Trade Jose, Carlos, David, K-Rod for 8 Prospects

The Bleacher Report had a bunch of blockbuster trades they sugeested yesterday. Included were:



Giants Get: SS Jose Reyes… Mets Get: SP Zack Wheeler, SS Brandon Crawford, 3B Conor Gillaspie


Red Sox Get: RF Carlos Beltran and RP Francisco Rodriguez… Mets Get: OF Josh Reddick, RP Michael Bowden, and cash


Rockies Get: 3B David Wright, 2B Brad Emaus… Mets Get: SP Chad Bettis, SP Christian Friedrich, 2B Chris Nelson, 3B Josh Fields


Someone might want to tell Joel Reuter, who wrote the Wright piece, that Emaus is long gone. I’ll take Fields off the list.


So, what if the Mets did all of these trades before the end of the season. I’m not going to bother to add up the money saved but it’s a bunch.


And what do the Mets get in return?


Pitching:


RHP Chad Bettis – From: http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/fantasy/article/2011-top-10-prospects-colorado-rockies-and-san-diego-padres  - 5. Chad Bettis / SP/RP / Bettis' varied repertoire fits the mold of a starter more than reliever, and it appears that Colorado will give him every chance to prove he can start. The initial results have been positive. 21-yrs. old – 2011: - A+” – 4-4, 4.30, 88-K, 83.2-IP – ERA: 2014


LHP Christian Friedrich - From: http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/fantasy/article/2011-top-10-prospects-colorado-rockies-and-san-diego-padres  - 1. Christian Friedrich / SP / Many have jumped off the Friedrich bandwagon, but, despite some warning signs, my respect and expectations for him have not slipped. He went through an elbow injury and command issues during his ugly 2010 season, but his exciting repertoire is still accounted for. Expect a dramatic bounce-back year. – 23-yrs. old – 2011: - AA: - 5-5, 3.89 – ETA: - 2013


RHP Zach Wheeler – from: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/736680-san-francisco-giants-zach-wheeler-and-10-best-prospects-in-the-farm-system#/articles/736680-san-francisco-giants-zach-wheeler-and-10-best-prospects-in-the-farm-system/page/10  - Zach Wheeler is generally regarded as San Francisco's top pitching prospect—and often considered the organization's best overall prospect. He was rated the 55th-best prospect in the nation by Baseball America. With a repertoire including a mid-to-high-90s fastball, a curveball and change-up, Wheeler is projected as a front-end of the rotation starter. In 11 starts for San Jose this year, the Giants' 2009 first round pick is 6-2 with a 3.26 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. He has 68 strikeouts to 33 walks for a solid 2.06 strikeout-to-walk ratio. - top Giants pitching prospect – 21-yrs. old – 2011: A+: - 6-2, 3.26 – ETA: 2014





RHRP Michael Bowden – from: http://www.soxprospects.com/players/bowden-michael.htm  - Bowden has an arsenal of four pitches: (1) an 88-92 mph four-seam fastball that can top out around 94 mph, (2) an average 12-6 hard breaking curve, (3) an excellent circle changeup, and (4) an 83-85 mph slider that he added in 2009, which he hopes to use as an out pitch down the line. Also developing a cutter in 2011. His main pitch - the four-seamer - has a late, heavy sinking movement, and he generally keeps it down in the zone. Bowden can also work in a two-seamer that is a few mph off of his four-seamer, with a bit more movement. His deceptive changeup sits in the low-80s, about 10 mph off of his fastball, with action moving away from lefties. His mid-70s curve is sharp and he keeps hitters at bay with it, but he definitely telegraphs it too often. Overall, Bowden has an excellent command of the zone. One aspect that should come with more experience is improved pitchability against advanced hitters. His mechanics are somewhat unconventional in that his delivery is quite compact and he doesn't pull back with a lot of torque. Relies more on arm strength than leverage. Still, he's able to maintain consistent arm action throughout his outings, so the Sox haven't messed with his delivery. Bowden is said to be a workaholic and just loves to pitch - another player who just lives and dies for baseball. Very athletic and focused and intense on the mound. – 24/yrs old – MLB – 0-0, 1.69 – ETA: - 2011



