As Angel returns, Mets deal Church

by Mike Trovato

So it looks like Omar Minaya finally got around to reading some blogs after all.

The Mets GM announced late Friday afternoon that the club had traded Ryan Church to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Jeff Francoeur, a swap of right fielders between the division rivals. The deal was made official about an hour before game time, stealing the headlines from Angel Pagan, who was activated from the disabled list after missing five weeks with a strained groin. Pagan cited dehydration from an excess of caffeinated drinks in his diet as a potential cause of the injury...

Alright, I suppose Pagan's return didn't have back-page potential, but even if it did, Omar Minaya exercising the privileges that come with the General Manager title is a much bigger story, and good for him. We were all starting to think he had forgotten some of the minor details his job description actually entailed, you know, like making trades and improving the ball club and things of that nature. Better late than never I suppose. Maybe Omar isn't a spiritual guy; I hope I'm not the only one who sees a slight shred of irony within the transactions made by the Mets on Friday afternoon, getting rid of Church the same day Angel returned. I digress.

The trade for Francoeur is a somewhat curious one, one that makes you scratch your head at first. Church is hitting .280, but has just 2 home runs and 22 RBI. Francoeur isn't exactly having a standout season either, batting .250 with 5 HR and 35 RBI. Truth be told, swapping two right fielders who are putting up no more than average numbers seems questionable, but Omar Minaya is no shallow puddle, and this trade is deeper than the numbers on the surface.

First, there's the issue of age: Church is 30, going on 31 this October, whereas Francoeur turned 25 this offseason. While both are under contract through 2011, Francoeur will be just 27 when his contract expires.

In terms of hitting, the Mets saw a glimpse of Church's potential at the beginning of last season, when he hit above .300 with 10 home runs and 36 RBI before suffering a concussion (pictured left). Church never overcame the ill-effects of the injury, after the Mets medical staff botched how it was handled, and upon his return, he hit just .219 through the remainder of the season.

Jeff Francoeur, on the other hand, has been the definition of durability. Since breaking into the majors in 2005, Francoeur played all 162 games in each of his first two full seasons, 2006 and 2007. He started 155 games in 2008, but the games he missed include a brief period in early July when he was optioned to Triple-A after going 8-for-66 between June 14th and July 3rd. He continued to struggle after being recalled, until heating up a bit and batting .286 in September.

The biggest knock on Francouer is his lack of patience at the plate, reflected by his career .308 on-base percentage. What the Mets are looking for is to discover his monstrous upside, which he flashed a few years back in 2006 and 2007. In his first two full seasons in the bigs, Francoeur put up back-to-back 100+ RBI seasons, averaging 24 home runs.

In addition to his recently untapped power, Francouer brings to the table tremendous defensive talent. He has yet to make an error this season, and had 19 outfield assists in 2007, tied with Alfonso Soriano and Michael Cuddyer for tops in the league. New York will need his arm in the cavernous right field territory at Citi Field, and his sure handedness can only help the Amazins, who are 6th worst in the National League in errors committed.

Francoeur, an Atlanta native, will have to adjust to the New York media, much as Church did graciously, proving to be a class act during his interview following the breaking news. Though he was "shocked" about the trade, Ryan cited no hard feelings between himself and the Mets organization, despite rumors that he and manager Jerry Manuel did not see eye to eye. Church said he hoped that Met fans would cheer him when he returns to Citi Field as an Atlanta Brave next week.

As for the Mets, hopefully the arrival of Francoeur will spark some kind of hitting, who desperately need some kind of production at the plate. Over their last seven games, the Mets have scored a meager 7 runs, and Manuel's troops were shut out for the third time this week on Friday night, this time by Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo. With the loss, the Mets are now 6.5 games behind the division leading Phillies, their largest deficit of the season, with two games remaining before the All-Star break.

While there's no telling how we will look back on this trade, one thing is certain. It's a low-risk, high reward deal, and personally, I'm glad it was done. Yes, Francoeur may have his fair share of golden sombreros, but perhaps, for some reason, the Mets coaches can help correct his impatient habits. Of course it is logical to be a skeptic; if they can't solve the problem they've been having all season, why then would they be able to help Francoeur become Barry Bonds in terms of his eye and discipline at the plate? However, should he successfully harness the power he had in '06 and '07, the Mets will have themselves a very solid situation in right field, one step towards some kind of stability.

Omar Minaya hinted during his press conference that the Mets have a lot more moves to make. How about a pitcher next, Omar? I've been a proponent of testing out the waters in the free agency pool, and the Blue Jays just released former closer B.J. Ryan (left). His numbers this season are poor, but given his upside, it couldn't hurt to sign him, given that J.J. Putz will be sidelined until at least mid-August. At the very least, he would be another left-handed option out of the bullpen along with Pedro Feliciano. By adding Ryan, the Mets would also have themselves another insurance policy for K-Rod. Ryan is a great clubhouse guy, too, as his former Jays teammates noted in commenting on his surprising release.

If you're not interested in picking up a free agent, if it's a trade you're looking to make, I assume Jonathan Sanchez (above center) would have been a fairly easier pickup 24 hours ago, but after pitching a no-hitter against San Diego on Friday, his price likely just jumped up a bit. Still, the Mets starting pitching hasn't quite been what it should be lately; Livan Hernandez has unraveled over his last two starts, Fernando Nieve has thrown in a few stinkers after his 3-0 start, and even Johan Santana hasn't been Johan Santana for a couple months now. Perhaps Sanchez or Seattle's Jarrod Washburn (above right)- who is also on the trading block but ironically just threw a one-hitter on Monday- can be had for a fair price, though Sanchez at age 27 may cost more than Washburn, who turns 35 next month.

There is one other option, one that would cost the Mets nothing at all. That of course, is brining up minor league talent. Nelson Figueroa is having a solid season for Buffalo, and was named to the Triple A All-Star team this week. Figueroa, a journeyman who has pitched for six Major League affiliates, the Independent Long Island Ducks, and has spent time in the Mexican League and Chinese Professional Baseball League. He has been serviceable in his brief stints with the Mets Major League club.

In 14 starts for Buffalo this year, Figueroa is 5-4 with a 2.50 ERA and 1.04 WHIP, along with a 3:1 K:BB ratio (75 strikeouts, 23 walks) over 90 innings. There's also Jon Niese, who is 4-6 for the Bisons with a 4.32 ERA and 1.33 WHIP, with Figueroa's exact strikeout and walk totals in 81.1 innings pitched. Niese is younger than I am, and won't turn 23 until the offseason, but with the current state of the Mets, it may be worth giving him another look. Should Livan continue to falter and the Mets decide to rearrange their starting rotation, it can't hurt to get Niese some more big league innings under his belt.

Whatever the Mets decide to do, ultimately it's a breath of fresh air to see Omar Minaya finally shaking things up, and even more encouraging to hear that the trade for Jeff Francoeur is the first of several changes to come in the near future.


Thought: What number will Francoeur wear? He wore #7 in Atlanta, but that number belongs to a Mr. Jose Reyes, and Fernando Tatis sports #17...

Prediciton: Francoeur will wear #27 as a Met.