http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/jon_heyman/07/31/mets.trade.deadline/index.html The final piece Minaya may trade Milledge for Oswalt or Schmidt Posted: Monday July 31, 2006 1:24AM; Updated: Monday July 31, 2006 1:34AM The New York Mets are engaged in serious talks for two superb starting pitchers who carry the potential to stamp them as a World Series favorite -- Giants right-hander Jason Schmidt and, in something of a shocker, the Astros' Roy Oswalt -- league sources told SI.com. Mets general manager Omar Minaya was debating late Sunday night whether to surrender one of the biggest pieces of the Mets' future to acquire either Schmidt or Oswalt and greatly enhance his team's immediate chances. The asking price for both Schmidt and Oswalt is believed to revolve around multi-talented young outfielder Lastings Milledge. Should Minaya land either Schmidt or Oswalt without surrendering anyone off the club's current major league roster, he'd be landing a major body blow to the rest of the National League, which is already a few laps behind the Mets. "If the Mets get one of these guys, they're pretty much a World Series lock,'' one competing NL executive said. Based on his history, you'd think Minaya's natural inclination is to go for the gusto and grab either Schmidt or Oswalt. And yet, he appears to be seriously weighing whether he wants to relinquish Milledge, the 21-year-old outfielder who's been touted as a "five-tool'' player. Contacted late last night at the Miami hotel where the Mets are staying, Minaya declined to comment on the scenarios said to be before him. Milledge was the only key name known to be connected to the Schmidt talks, while Brian Bannister is believed likely to be used to enhance a deal for Oswalt, who unlike the free agent-eligible Schmidt can't test the market until after the 2007 season. Milledge is viewed as one of baseball's best prospects, a multi-talented player who could patrol center field for years to come -- if he played for someone else. The Mets already have NL MVP favorite Carlos Beltran in center. If the packages need to be enhanced, the Mets could also dangle young right-hander Aaron Heilman. The Mets view Heilman as only a reliever because his repertoire is limited to two pitches (a stellar changeup and above average fastball) but several other teams see Heilman as a starter, and he's looked lost lately coming out of the bullpen. The Mets have been very reluctant to surrender Milledge in most deals, although they have been willing to trade him for Florida's great young left-hander Dontrelle Willis (the Marlins are believed to want Mike Pelfrey in addition to Milledge, a non-starter as far as the Mets are concerned). Milledge is a former No. 1 pick with tremendous bat and foot speed, but there are questions about his maturity after a couple small incidents this year and doubts on the part of some as to whether he'll ever exceed 25 home runs. He batted .233 with three home runs in a short stint with the Mets this year and is hitting .278 with seven home runs and 12 stolen bases with Triple-A Norfolk. While Minaya has also spoken to the A's about left-hander Barry Zito, it is believed he is focused on Schmidt and Oswalt, the type of hard throwers he'd prefer for his playoff rotation. For Zito, the A's have also been asking for Milledge and Heilman. But Mets people believe the harder-throwing Schmidt or Oswalt would fit perfectly between Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine, two Cooperstown-bound pitchers who are finesse pitchers at this point in their glorious careers. It isn't altogether surprising that Schmidt, who is 7-7 with a 3.18 ERA, would become available with the Giants falling to third place in the NL West after losing their seventh straight game, the last three defeats coming against Pittsburgh, the worst team in the NL. Giants GM Brian Sabean is very secure in his job and doesn't have to scrap for every victory, which explains why he's considering a deal such as this. Sabean also is seen as having an excellent chance to sign back Schmidt as a free agent. The appearance in trade talks of Oswalt, who is 8-7 with a 3.23 ERA, is much more surprising in that Houston has never suggested that it's anything other than a buyer in the trade market. However, Astros GM Tim Purpura is desperately trying to add offensive weapons to a staid, sagging lineup, and was also known to be seeking either Miguel Tejada or Alfonso Soriano after losing out on Carlos Lee. The Astros trail the Reds by six games in the wild-card race. The Mets have a playoff spot practically wrapped up, but their playoff rotation is a serious question mark after Martinez and Glavine. While some Mets officials are believed in favor of surrendering Milledge in one or the other of these two blockbuster possibilities, Minaya is said to be waffling about whether to hurt the organization's future to take his best shot at a World Series title now.
