninth inning down 5-1. The slumping Carlos Delgado (center) delivered the game-winning single through the right side of the infield, sparking the celebration. David Wright (left) and Paul Lo Duca carried on after Delgado thought he had escaped from the scrum.

A friend of mine may have said it best, while paying me more of a compliment than I think is deserved:

It really is a great shot. The way Wright is tugging on Delgado's jersey and Lo Duca is celebrating with a fist pump, the fact that it's a day game on a bright sunny day -- it's a reminder that these guys are grown-ups playing a kids' game and sometimes the moment lets them act like kids. Plus, you've got Wright, Delgado and Lo Duca -- three of the team's biggest stars all in one shot. And that the photo was taken from the stands -- where anyone could have taken it -- rather than the photo wells reserved for the pros also adds to the photo's allure -- like the photog is an amateur the same way these players once were. The photo captures the thrill of coming back from a 5-1 deficit in the bottom of the ninth -- the kind of win reserved for a team that's having a special season. A day game on May 17 may not mean much over 162 games, but if this ultimately is the Mets' year (I will not admit that it might be) and if David Halberstam were around to chronicle The Summer of Oh-Seven, this photo -- of pure kid-type joy displayed by three of the team's stars -- is the one you'd expect to see on the dust jacket of Halberstam's book.

As Mets fans, we can only hope that the Summer of Oh-Seven produces dozens of memories like this one, all the way into the final week of October.

Though not into November. Mets in six.

Best infield in the National League?

So here's a question:

Can an infield that includes Wes Helms be considered the best in the National League?

That's the claim made by Jimmy Rollins (either on his own or through prompting by a reporter) on Tuesday.

Look, I won't deny the talents of Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, who clearly make up the best right side of any infield in baseball. But Wes Helms? I'll reserve judgment on this claim until the season's been played -- and Helms has been a full-time starter in a pennant race -- and follow Rollins' logic on his more reasonable claim that the Phillies are the team to beat in the NL East in 2007: "But that's all on paper. You have to go out and do it on the field."

Let's see Helms do it on the field.

However, I guess only the Dodgers and Mets can challenge the Phils for best NL infield, and they've got weaknesses. Los Angeles has Wilson Betemit at third base and the Mets have Jose Valentin at second -- and neither of them was a regular starter in '06, either. If these teams are the top three around the horn in the NL, the Dodgers are clearly third because of the years Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent have on them, while the Phillies' senior infielder is Rollins, who is 28, and the Mets' older players -- Valentin and Carlos Delgado -- don't have the injury issues or the apparent decline (yet) that Kent and Nomar have shown.

As for the Mets and Phillies, New York clearly gets the advantage on the left side of the infield with David Wright and Jose Reyes, who is a better leadoff hitter -- and probably a better hitter, not to mention five years younger -- than Rollins. So the question of who has the best infield in the league comes down to which player is better: Wes Helms or Jose Valentin?

It's a question that will have to be answered in 2007, but for now, on paper, perhaps we'll give Philly a slight edge. Below is a comparison of Valentin's and Helms' 2006 stats (in black). Valentin had 384 at-bats, while Helms compiled 240. The shaded numbers are what each player, at the same rate of production, would have put up with 600 at-bats last season. Valentin hit .271/.330/.490; Helms .329/.390/.575.

	Hits		Runs		2B		HR		RBI		BB		SO
Valentin	104	162	56	87	24	37	18	28	62	96	37	58	71	111
Helms	79	197	30	75	19	47	10	25	47	117	21	52	55	137

Helms' numbers are skewed, though, because he's on a new team with a different lineup and vastly different ballpark. Chances are, he'll hit fewer doubles and more home runs with Citizens Bank Park as his home field rather than Dolphin Stadium. His runs probably won't go up too much, because he'll be hitting low in the Phillies' order and won't necessarily have the studs coming up while he's on base. In any case, the expectation would seem to favor Helms, who is also seven years younger.

However, not only did Valentin put up his numbers over a longer period of time -- meaning he was (and is, on account of a longer career) more accustomed to performing with a regular starting gig. The big question for Helms will be whether he can maintain his pace in August when he's already started 100 games.

It will be interesting to see this NL East race play out. In 2006, the Mets had the division wrapped up in June. The only thing that should be decided this June is that the Nationals will bring up the rear.

