Friday, August 21, 2009

Billy Don't Be a Zero: Mets must get value for Wagner

There has not been much to cheer about this year in Metland, but at least Billy Wagner made his way back from Tommy John surgery. Good for you, Billy.

But will it be good for the Mets? Not if they make a waiver deal with the sole goal of saving money.

Sure, there are a lot of zeroes in the money still owed Wagner - $3.7 million - but the Mets have a rare opportunity to add a decent prospect to their barren farm system. Don't blow it!

Just the possibility of the Mets dumping Wagner just to save money inspired me to write a column for the Faster Times on whether it is ever acceptable to put your fantasy team ahead of your real team.

For the record, I said no, even when what little there is to root for with the Mets these days keeps disappearing. I even came around to rooting for Gary Sheffield before his true colors finally came out.

By the way, Lisa, Michael Bowden is one of the Red Sox' top prospects and is on Mack's Mets' wish list of players the Mets could get for Wagner. Yes, the same Michael Bowden who is getting pounded by the Yankees tonight.

He really is a good prospect - maybe the Yankees will help the Mets by lowering Bowden's value.

Though knowing the Mets, they would probably end up instead with Brad Penny.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

THats it!! Penny for Wags AND Sheff. Sadly that will probably happen.

Jonmouk71 said...

Yankees helped the Mets tonight - their pounding of the Sox pitching will likely mean that the Sox will have to give up somthing valuable for Wagner. And unless there is something physically wrong with him, Penny was a decent NL pitcher - but I think Omar will want a prospect.

mhochman said...

I don't really understand trading Wags, yes, he's older, Yes he was injured, yes he is owed a lot of money, But i'm sure if we trade him we'll get crap in return, Wouldn't it be better to hold onto him and see how he pitches next year, or better yet, See how J.J. Putz is after his injury. if JJ isn't what he used to be, Wags could make a good 8th inning guy, if JJ is what he used to be, then he's a much more attractive trade piece than Wags, being much younger. Unless we are dumping salary to bring on high priced talent next year, i just dont understand.

Anonymous said...

hochman, $10 million for an 8th inning guy? One who has said that he wants to be a closer? don't forget he is coming off of major surgery and is 38 years old. get what we can for him and move on at this point.

Anonymous said...

I am a red sox fan and in the past few days have been reading numerous blogs by mets fans on how the mets should aqquire prospects from the sox for Wagner, and I must say that mets fans are truely stupid if they think they are going to get anything of value for a 38 year old former closer still owed over 3 million dollars. Some names I have heard include Ryan westmoreland, lars Anderson, and michael bowden, all of who are top prospects with real potential to be impact major league players. There is no way theo is going to trade even a mid level prospect, let alone top ones, for an old player with a history of collapsing down the stretch (2007 mets). Mets fans need to stop living in a fantasy world, and realize that your team will be lucky to get a scrub in exchange for the sox eating wagners salary, with the more realistic situation being he mets just letting Wagner walk. That way the mets can spend that money more wisely, although they probably will sign another washed up loser.

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