Mets Hot Stove: 2 Interesting Tidbits

A couple of interesting articles I found since posting the morning news:

AP: Some clarification from Omar
In an Associated Press update on Omar's noon conference call, Omar made it clear that he made an offer both to Bengie Molina and Ramon Hernandez. In my previous posting, I had the impression from a George King article in the Post that an offer was only made to Molina. According to Omar:

I was honest. I let them know I have two offers out there. They're both very good catchers. We might possibly go the trade route, also.

This seems a wise decision on Omar's part. Both of these catchers will probably be really expensive, maybe even overpriced. It's smart for him to keep his options open and not make a strong commitment to either one, which would only drive the price up higher.

Omar also refuses to rule out obtaining Manny Ramirez from Boston. I'd be surprised if they made this move unless the Red Sox were willing to eat a lot of contract, in which case it would cost the Mets maximum in talent. I don't know if the Mets will get Manny, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them pick up one more right handed power bat to complete their lineup.

Baseball America: Trade Analysis
Jim Callis of BA weighs in on both the Delgado and Cameron trades, among others. He offers opinions on all 3 prospects the Mets gave up, including:

• Yusmeiro Petit: "Petit's command and deception, more than sheer stuff, give batters fits."
  
  
• Mike Jacobs: "He's a left-handed pull hitter with power, though it remains to be seen if big-league pitchers will exploit his lack of plate discipline."
  
  
• Grant Psomas: "A gap hitter with some pull power, he understands the strike zone but is still working on pitch recognition. He's an average defender with some arm strength."
  
  

Callis also offers the following on Xavier Nady:

Power is his best tool and nothing else in his game stands out as a plus. His long swing has led to strikeouts and mediocre batting averages, and his speed and defense (at both first base and the outfield corners) are just so-so.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but, as Callis says, "Nady doesn't seem like a tremendous return for Cameron... but the Mets couldn't play Cameron at his best position and will use the savings on his contract to pursue free agents this offseason." This basically is the entire supporting argument for this deal.