A feeble 2007 free agent class has propelled MLB general managers back to the old school trade market at the annual Winter Meetings in Nashville this week.

While the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox attempt to out-maneuver each other in the bidding war for the services of Minnesota Twins ace Johan Santana, New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya is in a race for an ace himself.

No, not for Santana, those talks died when the Mets assured Twins GM Bill Smith Jose Reyes or David Wright are not available. Minaya’s strategy involves Santana, but only indirectly.

Here’s where it gets interesting, or confusing … or both.

The longer the Yankees and Red Sox are preoccupied with each other (and the Twins) to complete a deal for Santana, the Mets are scrambling to get a deal done with the Baltimore Orioles (Erik Bedard) or the Oakland Athletics (Dan Haren or Joe Blanton).

Why? The logic is simple.

The belief is, once a deal for Santana is complete, the field of buyers and sellers will shift. In all likelihood, Boston or New York (Yankees) will have added Santana to their rotation while the other is left holding the bag.

The loser in the Santana Sweepstakes will regroup and pursue Bedard or Haren, the two top pitchers believed to be on the market. Which means the Mets – along with Philadelphia, Seattle, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston and/or the Yankees – will all be making a their best pitch for Bedard, an emerging ace who finished 2007 with a 13-5 record and 3.16 ERA.

The market is still open on Haren and Blanton too. Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane is building demand for his young arms, knowing once a Santana deal is done, the remaining teams will begin a bidding war using top prospects.

“Billy [Beane] is waiting to see what happens with [Johan] Santana,” one MLB official told ESPN. “Once that deal goes down, he’s hoping to pick up the pieces.”

The Mets are expected to dangle Carlos Gomez, Aaron Heilman and Mike Pelfrey or Phil Humber. But will it be enough? Not likely. The Orioles turned down a similar proposal for Bedard last week. Meanwhile, according to Peter Gammons at ESPN.com, Beane has told the Mets “they do not have the talent he is seeking.”

Milledge Trade Bears Resemblance to Past Deal

Mets fans have a reflex reaction to last Friday’s Lastings Milledge trade was common.

Given their track record of Amazin’ bad trades, is anyone surprised? Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi, Tom Seaver for Pat Zachry, Steve Henderson, Doug Flynn and Dan Norman, Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano … uh, OK, point taken.

But I do have to resurrect one more historical blunder, only because it bears a resemblance to the Milledge deal.

In December 1969 the Mets traded Amos Otis to the Kansas City Royals for third baseman Joe Foy.

“I was watching the Today Show when Joe Garagiola announced that Amos Otis had been traded to the Kansas City Royals, along with pitcher Bob Johnson, for third baseman Joey Foy. I was caught off guard … I went from the team that had won the World Series to an expansion team that had just finished its first season.” – Amos Otis, Baseball Almanac

That season, Otis quietly played in 59 major league games, batting a slim .151, for a Mets team that went on to win the World Series. In 67 games over two seasons (1967 and 1969) he batted .178 in 152 at-bats. Still, Otis was considered one of the team’s top prospects.

“Gil Hodges was the manager,” Otis told Peter Golenbeck in his New York Mets anthology, Amazin’. “I wanted to play the outfield and he wanted me to play third base … I played only four games there … I wanted to play the outfield. I could outplay all their outfielders, out-throw them, out-run them, but I didn’t have the experience, so they kept me on the bench.”

“Amos never got a chance as a Met,” said former teammate Ron Swoboda, who is now Mets broadcaster with the New Orleans Zephyrs. “We had Cleon [Jones], [Tommie] Agee, Swoboda and [Art] Shamsky, and they’re looking at Otis and thinking, he’s hitting .151. Can this guy play in the big leagues? Well, he’s 22-years old. How do you know? That’s not a huge mistake, but rather a failure to read a guy.”

Sound familiar? Milledge is 22 years old. Milledge played in 59 games in 2007, but showed more promise than Otis, hitting .272. Then again, Milledge was a No. 1 pick in the draft, Otis was a fifth round pick in 1965 by the Boston Red Sox.

Otis went on to hit .277 over a 17-year career that included five All-Star appearances and three Golden Glove awards with the Royals. The jury is still out on Milledge.

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