Everything else should be determined in September.

Old home week for some Mets

The Mets seem to be on a reunion tour, or a You Can Go Home Again tour. Bon Jovi could sponsor it.

First, it was Carlos Delgado in Toronto, where he went 3-for-11 with two runs, a double and an RBI in the Mets' three-game series at the Rogers Centre.

Now it's on to Boston, where Pedro Martinez will pitch on Wednesday, in an appearance he doesn't want to make.

Then, on Friday, they'll send Orlando Hernandez to the mound at Yankee Stadium, where he's sure to get the warmest ovation for a Met in the Bronx since interleague play began in 1997.

John Rocker just needs to shut up. Who asked him? Why is he even talking about this? Though, it does raise some questions about how professional sports leagues follow through on their fines and other punishments.

And then there's Joe Mikulik, a manager in the South Atlantic League for the Rockies' Asheville (N.C.) affiliate. He, um, got a little upset at a call on Sunday.

Trading fiends

Major league GMs are making deals like fantasy owners drunk at an All-Star Game party. It started on Nov. 3 when the Nationals traded third baseman Vinny Castilla to San Diego for pitcher Brian Lawrence. That one's easy: great move for Washington. They open up third base for their first-round pick last summer, Ryan Zimmerman, and get a decent starter who should pitch well in RFK Stadium.

Here are the other 35 deals made in the last six weeks:

Nov. 10: Blue Jays acquired infielder John MacDonald from the Tigers for cash.

Nov. 16: Cubs traded pitcher Jon Leicester to the Texas Rangers for a player to be named. Ho-hum.

Nov. 18: The Mets dealt outfielder Mike Cameron to San Diego for first baseman/outfielder Xavier Nady. This cleared some salary for the Mets and I speculated that, barring any other moves, Nady could platoon at first base with the left-handed-hitting Mike Jacobs. Cameron is perfect for San Diego. He can move back to the position he loves, center field, and the Padres need a gold glover out there in the spacious, lush lawn of Petco Park.

Nov. 21: The Padres acquired infielder Bobby Hill from Pittsburgh for a player to be named or cash (they got pitcher Clayton Hamilton). Hill was a top prospect out of Miami in 1999 but could not come to terms with the White Sox, who drafted him in the second round (with the 66th pick). He played for the Newark Bears and re-entered the draft in 2000, when the Cubs took him in the second round (43rd pick this time). Chicago dealt him to the Pirates in the deal for Kenny Lofton and Aramis Ramirez in 2003, but he's never been able to establish himself as anything but a utility player. He'll now serve as a backup to Castilla at third base or as a veteran option at second base if rookie Josh Barfield is not ready.

Nov. 24: The Marlins traded first baseman Carlos Delgado to the Mets for first baseman Mike Jacobs, minor-league pitcher Yusmerio Petit and Class A third baseman Grant Psomas. If you ask me, the Mets didn't give up much for Delgado. They gave up a rookie first baseman and two minor-leaguers for an All-Star slugger who has the longest active streak of consecutive seasons with 30 or more home runs, nine. Jacobs had a great start last season with 11 home runs in 100 at bats, but there have been other who have come into the majors like that and left them not too long after. Kevin Maas comes to mind. Petit mowed down hitters in the Double-A Eastern League but got knocked around a bit when moved up to Triple-A. Psomas, a third baseman, hit .301 with 20 HR and 69 RBI with most of his 468 at bats coming at low-Class A. But hopefully, the Mets are set at third base for 15 years or so. Delgado was a necessary acquisition with both the loss of Mike Piazza and the terrible production they got last year from first base. As Tom Verducci pointed out, the Mets have the money and, despite appearances, aren't throwing money around like the Yankees.

The Marlins (officially) traded pitchers Josh Beckett and Guillermo Mota and third baseman Mike Lowell to the Red Sox for top shortstop prospect Hanley Ramirez and minor-league pitchers Anibal Sanchez, Jesus Delgado and Harvey Garcia. This is the deal that begins the end for the Marlins. Nice work by Boston to hold up Florida for Mota as well. When first announced, this deal was for Beckett and Lowell (and his contract), but when it became final, Mota was moving too. The difference between the Yankees and Red Sox last year was the bullpen (notably, Boston's horrible one), so adding Mota -- and hoping closer Keith Foulke is healthy and back to normal -- is a big step in securing those middle innings.

