Milliage to the Nats?
 

Rumor has it that the NY Mets shipped Lastings Milliage (who has been supposedly linked in deals for Roy Oswalt, Johan Santana, Dan Haren and other big time major leaguers) to the Washing Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schnieder. Very stange deal, any thoughts?

Look likes it official. Here is the ESPN link

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3135229

Schnieder I guess will be the Mets starting catcher. Church was highly thought of within Nats org but has been inconsistent over last couple of years.

I don't like that deal at all. I assume that means they aren't going to tender Estrada who I like better than Schneider to begin with. Church will be 30 and had the same average as the 22 year old Milledge had last year while hitting 15 HRs in 480 at bats as opposed to 7 in 180 for Milledge. This is baffling to say the least.

I feel sick right now. I haven't been so annoyed by a trade since Kazmir for Victor Zambrano.

The same division also, I am sure that Mr Milliage will stick it to the Mets more than a few times.

Milledge was a bigger prospect than Preston Wilson and at 22 already has parts of two years major league experience as opposed to Wilson who was 24 when he was traded and had two weeks of MLB experience. Yet we got Mike Piazza for Wilson, and Ryan Church and Brian fricken Schneider for Milledge. God this pisses me off.

I dont think it is that bad a trade at all if the Mets are trying to win now. Church had a sneaky good year last year hitting .272 with 43 2bs, 15 hrs, 70 rbi's, scoring 57 runs, with a .349 OBP and .464 SLG%. This was done starting 3/4 of the games in the worst park for hitters in the league. He bats left handed, can play all of the outfield positions well (he is a good defensive player) and will be willing to play a role on a team that may sit him against lefthanders. This will allow the Mets to give Alou (who quietly had a good year despite numerous injuries) rest aginst really tough righties especially since he isn't a 150 game a year player anymore. With Beltran in Center and Church and Chavez in the corner OF positions, the Mets will have the best outfield defense in the NL.
Schneider ( a lefty catcher) will most likely platoon with Estrada and probably be a late innings defensive replacment too. He doesn't hit much but is a way better defensive catcher than Lo Duca who was basically a terrible catcher whose main attribute was that he didn't strike out much. Of course he didnt have any power or even walk near enough to make up for the roughly 60 BB's or singles that he allowed to be doubles behind the plate. Estrada/Schneider is an upgrade over Lo Duca/Castro.

Milledge simply wont be effective as a part time player and the Mets cant take a chance at him flopping and trying to find an expensive replacement mid season. He strikes out too much, make only decent contact and probably not ready to handle the immense pressure that the Mets will have on them considering the collapse. He may just be the latest Mets phenom who wasn't. If he turns out to be the next Alex Rios I will admit I was wrong but I'm gonna guess he wont.

I hope you are right on Church but I can't get too enthused about a guy who didn't even have a decent season until he's 29. He strikes out once every 4.39 and a hitters ballpark (which Shea isn't but who knows what the new ballpark will bring) isn't going to help him with that. Milledge strikes out once every 4.38 at bats but one would think he has more room to improve on that than Church does.

I can't see them keeping three catchers so I assume they won't tender Estrada making him a free agent. They can't release Castro since they just signed him to a deal with guaranteed money.

You are right the NY papers said they would most likely not tender Estrada. I understand the Mets need to win now but Millage's potential is much larger than Church's production.

They will probably keep all three for now. Someone is always looking for a cheap back up catcher.

Church may not have that much upside but he is a better player than Milledge right now and being left handed gives them a lot more options. I think Milledge is going to be a bust.

Potential gets guys in NY fired. I watched the Mets play a lot (I'm a closet fan) and never saw the "greatness waiting to happen" from him. I know he has issues and is a couple of years older but Josh Hamilton is the type of young player that even non professionals like me can see have the talent to be great. Milledge should fare better away from the spotlight but I'm not convinced that he is going to be much more than a slower version of Corey Patterson with a bit more pop.

You may be correct, I may have a anti R.Church bias. I used to play fantasy bb and he drove me nuts. Every year was going to be his breakout year and every year he went back and forth between starter, bench and the minors. Now Milledge will probably to the same to others while I no longer play fantasy bb. I may have a *hit eating grin while it occurs to.

