Gregory Gewirtz

As a member of the Justice for Heilman squad, it's been a tough year for me. Even though I respect Heilman's general work between 2005-2007, nobody denies how dreadul he's been in 2008, and even when he was pitching well, he was never untouchable. As one small part of salvaging the 2008 season, I wonder if the Mets could deal Heilman for a similarly-downtrodden OF - a young player with some past, but not recent success who might be available. I'm not suggesting such trades would solve all of the Mets problems, but they might be an incremental step towards regaining some dignity. Heilman should still have some value as a young-ish reliever with a good track record and as a a pitcher who might still be worth a shot in the rotation.

I thought of three guys who might fit this category, all on teams going nowhere with obvious prospects behind the players I mention to fill in for them - I imagine all three of these players should be available at the right price. I don't know if a 1-for-1 trade is appropriate in any of these cases, but for discussion's sake, what if the Mets were to trade Heilman for:


1. Mark Teahen

Teahen is the youngest of the group at age 26. As an outfielder and a first baseman, he could theoretically take over for Alou or Delgado in 2009 if he hits will enough, as his 2006 season suggests he could.


2. Bill Hall

Hall is the most versatile player here, having logged significant time at 3B, SS, CF, and some at 2B. He had pretty good years in 2005 and 2006. I imagine he could be in the mix for playing time in LF and 2B, or he could be turned into a Chone Figgins-type supersub.


3. Brad Hawpe

Hawpe has had the most obvious offensive success, but as a Rockie, he's the toughest to project. His splits show that he hit well on the road, back when he used to hit.

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TheBigScungilli

I like Bill Hall out of the 3. I think his slump is due to the constant shuffling the Brewers do with him. He would definitely get a lot of OF time in this lineup.

graves9

Hall strikes out a ton and is a wretched defensive player(no matter what position he plays) Pass on him.

kingdiggler

Omar will trade Heilman for Willy Mo Pena...Book it!

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"To avoid being mistaken for a sellout, I chose my friends carefully. The more politically active black students. The foreign students. The Chicanos. The Marxist professors and structural feminists."

Barack Obama


It ain't socialism, it's his thug thizzle.

graves9

Thanks for giving that dolt the idea.

metman

Those guys are stiffs, no thanks. Sadly, we needed an Arod type or a young PHENOM. No more average guys or .250 hitters or 'semi names'. Mark Teahen? And bill hall is an exceptionally over-rated player. No thanks. Just another stiff.

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SHUT Your FESTERING GOB...You TIT!

A$$hole from El Paso

I did some digging on younger players NOT starting on their respective teams and think the Mets could do worse than take a chance on any one of them:

Delwyn Young LA Dodgers (He's stuck behind Ethier, Kemp and Pierre).

John Bowker SF Giants (He's stuck behind Lewis, Rowand and Winn).

Jarrod Saltalamacchia TEX Rangers (What's his story? He's behind on the depth chart at three positions. Granted, after giving up Texeira to get him, the Rangers would be loathe to admit a mistake so quickly.)

Ryan Spilborghs COL Rockies (He was the backup outfielder until Hawpe and Holliday got hurt. Check out the minor league numbers).

A Heilman+ package might land these attractive reserves with youth and talent who have not yet gotten a shot. After all, going into 2009 we have an outfield of Beltran, Church (if he ever recovers) and no one.

One "old timer" (at age 31) perhaps worth pursuing is Brad Wilkerson. He's got good pop and could sub at 1B, too. You could probably land him straight up for Heilman. For better or worse, despite not being Hispanic, he has history with Omar from their Expos days.

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Originally posted by KingDiggler:

I'm glad he's finally seen the light

Paulie Cee

Wilkerson is a wild-eyed K machine with no power.

lgm6986

I wouldn't call Hawpe a stiff. The guy hit .290 with 30 homers and 120 RBI just last season. Maybe he's a product of Coors Field, maybe not.

A$$hole from El Paso

I'll give you the K machine part -- as most power hitters are -- but NO POWER? Just last year he hit 20 HRs and 60 RBIs in only 338 ABs. He has hit as many as 32 in a season. How many NY Mets players are going to hit 32 this year? Wright maybe. Anyone else?

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Originally posted by KingDiggler:

I'm glad he's finally seen the light

Gregory Gewirtz

Wilkerson was non-tendered by the Rangers this past offseason and then the Mariners released him several weeks ago before the Blue Jays signed him. Whether or not he's useful to the Mets is another argument, but I doubt the Mets would have to trade Heilman to acquire him if the Blue Jays made him expendable.

Saltalamacchia is still considered a top-flight catching prospect. He's probably worth a lot more than Heilman. If he's available for some reason, I'd like the Mets to pursue him, but I'm not sure what they could offer the Rangers.

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MetfanBren

Send Erin down and let her start a couple of games. Call her back up if she gets it together. I would have no intention of giving her any starts with the Mets, but maybe she's just not pissed off about that enough anymore? I would rather have Brian Stokes right now, who's actually pitching lights out when not on the road in the PCL. Maybe he could actually give the pen an arm that can strike someone out from time to time...

dak11

You can't be serious thinking you'd get Saltalamachia or Spillsborgh in a package centered around Heilman.

METSSC

The one thing Heilman has been able to do this year is strike people out. 35 in 32 innings pitched.

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GET THE PIECE OF CRAP McGimpy OFF MY TEAM NOW!!!!!

The McGimpy does most things upside down: eats, sleeps (an average of 23 hours per day), mates, and gives birth. Because of the McGimpy's upside down life, many of the McGimpy's internal organs (liver, stomach, spleen, pancreas) are in different positions from other mammals. McGimpy sometimes lets out a cry or hissing sound.

During the rare times the McGimpy goes down to the ground (such as to change trees for food), it moves very slowly.

Paulie Cee

Anyone who hits 11 home runs and K's 150 times in 565 at-bats is a bonafide Piece O' Sh*t.