Nov. 25: The Phillies traded first baseman Jim Thome to the White Sox for center fielder Aaron Rowand, minor-league pitcher Dan Haigwood and a player to be named (pitcher Gio Gonzalez). I said that's where Thome would end up, though I didn't anticipate Phil Konerko re-signing with Chicago. Great move for them, however. Frank Thomas has been declining (mostly his health) the past few seasons. Now they've got one left-handed slugger and one right-handed bopper to split DH and first base duties. On the Phillies' end, Rowand is probably one of the best options they could've had for Thome because he's a major-league experienced center fielder who helps them immediately. They've had trouble with decent fielders in center and this one can hit a bit, too. They'll probably have to move Jimmy Rollins back to leadoff, but I think the tradeoff works to their favor. Gonzalez quickly becomes one of the Phillies' better pitching prospects.

Nov. 28: The Mets acquired outfielder Tike Redman from the Pirates for cash. Redman gives the Mets a left-handed backup outfielder or potential platoon partner with Nady or Victor Diaz in right field.

Dec. 1: The Red Sox acquired pitcher Jermaine Van Buren from the Chicago Cubs for a player to be named. Minor deal.

Dec. 2: The Marlins traded second baseman Luis Castillo to the Minnesota Twins for pitchers Travis Bowyer and Scott Tyler. It's baffling what happened to Castillo's baserunning prowess. The past four seasons, his totals have been 48, 21, 21 and 10. His at bats have declined too -- 606, 595, 564 and 439 -- so health may be an issue, but he just hasn't been the same player the last two seasons. Maybe a change will light a fire under his feet.

Dec. 4: The Marlins traded catcher Paul Lo Duca to the Mets for minor-league pitcher Gaby Hernandez and a player to be named (outfielder Dante Brinkley). I would've rather had Ramon Hernandez catching for the Mets, but GM Omar Minaya must've felt that trading for Lo Duca was a cheaper and safer option. Hernandez signed with Baltimore for $27.5 million over four years; the Mets deal was for about three years and $20 million, but they never got past an initial offer before they dealt for Lo Duca. I think Lo Duca is on a downward slide, but hopefully he can still make contact and bat .280-.290 and not become an offensive liability at the position. Brinkley was nothing more than a throw-in but Hernandez had a decent season at low-Class A Hagerstown (6-1, 2.43, 99 SO in 92.2 innings and a no-hitter) but went 2-5 with a 5.74 ERA after his promotion to Class A St. Lucie. He's still a few years away, so it will be a while before we can judge this one.

Dec. 5: The A's acquired pitcher Chad Gaudin from the Blue Jays for a player to be named. I won't be commenting on all the little deals. They're just mentioned to show a complete record.

Dec. 6: The Giants traded reliever LaTroy Hawkins to the Orioles for reliever Steve Kline. Kline is a good pickup and a capable left-handed specialist. Hawkins could find himself in the closer mix as the Orioles try to replace B.J. Ryan.

Dec. 7: The Blue Jays acquired first baseman Lyle Overbay and a player to be named (pitcher Ty Taubenheim) from the Brewers for pitcher David Bush, oufielder Gabe Gross and a player to be named (pitcher Zach Jackson). After two big mound signings -- starter A.J. Burnett and reliever B.J. Ryan -- the Jays ditch the infatuation with the initials and bring in a guy whose name on the back of the jersey will rhyme with the name on the front. A good doubles hitter from the left side, Overbay will help Toronto on defense as well. But the main reason for this trade is in Milwaukee, where Prince Fielder will now get the first base job and David Bush could make the rotation. Gabe Gross won't have much room to crack the staring lineup with Carlos Lee, Brady Clark and Geoff Jenkins in the outfield, but he's there if someone gets hurt.

The Cardinals traded reliever Ray King to the Rockies for outfielder Larry Bigbie and second baseman Aaron Miles. Miles looks to be the replacement for Mark Grudzielanek, who will leave St. Louis via free agency (perhaps -- hopefully -- to the Mets?). Bigbie should have a shot at a job with Larry Walker's retirement (if he sticks with it) and King can really only help a pitching staff that needs all it can get.

