More on Jorge Julio and John Maine; What's Next

I wanted to get some sort of heads-up on John Maine, the prospect the Mets landed in the Benson deal. Searching around on the web has brought up relatively little. Heading into last season he was rated as Baltimore's #6 prospect by Baseball America. He seems to have been rushed through the Orioles' system. He was drafted in 2002 (6th round) and was already at the AAA level in 2004. He had good numbers until being moved to AAA, and has struggled at that level and during a 10 game audition with the Orioles at the end of last season.

The struggles have caused his star as a prospect to fall somewhat:

John Sickels, Minor League Ball, 11/20/2005
6-11, 4.56 in 23 starts for Triple-A Ottawa, though his component ratios were up to previous standards. Hit hard in 10 games in the majors, with a poor 24/24 K/BB in 40 innings. I still think he will be a useful pitcher but I don't like him as much as I used to.

He is a tall, lanky pitcher and some of his struggles seem to be due to poor mechanics, and being rushed through the system probably didn't help. Still, if he hadn't fallen as a prospect, the Mets wouldn't have gotten him in the Benson trade. Now it remains to be seen whether the Mets really want him or see him as a chip in a trade for Barry Zito.

Julio is a huge risk for the Mets. His numbers have been falling and he seems to have the same makeup problems that plagued Armando Benitez. There is an element at Mets games that could really get on this guy if he struggles in the same way he has at Baltimore. Omar could look like a genius if he puts it together and becomes the star he seemed to be a couple of years ago. Omar could wind up wearing the dunce cap if he bombs. Omar seems to be willing to go the high-risk, high-reward route quite a bit. Let's hope it pays off.

New York Times: Weaver next on the agenda?
Ben Shpigel reports on yesterday's trade. Besides acquiring Julio to compete for a bullpen spot and John Maine to compete for a starting job or get flipped in another deal, Shpigel speculates that shedding Benson's salary might be a precursor to one more important deal:

By shedding Benson's $7.5 million salary from the payroll for 2006 and 2007, Minaya may also be positioning himself for another, bolder move. The free-agent starter Jeff Weaver is still available and would most likely command a high price. Weaver, 29, has an excellent repertory and has proven durable, averaging 199.4 innings a season over his seven-year major-league career. He could slide nicely into the rotation of a team with grand expectations. "Yes, we have some flexibility," Minaya said of the team's reduced payroll. But as to alternatives to in-house pitching options available on the free-agent market, "There's not much out there," he said.

I wouldn't be opposed to signing Weaver if it was the one-year, now-go-prove-yourself type of deal. Anything longer than that would be foolhardy until he proves he can pitch in New York.

AP: Heilman's Role
David Ginsburg also reports on the trade. Omar Minaya is quoted regarding the Mets motivation for the move:

We were able to get a power arm on the back end of the bullpen and we were able to get a young player, Maine, who had pretty good numbers in the minor leagues. It gives us some depth. Now Aaron Heilman can get an opportunity to start.

There was some question whether Aaron Heilman would get a chance to compete for the fifth starter's job, and Omar's words would indicate that he will have the opportunity. It's also obvious that the Mets wanted very much to move Benson and his salary out of New York, though of course no one will actually say it. I'll be curious to see what they might do to spend that salary.

MetsDaily.com: Interview with Kevin Czerwinski and Ted Robinson
John Strubel offers two new audio interviews this weekend, with MLB Mets beat reporter Kevin Czerwinski and former Mets play-by-play man Ted Robinson.