A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews.

 
The 'New' Mets

Nothing satiates the appetites of the Mets front office like the availability of overpaid mediocre pitchers. Now they are set to acquire Kaz Ishii from the Dodgers for catcher Jason Phillips. The Mets will now have traded both Phillips and Vance Wilson and are heavily relying on Mike Piazza to catch, despite the steep decline in Piazza's offensive and defensive skills.

Even with the Dodgers throwing in some cash, this is not a move I like. Ishii had an ERA last season of 4.71, while Matt Ginter, who would have replaced the injured Steve Trachsel and been the Mets number 5 starter, had a 4.54 ERA. Jae Seo, another option, started 52 games for the Mets over the last two seasons, with a 4.22 ERA.

Of course, this trade is not as awful as the acquisitions of Victor Zambrano and Kris Benson. I like Phillips, but he had a terrible season last year, at least at the plate. Ishii can be bought out after the 2005 season, and may be motivated to pitch effectively more consistently.

But given that the Mets had two very capable backup catchers, and that Piazza can't be relied upon to stay healthy, it's difficult to understand why GM Omar Minaya rushed to trade Wilson to the Tigers. The Mets now have no catcher of the future.
posted on 3/20/2005