New York Mets Hot Stove Moves, Part 1

We'll be taking a look at some of the moves Omar made this off-season, from significant signings to controversial trades.

11/9/2005 - Signed LHP Matt Perisho to a minor-league contract
In his quest to find a decent lefty for the bullpen, Omar's bringing in any LHP with a pulse to camp. Perisho has bounced around with several teams, including the Angels, Texas, Detroit and last year with the Marlins. He has a lifetime 6.39 ERA, walks a ton of guys, and is only okay at getting lefties out.

11/15/2005 - Declined options on Felix Heredia and Kaz Ishii
Addition by subtraction. 'Nuff said.

11/18/2005 - Traded Mike Cameron to the San Diego Padres for Xavier Nady
This is the move that started all of the off-season "fun". It came as no surprise that the Mets traded Mike Cameron, but fans were hoping to receive some bullpen help in return, and certainly more than faded prospect Xavier Nady.

Once considered to be an outstanding power-hitting prospect, Nady hit poorly against right-handed pitching, was a marginal defensive player and struggled to earn playing time on a team that desperately needed an offensive spark. At 27 years old, and with 775 lifetime ABs, many think Nady has proven to be only a candidate for a platoon, and simply not enough in return for a full-time Gold Glove caliber centerfielder in a market short of quality CFs.

Omar may believe in Nady more than the "experts", but this was a salary dump, plain and simple. Omar didn't want to play a defensive right fielder $6 million. Nady makes a fraction of that, and Omar used the money saved for Carlos Delgado.

Did he get enough in return for Cameron? Of course not -- if he wanted to maximize Cameron's value he would have held onto him until the CF market got even thinner, but the risk there was that he would get stuck with more salary. I believe Omar made the deal because it accomplished exactly what he wanted to do -- clearing a lot of salary and bringing in a young player with some promise. Many speculate that Nady was intended to be moved out in a trade for someone else -- perhaps Barry Zito -- that fell through. I thought that was a strong possibility. For lack of any real evidence we'll leave that there.

So what can we expect from Xavier Nady? I found an article by FOX's Kevin Kennedy that opined Nady still had 35 HR potential, but most other sources see him more as a part-timer primarily used against left-handed pitchers. He'll compete with Victor Diaz for the RF job. If he loses that battle, he'll still probably see playing time in RF and in LF spelling Cliff Floyd.

Who got the better of the trade? Probably San Diego, as long as Cameron comes back all the way from the injury. Don't discount the fact that dumping $5 million in salary helped to bring in Carlos Delgado, though.

11/15/2005 - Traded 1B Mike Jacobs, RHP prospect Yusmeiro Petit and INF prospect Grant Psomas to the Florida Marlins for 1b Carlos Delgado and cash.
I wasn't a big fan of this move when it was first discussed -- mainly because Delgado didn't really seem to want to come here. Now that doesn't seem to be a problem, and I can't kill Omar for this trade. He gave up a lot in Jacobs and Petit, but he brought back the true cleanup hitter that the Mets so desperately needed.

Omar got a lot of flack from this trade for allegedly overpaying when the Marlins were desperate to get rid of Delgado's salary. There are some worries about Delgado's age (he'll be 34 in June) and history of injuries (he hasn't played in 150+ games since 2001). What can't be argued is that he is still one of the elite power hitters in baseball (33 HR, 115 RBI, .582 SLG in 2005). He put up impressive numbers in a tougher hitter's park than Shea, and bats left-handed, a much favorable side for a power hitter in Shea.

I think there were several things working here. I believe that the Marlins needed more from a team in their own division than they might have accepted from a team outside of the division. Omar spoke of a sense of urgency to make this deal before free agent 1B Paul Konerko signed and more teams looked harder at Delgado. It was easy for some in the media to discount this in hindsight, but I think it was a valid point.

So what can we expect from Carlos Delgado? I'd be surprised if he didn't bat over .280, with 30+ HR and 100+ RBI. Julio Franco should spell him often enough to keep him fresh. He'll probably decline over the last 2 years of his contract, and the way the Mets are structured he'll have company on the career downside. Still, for a lot less money and playing a less demanding position than Manny Ramirez, he was a much safer bet to remain somewhat productive through the life of the contract.

Who got the better of the trade? That remains to be seen. In the short-term, most likely the Mets. In the long run, if Jacobs isn't a Kevin Maas type wonder -- and I don't think he is -- and Petit fulfils his potential to be a solid mid-rotation starter, the Marlins will probably come out ahead. This was a win-now move, so much depends on whether the Mets actually manage to win.

Coming Next: In part 2, we'll look at Billy Wagner, Paul Lo Duca and more...

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New York Mets Hot Stove Moves, Part 1 (current page)
New York Mets Hot Stove Moves, Part 2
New York Mets Hot Stove Moves, Part 3
New York Mets Hot Stove Moves, Part 4
New York Mets Hot Stove Moves, Part 5