Blue Jeans Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 From Saturday's NY Post: October 21, 2006 -- AARON Heilman finished the Mets' year and should be the beginning point to their offseason. The Mets should trade him now, NOT because he allowed the two-run, ninth-inning homer to St. Louis' Yadier Molina that decided the NLCS, or because of worry Heilman is Scott Norwood or Mitch Williams and will crumble in the aftermath of such a high-profile personal failure. The Mets should trade Heilman because they place less value on him than so many other teams. And, please, let's not listen to what the Mets say about appreciating Heilman's worth. Given the choice, they picked Brian Bannister to start over Heilman. And Willie Randolph managed as if he liked both Duaner Sanchez and Guillermo Mota better to set up Billy Wagner. Meanwhile, many rival teams see Heilman as no worse than a No. 3 starter or a closer. As one AL GM said, "Equipment-wise, he is a starter." An NL scout who thinks Heilman would be an excellent starter said Heilman began mixing a cutter and splitter to his changeup-fastball strength, thus giving him more of a starter's repertoire. Another AL GM, who thinks Heilman has the stuff and makeup to be a closer, said, "Heilman's stock is very high in this relief market. The supply (of available, quality relievers) is so bad, you should maximize value." GM Omar Minaya said he thinks Sanchez will return with no problems from a shoulder injury suffered in a taxi accident, and that Mota was no fluke. Thus, the Mets are well covered in righty setup men, especially if they can re-sign Chad Bradford. Thus, the time is now to take Heilman, before he is too expensive and loses value, pair him with Lastings Milledge and try lassoing a prime-aged starter who will be the transitional piece atop the rotation from Tom Glavine/Pedro Martinez to Phil Humber/Mike Pelfrey. Offer that Heilman/Milledge package to Florida (which needs a center fielder and a closer) for Dontrelle Willis; to Baltimore (Orioles GM Jim Duquette was with the Mets when Heilman and Milledge were drafted) for Erik Bedard; and to San Diego for Jake Peavy, and see if there is the making of a deal before delving into other markets. The Mets have no intention of spending exorbitantly on Barry Zito, probably will lose out on Japanese import Daisuke Matsuzaka (possibly to the Yankees), and word is Jason Schmidt wants to stay on the West Coast. Of the next free-agent tier, the Mets should focus on Vicente Padilla, who has the best stuff but does have off-the-field baggage. The White Sox's Freddy Garcia is available and intriguing, and Atlanta's Tim Hudson could be available, but he has too many red flags, even if Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson loved him in Oakland. As for the rest of the rotation, the Mets need to work out Glavine's option and keep Orlando Hernandez on a one-year pact. The strong work in Games 6 and 7 by John Maine and Oliver Perez should add encouragement that they can be at least bottom-of-the- rotation pieces. The Mets then would have Dave Williams in long relief/spot starter, Martinez as a potential midseason gift returning from shoulder surgery, and the talented trio of Bannister, Humber and Pelfrey stashed at Triple-A. The missing piece for 2007 and moving forward would be someone such as Willis/Bedard/ Peavy. The Mets can be pretty certain their pen and lineup will be strong next year. They need to find a second baseman, preferably righty hitting, and an intriguing possibility is Rich Aurilia, a New Yorker who was signed to his first pro contract by a Rangers scout named Omar Minaya. Minaya loves free agent Julio Lugo. But so does new Cubs manager Lou Piniella (who had him in Tampa Bay) and the Red Sox, so the price is going to get steep. The Mets need a righty hitter to be no less than a caddy in left, especially if Milledge is moved. Xavier Nady was ideal. The Mets could try to go high-end offense by trading for the Yankees' Gary Sheffield or signing Moises Alou. Or the Mets can try the more complementary route by dealing for Detroit's Craig Monroe/Marcus Thames, Cleveland's Casey Blake, Arizona's Eric Byrnes, Toronto's Reed Johnson or even Pittsburgh's Nady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Jeans Posted October 22, 2006 Author Share Posted October 22, 2006 In my opinion, we should just start Heilman, he'd be an exceptional #4-5 for us. Rotation come April: FA Glavine Heilman Maine Perez Lowest producer gets the boot when Pedro comes back. There's some nice youth in there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gateb Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 I'd be fine with that rotation. Maybe Pelfrey earns a spot in Spring training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feefifoefum Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 The Mets should trade him with Milledge only if they get a guy like Oswalt, or another sure fire ace, in return. I do not like Milledge at all and do not want him in the outfield next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gateb Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 The Mets should trade him with Milledge only if they get a guy like Oswalt, or another sure fire ace, in return. I do not like Milledge at all and do not want him in the outfield next season. It'd be nice if we can sign Zito and trade for Dontrelle and than sign Jermaine Dye. lol, like that'll ever happen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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