I think Church may be a better "real" baseball player than fantasy player

Maybe but I have a feeling in three years Milledge is going to be the guy that every fantasy baseball manager wants. I sure hope it isn't the case. I'm just completely F-in confused in this case. I want to at least hear Omar say that Schneidier can call a game while blindfolded and getting oral sex better than Estrada and Castro combined and then I'll feel better about it. Until then I'm convinced this is Kazmir for Zambrano all over again.

I am not a Mets fan and I think it is a terrible deal. All the talk around NY is that the Mets need a frontline pitcher. So they go out and trade one of thier biggest chips for another outfielder and a above average catcher. I thought given the chance (which he really never had) that Milliage had the chance to be a very special player with the Mets. Now that he will be out of the spotlight and playing everyday I think he will be an All-Star in the next couple of years. If the Mets wanted Schineder that bad then maybe they could have traded Carlos Gomez and a another minor leaguer and still ended up with him. I just think that they could have gotten a hell of a lot more than the 2 that they did.

Gomez might not be as major league ready as Milledge but I think he is much bigger bargaining chip than Milledge was at this point. If the Mets are going to get a top line starter it will be Gomez and one of their young pitchers that go. I almost want them to just wait on the pitcher until the trade deadline. Maine and Oliver Perez pitched good enough last year to be a #2 and #3 starter. If Pedro stays healthy that isn't a bad top three for the pitching staff. They would then need two of El Duque, Pelfrey, Humber, and Sosa to step into teh bottom two spots. If during the season Pedro goes down and two of those guys haven't stepped up then make the trade for a starter. A team not in contention is going to be more willing to make a trade of a free agent to be at that point anyways.

Haren can be moved from Oakland?

Based upon hype this may come true but based upon performance I doubt it. Kazmir is a much better pitcher than Milledge is player. And if Minaya let it be known that Milledge was available and the rest of baseball thought him a special players, dont you think that they would have been all over this deal? You guys think Milledge is good because you heard the same reports that everybody did. But in real live play he is either not ready, cant handle the NY scene or is just not that great. The Mets have a better chance of winning now with Church.

What makes you think he will be an allstar? This guy aint Barry Bonds revisited. He strikes out alot, doesnt get on base much, has no baserunning skills, is an average fielder, has average power and seems to not exactly be fitting in with the team. If he was a 5th round draft choice and this trade was made no one would have noticed. His hype has not translated to production yet. They aren't trading a future Albert Pujols

So they say but Billy Beane will want alot.

I heard Minaya's interview on WFAN yesterday afternoon. He stated that both the A's and the Orioles had no interest in trading for Milledge. His value decreased after his sub par performance in the field. His attitude certainly didn't help either.

He is only 22, granted he has alot of growing up to do. But next year he will be playing with a team that is more his age and with not the expectations that the Mets as a team will have and all of New York City has for Milledge himself . He played less than 60 games last year and I think he showed signs of being special. Granted his numbers aren't great but he only had 184 at bats last year, and the majority of them were in the 8 spot. Granted there is not a ton of protection in the Nats order, but you have to think that Manny Acta will have him out there every day. I don't think that they traded the next Pujols, but they should of got guys that are better than a catcher that has a lifetime .252 BA and an outfielder that is a question mark too, but 6 years older. Let's see what he does when he plays 140 games.

For a guy who batted in the 8 hole he only walked 12 times. Bad sign. Meaning he has no plate disipline or the pitchers thought he was someone who they could get out. Protection is only an issue with good hitters, no one is pitching around this guy right now. Catchers are not measured with batting average and Church had a pretty good year in a dreadful hitting park. You can bring this post back and rub it in my face next year but I can see him being a Carl Everett type who never lives up to his potential. Next year .264 .318 .422 16 Hrs 74 RBi's.

I do not think that Rome will be built in a day with this guy. It might not be next year or even the year after, but I think the light will eventually go on. Hell he is still just a kid.

And I dont think the Mets can wait 2 or more years with a team that relies heavily on guys like Pedro, Alou, Delgado, Castillo,Wagner. They need to win now and I believe that Omar thinks these 2 guys give him a better chance. As a lefty, Church is a better fit for the team as it is currently constructed.

On another front did Delgado look like a cooked goose or what?

Aside from the pitch, he is major key/question.

His bat speed was really off. He just never got untracked all year. If he wasn't playing hurt he has slipped a lot quickly.

He will be 36 next season. There is alot riding on him and Alou (who I personally never liked, but he was unbelievable last year). Do they still have Shawn Green?

What about Matsui to the Astros

Lateral move. Houston cant contend with the team they have now.