Hitting:


2B Chris Nelson – From http://www.scoutingbook.com/players/p2172  - A power-hitting infielder whose development was hampered by a number of injuries culminating in Tommy John surgery, Nelson is back to mashing balls and eyeing the roster in Colorado. Since he's blocked by phenom Troy Tulowitzki upstairs, Nelson is a likely candidate to be moved to second base in the near future. If this happens, he'll become the Rockies best 2B prospect for the years to come. 25-yrs. old – 2011: - MLB: - .274./.292/.484/.776 – ETA: 2011



SS Brandon Crawford – from: - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Crawford  - Crawford was selected in the fourth round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft by the Giants.[1] He was ranked the sixth best prospect in the Giants' organization by Baseball America in 2011.[5] He was called up to the majors for the first time on May 26, 2011.[6] Crawford made his MLB debut the following day against the Milwaukee Brewers, and his first hit came in his third at bat of the game and was a grand slam off the Brewers' Shaun Marcum. He joined Bobby Bonds and Brian Dallimore as Giants whose first career Major League hit was a grand slam;[7] he also became the sixth player in MLB history and the second player in Giants history along with Bonds to hit a grand slam in his first game. - excellent defensive shortstop – 24-yrs. old – 2011: A+: .322/.412/.593/1.005 – ETA: - 2013



3B - Connor Gillaspie – from: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/717606-san-francisco-giants-prospect-peek-top-five-hitting-prospects-thus-far-in-2011#/articles/717606-san-francisco-giants-prospect-peek-top-five-hitting-prospects-thus-far-in-2011/page/2  - Conor Gillaspie was selected by the Giants in the first round of the 2008 amateur draft. Gillaspie is hitting .291 with 3 home runs and 29 RBI in 49 games so far in 2011 for Triple-A Fresno. Since Gillaspie is a third baseman, he may not see much playing time at the big league level any time soon because Pablo Sandoval is at that position. But with the Giants' needs changing seemingly day-by-day so far this season, anything's possible for Gillaspie's immediate future. - blocked by Pablo Sandoval – 23-yrs. old – 2011: AAA: - .286, 4-HR, 35-RBI – ETA: - 2011


OF Josh Reddick – from: http://www.soxprospects.com/players/reddick-josh.htm  - Reddick is a naturally-gifted athlete that can put the bat on the ball. He's a contact hitter with a quick bat and very good present power. He has a sweet-looking uppercut swing - starts with his hands held high then brings them low-and-up through the zone. Creates good lift on the ball when he turns on it. An aggressive hitter at the plate, he needs to improve his plate discipline. He swings at a lot of balls off the plate, and he can also get pull-happy on occasion. Needs to work on hitting to all fields. Has shown some resistance to the Sox disciplined approach, but his pitch recognition and approach have improved after some seasoning. His frame is athletic and lean, with some potential to fill out. If he adds strength to his wiry frame, there's not much limit to his power potential. In the field, Reddick has above-average range to go along with excellent arm strength and outstanding accuracy. Great hustle, always goes all out. Reads the ball well coming off the walls. Can play all three OF positions well, probably best suited for right field. Some scouts have commented that Reddick has the range to be a full time major league center fielder. - 24/yr .old - 2011: - MLB (21-AB) - .429/.480/.667/1.147 – ETA: 2011


Thoughts:


Well, most importantly, you can’t spend any time looking back at what was lost. You have to figure out what your team looks like now.


Reddick, Gillaspie, and Nelson can step right into Queens. I don’t consider any of these three potential superstars.


The key to this is the SPs. Adding Bettis, Friedrich, and Wheeler, to a list of Mejia, Harvey, Familia, Niese, Gee, and Pelfrey sort of guarantees you a killer rotation for years to come.


Your thoughts?