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Last night, during the game between the Mets and the Yankees, announcers Jon Miller and Joe Morgan said that the Mets were looking to acquire a relief pitcher, and Astros’ closer Brad Lidge was mentioned. The Mets already have a legitimate closer, Billy Wagner. But they could use help in the set-up area. Lidge would be perfect for them in this role if he continues to throw as well as he has recently. The Mets can afford to pay his salary. And they have some good young players that could help the Astros for years to come.
If the Astros were to pursue this deal, they would first have to ask themselves these questions: Are we trying to rebuild for the future or get into the playoffs this year? And do we have a pitcher who can replace Lidge?
The best scenario would be a trade that could accomplish both goals. If the Mets needed a closer, the Astros might be able to extract a king’s ransom. But if they are thinking of him as a set-up man, they probably won’t offer enough to tempt the Astros. But it’s still worth talking about. After all, the Astros got Jeff Bagwell for a set-up man, Larry Andersen. This situation is different because Lidge is still a young player, who can close, and Andersen was clearly near the end of his career and was never a closer. At that time, the Astros had already announced their intention to rebuild the team. So, they could justify getting just one promising minor league player for a veteran set-up man.
If the Astros were to trade Lidge, they would have to get more than a double-A third baseman, which is what Bagwell was at the time of the trade. They need another young starting pitcher, and help at several other positions. But they may already have a pitcher who can replace Lidge -- at least temporarily. His name is Stephen Randolph. Randolph has allowed only 17 hits in 35 innings and has struck out 57 batters while walking only nine. With numbers like that and an ERA of 2.34, you would expect him to have a lot of saves but he has only three. He is also 33 years old. To justify trading Lidge, the Astros would have to be convinced that Dan Wheeler or Chad Qualls could hold the line in the ninth inning. They couldn’t count on Randolph to close because he hasn’t been closing at Round Rock.
I believe it is too early to make this determination, but not too early to talk about it. If the Mets are still having bullpen problems as the trading deadline approaches a month or so from now, and the Astros have given up on making a playoff run of their own, they could justify a deal. But from what I’ve seen lately, I wouldn’t deal a young, dominating closer like Lidge unless I could improve more than one position with young players who may get better. Still, it illustrates how important it is to have big league talent on your triple-A team. |