The Padres acquired pitcher Dewon Brazelton from the Devil Rays for third baseman Sean Burroughs; they also acquired catcher Doug Mirabelli for second baseman Mark Loretta. In the D-Rays deal, San Diego and Tampa Bay essentially traded two guys who hadn't really lived up to their potential. Burroughs at least had two seasons as a starter in San Diego, but without any power as a third baseman in an expansive ballpark, he just wasn't as attractive a player. Brazelton was a first-round pick in 2001 but has struggled in his attempts to become a major leaguer. Perhaps Petco can help.

The Braves traded reliever Dan Kolb back to the Brewers for reliever Wes Obermueller. For once, it looks like Atlanta made a mistake in evaluating a pitcher. Or two. Jose Capellan, who went to Milwaukee for Kolb, looks to be developing into a solid reliever. Kolb blew some big games for the Braves last summer and Obermueller bounced around among the rotation, the bullpen and the minors. If nothing else, this deal illustrates how Kolb's value has declined in a year.

The Royals acquired pitcher Mark Redman from the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher Jonah Bayliss and a player to be named (pitcher Chad Blackwell). I don't expect the Royals to really be playing for anything, so I don't see what this does for them. Nor do I know anything about the players Pittsburgh acquired, but with their young pitchers and Jason Bay, they seem to be putting themselves into a position to build for 2007 or 2008.

The Mariners traded catcher Yorvit Torrealba to the Rockies for a player to be named (pitcher Marcos Carvajal). Torrealba could put up some good numbers in Colorado -- but then again, who can't?

The Marlins traded center fielder Juan Pierre to the Cubs for pitchers Sergio Mitre, Ricky Nolasco and Renyel Pinto. The Cubs got a big piece they needed -- two big pieces, in fact: center field and leadoff. Pierre fills both and can take some pressure off of Corey Patterson, if he stays (and if it hasn't already ruined him). Chicago suffered because of injuries last year, injuries that have become predictable. The same names seem to be hurt (primarily pitchers Kerry Wood and Mark Prior), so they desperately need everyone to be healthy so they can stop using the injury excuse and find out if they've really got what it takes. What they don't have is a shortstop, unless you believe in Neifi Perez or rookie Jose Macias.

The Diamondbacks acquired catcher Johnny Estrada from the Atlanta Braves for pitchers Lance Cormier and Oscar Villarreal. Good move for Arizona, which needed a catcher. Atlanta made the deal because Brian McCann emerged when Estrada sat with injuries, which was most of the second half. Note that the Braves have picked up three young relievers in deals this offseason. You can see where that is going. With the struggles last year, they're looking to build a better bullpen under the direction of new pitching coach Roger McDowell.

Dec. 8: The Reds traded first baseman Sean Casey to the Pirates for pitcher Dave Williams. Casey now blocks the position for young slugger Brad Eldred, but he's always hit well at PNC Park. He's a career .355 hitter with 5 HR in 121 at bats in Pittsburgh. Williams will give up a lot more home runs in Cincinnati.

The Phillies acquired pitcher Chris Booker from the Detroit Tigers for cash. Okaaaay ...

The Royals acquired infielder Esteban German from the Texas Rangers for pitcher Fabio Castro, who was selected in the Rule V draft. As minor as minor deals come.

The Rockies acquired infielder Aaron Rifkin from the Chicago Cubs for a player to be named. After trading Aaron Miles, Colorado needed another Aaron.

The Yankees traded infielder-outfielder Tony Womack to the Reds for infielder Kevin Howard and outfielder Ben Himes. Womack will have to fight if he expects to start in Cincy, but at least he can play outfield and both middle infield positions. Howard led the Arizona Fall League in batting but isn't considered a top prospect.

The Red Sox traded shortstop Edgar Renteria to the Braves for third baseman Andy Marte. Now why would Boston trade its top position prospect, Hanley Ramierez, who also happens to play shortstop and then go and trade their starting shortstop? Plus, they have both Lowell and youngster Kevin Youkilis to play third base, Marte's natural position. Boston can't be done, but they may have to settle for Alex Gonzalez to replace Renteria, at least for this season.

Dec. 9: The Angels acquired pitcher J.C. Romero from the Twins for infielder Alexi Casilla. Arguably the best bullpen in the AL (Chicago has just as strong a case) gets stronger. I know nothing of Alexi Casilla other than I'm almost positive he's a guy.

