The off season is upon us and the game shifts from on the field to across the table. The free agents have filed or will file shortly and teams are preparing in the direction they want to go. All the while knowing that a lot of other teams have similar plans. Much has been said about the Mets from every angle. Some say they will spend big this winter, some say it will be far less and with second tier players. Some have them buying their acquisitions and some have them trading for them. One thing is for certain, no one really knows the direction, maybe not even Omar Minaya at this point.
So, I pose this beginning scenario. Trade for Roy Halladay. Assuming he is willing to waive his no trade to go to the Mets, I say get him here. It is clear the Mets need at least one, in not two starters. The free agent pitchers available include a good number two (John Lackey) and a bunch of solid number threes and fours (Garland, Wolf, Marquis, etc.). Halladay represents a second force for the team in the pitcher's league, the NL.
I know all the debates about trading away all your talent, blah, blah, blah. The problem is, prospects are just possibilities until they perform on the big stage. I could name you a lot of big time prospects that have never done anything. Alex Escobar, Lastings Milledge to date, Gregg Jefferies, are just a few and that is just Mets prospects.
I say trade away and get the known commodity. Hit the Latin American developmental leagues, keep drafting and make minor trades to bring back additional prospects to replenish after wards. Elite players are needed to get to the playoffs and beyond. Halladay would be a good start.
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