Omar Minaya Draws a Line in the Sand

The trade deadline came and went and the Mets' General Manager Omar Minaya did not make a major move. Some Mets fans went ballistic. Just like last year, Omardid not go after a stud pitcher like Barry Zito to improve the Mets in August and September and of course the playoffs. I was very pleased.

As Omar looked for starting pitching as well as bullpen help, he would not include any the young prospects– Lastings Milledge, Carlos Gomez, Fernando Martinez, or Mike Pelfrey.

Let's face it, the Mets are a combination of youth and veterans. The core of the future: David Wright and Jose Reyes were not even born when I started watching Dwight Gooden at Shea. However, Alou, Green, Delgado, Lo Duca, Pedro and Glavine are all past their prime and at the tail end of large contracts.

Fast forward to Opening Day 2009 at CitiField. Imagine a line up of Jose Reyes, Carlos Gomez, Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Lastings Milledge. The Mets will just keep coming after you, hitter after hitter, running and running. These guys will get on base, pressure the pitching and making things happen.

Bottom Line: Omar Minaya did the right thing. He did not risk the future for some short term relief. Gomez and Milledge will be very cheap and keep the payroll down to get some veterans on the team. I would prefer risking it all with the team we have this year to guarantee the success in the future. I want to watch the Mets be competitive well into my 40s. (I am 35.)