Dec. 12: The Phillies traded pitcher Vicente Padilla to the Texas Rangers for a player to be named. So much for Padilla's career.

The Tigers acquired pitcher Randy Steik from the San Diego Padres for pitcher Kenny Baugh. Randy's name makes me think of steak.

Dec. 13: Announced earlier, but made official on this date: the Rangers acquired outfielders Brad Wilkerson and Terrmel Sledge and pitcher Armando Galarraga from the Nationals for second baseman Alfonso Soriano. Washington has a problem on its hands with Soriano's unwillingness to play anywhere but second base and Jose Vidro's presence on the roster. Vidro's a better second baseman but Soriano may be a better hitter at this point, with all of Vidro's injuries the last two years. But Soriano's numbers will take a hit moving from both the ballpark and the lineup in Texas to those in Washington. Instead of a 30/30 player, he's more of a 20/30 player with the potential to hit 40 HR. Wilkerson, should he be 100 percent healthy next year, could take off. Sledge just becomes part of an outfield logjam.

The Dodgers traded outfielder Milton Bradley and infielder Antonio Perez to the A's for outfielder Andre Ethier. It will be interesting to see how those in Oakland handle Bradley and his temper. They did it with Jose Guillen and made him a wanted commodity again (or perhaps they did it jointly with Cincinnati that year). Ethier hit .319 with 18 HR and 80 RBI at Double-A Midland last year. Interesting how those numbers at that level are worth a switch-hitting center fielder with power and an infielder.

The White Sox acquired infielder Rob Mackowiak from the Pirates for pitcher Damaso Marte. Marte gets in line with fellow southpaw Mike Gonzalez and free agent signee Roberto Hernandez to audition for the closer's job in spring training. With a new manager (Jim Tracy), I don't know where this one will go. Otherwise, I'd say the favorites would be Gonalez, Marte, Hernandez, in that order.

Dec. 14: The White Sox acquired pitcher Javier Vazquez and cash from the Diamondbacks for pitchers Orlando Hernandez and Luis Vizcaino and minor-league outfielder Chris Young. The World Champions are making some outstanding moves this offseason, though it remains to be seen just how comfortable Jose Contreras will be without his close friend Hernandez on the team. At least he knows Vazquez from the 2004 season in the Bronx.

Is Beckett deal the beginning of the Marlins' end?

I think, on the eve of the 2008 season, as the Las Vegas franchise prepares for its first season after relocating from Miami, the retrospective columns will look back upon this Thanksgiving week as the beginning of the Marlins' quick downward spiral. Yesterday's trade that sent Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to Boston for shortstop Hanley Ramirez and two other prospects will be seen as the start of the series of events that sent the club on its westward journey. In two short years -- and 50 years after the Dodgers and Giants left New York -- we'll likely be talking about the Marlins' impending move during this holiday week.

As for the current team, Carlos Delgado will be the next to go, probably Juan Pierre after that (to one of the teams that loses out on Johnny Damon). That may be enough of a payroll cut for this season. They won't trade Dontrelle Willis or Miguel Cabrera because they're not owned by the other 29 owners and if Jeffrey Loria decides to sell, he'll need some superstars to keep the value at a decent level. Either that, or he'll need the star power to convince Las Vegas -- or Charlotte or Mexico City or perhaps even Portland, Oregon -- to build a ballpark for him.

At least Loria won't have to worry about spending too much on top free agents -- after this off-season, there won't be many players who want to come to South Florida.

Can the Mets get Delgado? The fact that the teams are in the same division shouldn't matter, as Murray Chass points out. It's not like the Marlins will be competitive enough to be in a "rivalry" with the Mets the next two or three years. Besides, they've done it before, agreeing to pay a good chunk of Mike Hampton's salary when they acquired him from the Rockies and then sent him on to the Braves.

I think, in the end, the Mets will make the move for Delgado. Chass notes that Manny Ramirez can veto any trade now that he's a 10-and-5 player, so despite Ramirez's superior numbers, there are several reasons why Delgado may be a better buy: He's cheaper (per season), he's left-handed, he plays a position of need in New York and the Mets won't have to convince him to play right field, as they will have to do with Cliff Floyd or Ramirez (provided Floyd isn't dealt to Boston in order to get Manny).