This is all just so fu%*in' stunning! If they were going to sell, you'd think Clemens, Pettitte, but <i>jeez</i> .... This gotta be b.s. I mean come on, the Mets?!
these articles aren't helping my anger. there just has to be something that oswalt is saying to them that the organization doesn't like. if you're trading oswalt, you're A) giving up on the season and probably a lot more since he's almost irreplaceable and B) a moron.
Could all this talk about Oswalt have anything to do with the fact that he seems ready to test free agency and the Astros are afraid tehy are going to lose him eventually for nothin?
Yea. The Astros are a great organization, so I have to believe he must be telling them he won't resign or something. There's no way they pull a Dawson and go schizo on us.
Um, has Fat Timmy Poodle ever heard of a guy named Pence? This is verging on r****ded. If Roy is on another team tomorrow . . . i will burn my Astros hat. In other breaking news, Roger Clemens has been traded to Kansas City for a hot commodity in Brandon Duckworth.
The only thing I can think of is the article SI had on Oswalt where he said he was thinking of only pitching as long as it took to qualify for the highest tier of pensions for after baseball. But that's still like 10 years in the major leagues. Otherwise, there's no way Roy O's name should have come up in trade discussions unless it was the last name another GM says before Timmy P. hangs up on him.
well as the texans and rockets have shown you anything can happen. i don't have a problem with getting mario williams or shane battier, but short of roy demanding a trade or refusing to sign an extension, the astros can't possibly spin an oswalt trade in a positive light.
I guess another unfortunate reality might be that Roy is asking to be traded. This whole evening is just making me more and more angry. I only trade Oswalt for major pitching prospects. You never trade a #1 starter for a shortstop, or outfielder. Cant this monday end?
i'm just gonna go ahead and pretend i haven't seen roy's name in about 3 different trade threads so i can sleep well tonight. and even if i did see his name in 3 threads, he can't be a FA for another season right? trade him then if he won't resign. F doing it now.
man, i'd hate to say it, and believe me, i LOVE oswalt, and i realize this puts me in the .0000001%, but i'd be lying if i said that isn't extremely enticing, especially with him saying that he plans to test the waters. i'll still be shocked if it happens, and the chronicle claims that roy's off the market anyway, but it is blantantly obvious that this team needs a new direction, and damn, this kid is 21 years old, and the odds of him not developing appear to be a longshot. and outfield with pence and milledge could be fun to watch for a long time to come. throw in hirsh and all these young arms, lance, burke, maybe ensberg....that's a fun team to build around. i'd be shocked if timmy p had the nuts, but i'll give the man props if he does. and i wouldn't fault him one bit.
i don't think you trade great starting pitching for great hitting and you certainly don't trade one of the best pitchers in the game for a prospect no matter what the odds are against him busting. young talent is exciting but in any way shape or form we envision the future, it should include oswalt wrapped up in a fat long contract. he can certainly anchor the rotation for atleast the next 5 years. if we're going to trade oswalt for a prospect we might as well trade lance cause he's even older. clemens as well. you just don't trade roy oswalt if you're intention is to win this season.
And then you remember that most even A+ prospects rarely pan out to the hype. And then you remember that Oswalt is the most dominant starting pitcher in the National League.
I wonder if the Astros tried to sign Oswalt to a contract extension and he refused to do anything until he became a free agent. If the Astros have a gut feeling that he will leave as a free agent then now would be the time to trade him when he has the most value. I still would take my chances when he becomes a free agent though.
um, call me crazy, but i don't think trading oswalt for lastings milledge indicates an intention to win this season bro. it pretty much means the exact opposite.
