Chief to New York?
While you’re waiting for the Seattle Mariners to use Freddy Garcia as the centerpiece of their most momentous midseason trade since, well, they acquired Freddy Garcia — in a deal with Houston for a tall lefty, if memory serves — remember that desperate times call for desperate measures.
Only it’s not the Mariners who are desperate; it’s their potential trading partners, under pressure to make the move that enables them to stay in contention. (Watching others squirm: An underrated benefit of falling 13 games out of first place a week before Memorial Day.)
And nobody is more desperate to make a move and stay in contention than the New York Mets. Remember them? The Mets are New York’s Other Big League Team, the off-Broadway alternative to the $200 million production of “The Lion King.” Mets news is relegated to the inside pages of the Gotham tabloids, sandwiched between the harness racing entries and the arena football results.
As we speak, New York’s Other Big League Team owns a surprising 23-23 record, worth third place in the N.L. East. But it has reached a critical juncture — 12 games against Florida and Philadelphia — with a starting rotation depleted by the ailing shoulder of left-hander Al Leiter. Wednesday night, for instance, the Mets were forced to call upon Matt Ginter (0-1, 5.06 ERA before Wednesday’s game) against the Phillies, and though Ginter pitched well, the Mets still lost. Saturday in Florida, they’ll give the ball to the immortal Jae Seo.
The Mets would love to acquire a top-tier starter, but as general manager Jim Duquette lamented to the New York Daily News on Monday, “there are not an awful lot of sellers right now. It’s mostly a standoff. A lot of teams haven’t made up their minds. There are some teams that have gotten off to a slow start and haven’t seemed to want to pull the trigger on something yet.”
Relax, Jim. I’m here to help.
The Mariners have made up their minds; they want to pull the trigger on a Garcia trade. But can you produce what Seattle needs? Can you give up two or three position-player prospects, one of whom is a potential star?
As it turns out, the Mets have precisely what the Mariners need. His name is David Wright. A 21-year old third baseman that turned down a scholarship offer from Georgia Tech to become the 38th pick of the 2001 draft.
Wright’s stock took off during the offseason in the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .341, with only eight strikeouts in 82 at-bats.
Wright, who hit .272 during his first three minor-league seasons, is raking at a .338 clip this year at Class AA Binghamton, with an on-base percentage of .452.
“He hits the ball to all fields, with power,” Binghamton manager Ken Oberkfell recently told Baseball America. “He hits it well to right-center field, and has shown he can turn on a good fastball. He’s got at least 20-home run power, and maybe 25 or 30. He’s got that kind of ability.
“He looks very good at third base. He’s got good range, an above-average arm and good hands. All he really needs is playing time and experience.”
Wait. There’s more.
“He does all the stuff you can’t teach, because he just has a savvy and a feel for the game,” Oberkfell went on. “He plays the game hard every day and plays the game the right way every day.”
True, a dedicated player’s Class AA manager is not the world’s most impartial observer. But scouts who’ve seen Wright share Oberkfell’s enthusiasm.
One knock on the kid is that he sometimes tries too hard. The criticism conjures memories of Jeff Cirillo, he of the soft hands at third base and the vacant stare in the batter’s box. Don’t go there. Cirillo’s head-case tribulations were unique.
Memo to general manager Bill Bavasi: Dance with the Mets. Demand that Wright be the main man in a Garcia trade that would also include one of the two offensive-minded catchers in the Mets’ system (Justin Huber or Mike Jacobs). Oh, and just for fun, ask for one of their promising young minor-league outfielders, a group that includes Victor Diaz, Craig Brozell, Prentice Redman and Esix Snead.
Bavasi can’t be blamed for proceeding with caution. If he makes a mistake on Garcia — his ace in this poker game — a rebuilding season could turn into a rebuilding era. But Bavasi can’t afford to drag his feet, either.
Pittsburgh starter Kris Benson (3-3, 4.63 ERA), a potential free agent, is expected to go on the market. Benson could be joined by Randy Johnson, who has the right to refuse a trade — but who might want out of Arizona, which is in the process of reducing its payroll as it retools its roster.
And, of course, there are the Mets themselves. If they go into a skid over the next two weeks, they’ll no longer be willing to trade prospects. There’s more than one way this window can close.
But as of today, Jim Duquette is eager to the point of desperation for a starting pitcher.
Oblige him, I say. If the Mets want to go to work on trying to win New York back from the Yankees, why not let them help the Mariners win in 2005?