For the large majority of the season, both teams have played like garbage. How would you fix your team whether for now or the future?
Deal Heilman to Pittsburgh (they'd probably love to try him out as a starter) for the X Man and another arm, plug X into left when Old Man Alou is out, plug him in at 1st when Old Man Delgado is struggling. Free Willie, break the bank to bring back Bobby V. Incorporate sushi concessions into Citi Field to make him feel at home. Bring back Valentin in a coaching role to mentor Reyes.
As a yankees fan trade almost all the 30+ year old players for younger talent whether thats starters on other teams or prospects. Id start letting some of existing talent gain xp in the big leagues and start sitting some of the crap we got now. Mets need to fire randolph hire someone with alittle more energy to be the coach. They seem way to lethargic since last year and the slide. Need help in the middle rotation Heilman and Sosa seem to be the main pitching problems. Maybe trade away Alou and allow Pagan to start again. Possibly Castillo as well for a new 2nd baseman.
With the Mets is has to start with firing Randolph. I don't care if he's a nice guy or if the players are behind him 100%. The fact of the matter is that a coach just can't only be friendly with their players, he's gotta show some fire, make people accountable, and just can't let players be lax in their fundamentals. If we could break the bank for Bobby V then I'm down but if not bring Oberkfell up from AAA, he's supposedly a damn good coach. Player-wise, if we could somehow pull off a Heilman + Alou (or in a fantasy world, Delgado) for Nady, I'd be thrilled. Pittsburg could value Heilman as a starter which increases his value to other teams. We could pay for the remainder of Alou's contract if it comes down to it. Either start Nady in LF and have him rotate in for Delcrapo at 1B every few games with Pagan in LF or release Delasswipe and start Nady at first with Pagan in LF as the starter. If we can somehow give them The Useless One, just start Nady at first and rotate Pagan in with Alou. Bring up Willie Collazo or Eddie Kunz to replace Heilman in the pen and just wait and hope for the best with Pedro. Hopefully a kick in the ass like those moves will get them kick-started.
Possibly the most unrealistic trade I've ever seen. Do you really think that the Pittsburgh Pirates would want to trade their best hitter (Xavier Nady - .324/7 HR/38 RBI) AND another pitcher, for a guy that has trouble making it through an inning each time he is put into a game? Where the hell do you come up with this shit? If the Mets ever had the chance to trade for Nady again, they would likely have to give up Niese, Parnell and probably Carp. Way to kill what is left of the farm system.
I'm done arguing the manager point. It's being so played out anymore. Again, as far as Nady, these trades are just ridiculous. As of the start of the season, the Pirates ranked 26th in the league in payroll at roughly $50 million. Who in their outright mind would want to trade their best hitter for Aaron Heilman of all people, and either Moises Alou (who is always hurt and is making $8.5 million) or Carlos Delgado (who has fallen off the face of the earth with the bat and is due AT LEAST $20 million at the end of the season)? And you want to buyout the contracts or pay Alou's contract to take it off your hands? Why replace Nady with a 40+ year old outfielder who doesn't play more than 200 at-bats a year? Good luck. I swear Mets fans think that this team is just going to toss around money and pull off impossible fantasy trades. Before you come up with these trades, at least think about it from the other team's perspective and not just one side. Get real.
Wow. My post was largely tongue in cheek. Even if it wasn't why be an asshole about it. I'm no expert in trade valuation, I'm just a fan who's frustrated with the club, still mad we had to give up X, and want to talk about it here. That said, I'd love to hear some more realistic possibilities (if any) from you for the Mets to improve. Your input in that respect, after taking quite a bit of time to slam 2 posters for daring to contribute subpar ideas, was noticeably absent. And - take this for what it's worth of course, I'm no expert - I do think you undervalue Heilman. It's obvious, even to me, that he's been horrendous this year but I think many teams - especially those completely desperate for starting pitching - could be convinced that a change of scenery and the starter's role he always wanted might revitalize a youngish pitcher with good stuff. As for X, I've read stories that indicate Pittsburgh would not or at least should not be averse to dealing Nady, that he always starts hot, is at the absolute height of his value for a deal, etc. Here's one from a perfunctory google search (its almost a month old but I believe the point is still valid): http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08120/877445-63.stm