It would probably take Yusmerio Petit to get Delgado, but he might be the only big chip or top prospect they'd have to deal. Add in Steve Trachsel (at, I believe, just $2.5 million next year) and you give Florida a solid veteran replacement for Beckett. Considering the apparent depth of pitching prospects the Mets have (Matt Peterson, Brian Bannister, Philip Humber, Mike Pelfrey if he signs), not to mention the emergence of Jae Seo and Aaron Heilman last season and a relatively young Kris Benson, dealing Petit shouldn't deplete them too much. I don't know that he's even the most major-league ready of all the prospects.

In spring training 2004, the Mets wouldn't deal Jose Reyes or Scott Kazmir for Alfonso Soriano, and it appears that stance will hold up as a good assessment of the players' abilities. (Though somewhere between March and July of that year, they somehow decided that while Soriano wasn't worth Kazmir, Victor Zambrano was. Which brings up another idea: Throw in Zambrano for Delgado.) And there was no way they were dealing David Wright, either. (The best assessment of them all.)

But for Carlos Delgado, I'll take the chance that Petit could become Scott Kazmir. At least Delgado has proven himself as a major-league slugger during the past 10 seasons, whereas Zambrano proved that he was an underachieving arm who couldn't catch up to his potential, even if that potential was blown out of proportion.

The Mets are better off

The Mets couldn't pull off the free agent trifecta.

In the end, I think the Mets are better off without Carlos Delgado. He's certainly a player you want on your team, and I would have taken him for four years at around $45 million, but to look at what the Marlins signed him for, I'm glad he went south. It would have been nice to keep him out of the division, but there's only so much you can do.

First of all, the guy's going to be 33 when the season starts. Carlos Beltran is five years younger and Pedro Martinez is a pitcher. It's different giving four years to a 33-year-old pitcher than to a 33-year-old slugger.

Second, you're taking him out of SkyDome as well as the American League. The pitching's going to be tougher and in addition to adjusting to a new league and a new city, he's going to be hitting in a less forgiving ballpark. Shea probably would have been better for him than Dolphins Stadium, but neither can promise him 40, 45 home runs the way Oriole Park would have.

Finally, the Mets need defense. With Mike Piazza behind the plate, Cliff Floyd in left field and Kaz Matsui learning second base (not to mention showing none of the defensive prowess last year he was alleged to have had in Japan), the Mets need a glovemaster at first base. I've been a proponent of this since November. I like the idea of someone like John Olerud scooping up whatever the young infield throws at him. That can only help Matsui, Jose Reyes and David Wright improve and gain confidence. I'd be happy to see Olerud come back to Shea, riding the 7 train again from Manhattan on gamedays. But it sounds like the Mets are on the verge of sending a Class A minor-leaguer and some cash to Boston for Doug Mientkiewicz and his baseball. ("Have you seen my baseball? Have you seen my baseball?") That would be a fine deal, too. Travis Lee is the worst option of the three, but he'd fill the void. Sorry, Jason Phillips, but you're strictly the backup catcher now. Maybe if you had hit .300 and knocked 15 or 20 balls out of the park you'd have a shot at a platoon or something.

What I don't understand about ESPN's coverage of Delgado's signing is the graphic that asked if Florida was now the NL's best team. I don't see how that's even a question because you can't even pinpoint the top team in the NL East, and even if you could, do any of them match up with the Cardinals? Maybe Florida has the edge in that fantasy category -- on paper -- but the lineup suffers a severe drop after the top five (Juan Pierre, Luis Castillo, Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Delgado, Mike Lowell). The rotation has nothing but question marks after A.J. Burnett. Can Dontrelle Willis pitch like he did in 2003 more than he did in 2004? Can Josh Beckett stay healthy? Can Al Leiter get through the fifth inning in less than 100 pitches? Can their rotation match up with the Mets'? Ismael Valdez vs. Victor Zambrano? Will Guillermo Mota have any trouble adjusting to the closer's role? Will they suffer a dropoff with him out of the setup role?

I think that until the Marlins get into camp, and perhaps not until they get through a month of the season, they've got too many things to figure out before you can think of them as the best team in the NL. The same goes for the Mets, and that's only whether or not you can consider them a playoff contender. Well, I think you can consider them a contender; they should be in it late into the season. But without a better bullpen, they'll end up fading in September, if not sooner.