Not sure what to think about the Milledge deal

I'm confused by this deal. Two things are obvious, or seem so:

1.) Johnny Estrada will be flipped elsewhere.
2.) The Mets aren't getting Johan Santana.

Brian Schneider will team with Ramon Castro, perhaps as something close to a straight platoon, since they bat left and right, respectively. And since the Mets just signed Castro to a two-year deal, Estrada is the one out. He can also be non-tendered and become a free agent, which makes the deal to get him basically a Guillermo Mota contract dump. Nothing wrong with that, either.

As for Santana, I don't see how the Mets could land him if, as reports have said, the Twins aren't wild about the Mets' pitching prospects and now they've dealt one of their younger outfielders. Would Omar Minaya trade Carlos Gomez away now that Milledge is gone? I doubt it. It looks like Church and Gomez will team up to be the right-field platoon ... and then both will start the 40 games Moises Alou misses.

This does balance out the Mets, as Marty Noble points out, though Bill Ladson's source may be misguided if he thinks Church will be the everyday right fielder. I'm not so sure of that. Shawn Green is definitely gone now. Church is effectively Green, minus four years. In 14 more games, Church hit five more homers, drove in 24 more runs and hit .019 points lower (.291 to .272), which really isn't too bad. Church is a better defender, too.

It makes for an interesting dynamic in D.C. It's clear Milledge has talent at the plate, and his defensive shortcomings were one reason the Mets were willing to deal him. But he's also had attitude issues, and so putting him on a team with Wily Mo Pena and, perhaps more importantly, Dmitri Young will be interesting. To his credit, though, Young had a stellar season under the radar, causing no problems on or off the field. He really didn't have a history as a malcontent, but in the sports and entertainment worlds these days, one bad year can make or break your reputation. Plus, it's not a bad outfield -- on paper -- with Pena, Milledge and Austin Kearns around in right.

So now do the Nats go with Jesus Flores as their catcher (whom they plucked from the Mets in the Rule V draft in December 2006)? He was a very limited backup last year because the Nats had to keep him on the 25-man roster or offer him back to the Mets. I'm not even sure he reached Double-A in the Mets' system, so he could be ticketed for the minors for more seasoning. The options on the free-agent market are slim. There seem to be only three who would be worthy of regular (at least four or five games a week) No. 1 duty: Michael Barrett and perhaps Rod Barajas and Paul Lo Duca. But Lo Duca wants, I believe, a ridiculous four-year deal and has also said he wants to go to a team "committed to winning." I don't doubt that the Nats are committed to winning, but I'm sure Lo Duca really means "on the verge of winning." The Nats could be in that position by the end of a hypothetical four-year deal for Lo Duca, but unless their pitching takes immense leaps and bounds forward this year and next, that's unlikely.

I don't see this deal quite as one-sided as Keith Law does, in part because he's going on potential. Yes, Milledge has the potential to be the best player in the deal, but he's not. Yet. At the moment, it's an even trade that helps both teams. We'll wait to see how well Milledge develops before truly evaluating it. Ever since the Scott Kazmir deal, Mets fans are ready to leap off the ledge when a prospect is discussed in trade talks, but they're not all going to turn into stars. Alex Escobar was once the top prospect in the Mets system and seen as a five-tool guy, and his career hasn't gone anywhere.

Milledge's will go somewhere, but until it does, you can't kill the Mets for dealing from a position of strength (and outfield is probably their strongest area throughout the system) to fill two key -- and starting -- needs. Teams these days are holding onto their prospects because they're cheaper than free agents and established stars, not because they're becoming gun-shy. Boston gave up some pretty solid players in Anibal Sanchez and Hanley Ramirez to land Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell, and they may do it again to land Santana. The Yankees won't discuss Joba Chamberlain, but that's really as simple a decision as it was to designate Derek Jeter the shortstop of the future from 1995 on. But if Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes remain to form the top three of the Yankees rotation in the new stadium in 2009, only then will there truly be a new way of thinking when it comes to dealing prospects.

Because the Mets are one of those teams where money isn't as much of an issue, they may be better off signing a marginal free-agent pitcher instead of betting the farm (system) on a trade. The Twins have better offers from the Red Sox and Yankees for Santana, and the loser of that sweepstakes (which could be both teams, should Minnesota back down) could still use the package for Oakland's Dan Haren. The O's will probably hold any team hostage before dealing Erik Bedard (the way the Marlins are in regards to Miguel Cabrera), so as a Mets fan, I'd rather see the team hold onto Gomez, Fernando Martinez, Mike Pelfrey, Phil Humber, Aaron Heilman, et. al. and take a chance on a Bartolo Colon, Carlos Silva or Livan Hernandez. Silva will cost a bit, but Colon should come cheaply with an incentive-laded contract that will pay him more if he stays healthy and pitches more. Hernandez would fill nicely Tom Glavine's 200 innings and should come at a rather reasonable price -- that is, cheaper than Silva.

