Mets general manager Omar Minaya finally made a move. But it’s not the type of move that is going to put the Mets anywhere near the top of the division.
On paper, it would be tough to prove the Ryan Church for Jeff Francoeur deal is any more than a wash. Both are outfielders who have had their ups and downs. Thought to be a perennial all-star when he first came up with the Braves in 2002, Francoeur has had a major power outage the last couple of years. He has five home runs and 35 RBIs.
Church, who spent some time on DL this season, wasn’t any better. He has just two homers and 22 RBIs.
So why make the move? Simple. A change of scenery can do wonders for a player. It was widely reported last year that Church didn’t like New York. After the way his concussion ruined last season for him, it would’ve been perfectly understandable if he wanted to be moved.
I wrote in Thursday’s print edition (July 9) that Minaya wasn’t going to make any big moves this season. And to be perfectly honest, Minaya’s hands are tied. It is going to take more than just one impact player to help the Mets.
The Mets need at the very least three impact players to get the season turned around. And to be perfectly honest, the Mets don’t have the depth on their major league roster or in the farm system to bring in what they need right now. To bring in several high impact players the Mets would have to part with anywhere from five to seven of their top prospects, plus two players on the major league roster.
Truth be told, the Mets are better off riding out this season and letting their big guns (Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado) come back when they are ready. No need to sell the future for the present.
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