Omar’s Dilemma

The sports talk shows in New York have been alive with Mets fans debating whether or not the Mets should trade for Barry Zito. In my years as a New Yorker and a Mets fan, I’ve never heard so much talk about a move or not making a move that had fans so divided. Lets face it, the real dilemma here is for Mets general manager Omar Minaya. He is almost in a lose-lose situation. No GM in baseball is under more pressure right now than Minaya (well as much pressure as a division leading GM can have).

First all Mets fans should praise Minaya for the job he has done since he was hired to turn around the Mets. Can anyone really say that the Mets would have Pedro, Beltran, and Delgado if Minaya weren’t the GM? Minaya has said that he relates to Latino players better. Fair enough, but I still I don’t think Jim Duquette would have flown down to the Dominican on Thanksgiving to get Pedro on board to join the Mets.  

In the past offseason Minaya made two moves that made Mets fans second guess his abilities. Of course I am talking about trading Kris Benson for Jorge Julio and John Maine (a forgotten piece of that deal) and Jae Seo for Duaner Sanchez. At that time the radio shows were alive with Mets fans claiming Minaya was trying to turn the Mets into an all Latino team. Those trades have proven to be critical to the Mets success.

Sanchez has arguably been the best arm out of the bullpen and getting Julio allowed the Mets to get El Duque. Yes Hernandez is 85 years old, but he is still a big game pitcher. John Maine could be a future number three pitcher for the Mets and recently has thrown sixteen shutout innings. Right now I would absolutely want Kris Benson back, but in the playoffs or any big game there are very few pitchers who have been as historically reliable as Hernandez.

So now Minaya has a problem. And lets be honest, this could be the biggest move he does or does not make. Of course I am referring to Barry Zito. There is not a Mets fan out there who can honestly say that the Mets wouldn’t be better off with Zito. Many believe they are going to walk through the National League and get to the World Series, so with Zito it would be as certain as just about anything.

This certainty comes with a cost. At first Billy Beane insisted on getting both Aaron Heilman and Lastings Milledge for Zito. But now things have changed and reports say that it will just take Milledge.

First lets take say the Mets trade Milledge for Barry Zito. Here is what we know: Zito is great pitcher. Many teams would love to have him and when he becomes a free agent we will see just how many teams that is. Can anyone say for sure that Milledge is a great player?

Nobody doubts that Lastings Milledge has all the tools to be a great baseball player, but there is absolutely no certainty that Milledge will turn out that way. He had moments of greatness when he was called up (i.e the clutch home run against the giants) and forgettable moments (i.e his debacle in left field at Fenway). Zito is a proven pitcher who has excelled at this level. Right now nobody can say the same for Milledge. In the first round with Pedro, Glavine, and Zito it would be remarkable if the Mets did not take the best out of five series.

Now lets look at the other side (not making the deal). The Mets starting rotation is not the greatest. You have Pedro who has been banged up and Glavine who hasn’t been pitching well as of late. The question has been who do the Mets go to after that? Trachsel, Hernandez, Pelfrey, Maine; none of whom are as good as Zito.

Here is the kicker, Zito would be a “rent-a-player.” He is a free agent after this season and Scott Boras is his agent. You could bet your life that there is no way that Boras doesn’t take Zito into the free agent market after the season. For the Mets to retain him it would probably involve a truck load of money and a bidding war with their cross town rivals.  

Cliff Floyd is probably not going to be a Met after the season so naturally Milledge would take his spot in left field in 2007. If the Mets were to make this deal, they would have to go out and get a corner outfielder. Obviously it is easier to get a quality corner outfielder than a quality starting pitcher, but the Mets would be trading their best prospect for a player they may not be able to retain for 2007.

Omar has to make a decision that is going to irritate half of the Mets fan base. I am a Mets fan and I can’t tell you what the best move for the team is. I could only imagine what Omar Minaya is going through with an entire fan base eager to find out what is going to happen.

If he makes the deal and the Mets get knocked out in the first round, can Mets fans be angry? I really don’t think they can. If he doesn’t make the deal and the Mets get knocked out, well let the second-guessing begin.

The bottom line is right now the Mets have their best chance to win the World Series for the first time since 1986. I could write an entire article making a case for each side. Second guessing is going to be part of running a team, but I am sure Omar knows that his largest role in the organization is winning a championship. It is nearly 2 am on Sunday and the clock is ticking for the Mets and their fans. Right nowI know one thing for certain; me and Omar Minaya are both awake thinking about this trade.