Verlander expected, but Ramirez a surprise ROY

Justin Verlander as American League Rookie of the Year wasn't too surprising -- as the margin of victory showed -- but Hanley Ramirez's NL ROY was quite the upset. Sure, he was considered a contender, but that description usually came with a caveat along the lines of "after Dan Uggla and Ryan Zimmerman."

Clearly, Ramirez and Uggla did not draw too many votes from one another as teammates, since both finished in the top three. But Ramirez's four-point victory over Washington's Ryan Zimmerman was the smallest margin in the 26 years that the Baseball Writers Association of America has used the 5-3-1 scoring system for the postseason awards.

This outcome shows just how interesting this system is. Two writers in each National League city (or American League, for AL awards) submit ballots on which they name, in order, their top three candidates. First-place votes get five points, second place nets three and third place garners one. Zimmerman, who had 101 points, was named on 29 of the 32 ballots -- 10 in first place, 16 in second and three in third. Ramirez, though, earned his 105 points on just 27 ballots -- 14 first place, 11 second and two third. So looking at it another way, that means 29 of 32 writers thought Zimmerman was one of the three best rookies in the National League in 2006, but only 27 of 32 thought Ramirez was among the top three. It's kind of like Al Gore winning the overall popular vote for president in 2000, but George Bush getting the election based on the point-scoring system, aka the Electoral College.

As for the stats...

	AVG	R	2B	HR	RBI	SB	OBP	SLG	OPS	F.Pct.
Ramirez	.292	119	46	17	59	51	.353	.480	.833	.963
Zimmerman	.287	84	47	20	110	11	.351	.471	.822	.965

Pretty comparable, with Ramirez's runs close to making up for the difference in RBIs. The shortstop's 11 triples to Zimmerman's three account for the difference in slugging.

I think, in the end, it was a toss-up. It came down to a leadoff hitter vs. a three-hole hitter, an emerging power guy who drives in runs vs. a speedy leadoff guy (with power) who scores them. The two should be NL All-Star reserves for years to come.

Rookie of the Year Awards upon us

I've given up the New Jersey minor league blog I've been attempting to write for NJ.com, so hopefully I'll have more energy and inspiration to write here.

We shall see.

But the postseason awards are upon us -- the Rookies of the Year will be announced tomorrow. To me, one seems obvious, the other an interesting situation.

First, the obvious...

American League Rookie of the Year

At different points this season, there were what seemed to be clear frontrunners. First there was Jonathan Papelbon, who shot out of the gate with a nearly perfect April and cruised for a few months from there. But he tired, then got hurt and didn't finish September. He barely finished August, and his fall coincided with Boston's.

Then came Francisco Liriano, who was moved from the Twins' bullpen to the rotation and couldn't seem to lose. Overlapping his emergence was another that was just as expected: that of Jered Weaver, who tied an AL record by winning his first nine decisions (or starts; I'm not positive which). Liriano, though, developed an elbow problem, had to take himself out of a September start, and underwent Tommy John surgery last week and won't be seen on a mound again until spring training in 2008. Weaver pitched well enough, but struggled a little in his final starts, though that wouldn't have been enough to take the award away from him on its own.

But what earns Detroit's Justin Verlander the recognition is his steadiness and consistency throughout the season. The hard-throwing right-hander was pretty consistent each month, winning at least two games per month and losing more than two in a month only once. The only month in which he didn't make at least five starts was July, when he was given two weeks off around the All-Star break to save his arm for the stretch run -- which proved to be a very wise move.

This should be a pretty easy win for Verlander, with Liriano, Papelbon and Weaver following him in that order.

National League Rookie of the Year

Does the quietly solid and only sometimes spectacular player win it, or does the out-of-nowhere guy who made a big splash get it? Or does the latter player's team hurt his chances?

Second guy first. Of all the rookies on the Marlins -- I believe they used 33 this year, 28 of whom were regular contributors -- Dan Uggla was the most spectacular and the most consistent. He also got all the pub, becoming the first Rule 5 draft pick to make an All-Star team in his rookie season. Uggla seemed to be the Marlins rookie who caught on the quickest, while the other solid hitter with a case -- Hanley Ramirez -- started slowly, then came on strong over the balance of the season. But will Uggla, Ramirez and pitchers such as Josh Johnson draw vote from one another? That's a very strong possibility.

So I think Washington's Ryan Zimmerman will take it. Z was the only rookie this season to drive in more than 100 runs, and he made highlight reels with more than a few game-winning walk-off hits, including a walk-off two-run homer to beat the Yankees in June. I think Zimmerman edges out Uggla for this one.

I'll get to the other races as the week goes on.

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.