July 30, 2004... A day that most Mets fans recognize as the day our "illustrious" General Manager Jim Duquette orchestrated one of the worst trades in Mets History. The Mets had a record of 49-53, and were in fourth place in the NL East, sitting 7 games behind the division leading Atlanta Braves. At this year's trading deadline, the Mets thought that they were still contenders in what was an already disappointing season. It was announced that day, that the Mets had traded highly touted prospect Scott Kazmir and minor leaguer Jose Diaz to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for the injury prone and ineffective Victor Zambrano. And the rest is history... Zambrano continued to be mediocre at best, and couldn't stay healthy enough to pitch very many games, while Kazmir went on to flourish into a top pitcher for the Devil Rays.

It was a day that I myself hate reliving, but even I had to chuckle when today I had discovered that Jim Duquette, now the Assistant General Manager of the Baltimore Orioles, has once again acquired Victor Zambrano from the Pittsburgh Pirates for CASH...

Will September 9, 2007 be remembered as the day Orioles fans wish they had their cash back? Probably not, but they will regret ever hiring Jim Duquette as their Assistant General Manager. What the hell does this guy see in Victor Zambrano? Zambrano wasn't good enough to pitch for the Pittsburgh Pirates who are arguably the worst team in baseball. Last season, Zambrano had an ERA of 6.57 for the Mets, which is absolutely horrendous. But Zambrano wanted to prove he was even worse than that... This season, his ERA with the Blue Jays was 10.97.

Certainly, Zambrano must have pitched better in the minors this season right??? WRONG... Zambrano started the season with a 4.50 ERA in single A ball, and followed that up with a 6.00 ERA in double A. not to be outdone, Zambrano continued his mediocrity with a 7.46 ERA in triple A, before finally being released by the Blue Jays. He then had a brief stint in the Pirates minor league organization before Jim Duquette came calling for his favorite player of all time.

The only winner here is the Pirates, who at least got some compensation for their Victor Zambrano experiment. But hey, good luck to you Victor, I'm sure your luck will change with the Orioles. As for you Jim Duquette... get ready to find a new job.
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40-120, the record of the 1962 Mets, a winning percentage of .250, considered to be the worst record in modern baseball.

Also in 1962, 801 runs allowed, 192 home runs given up, a team ERA of 5.04. (All club "records.")

And in 1962 and 1965, the Mets had 2 pitchers with 24 losses each.

In 1998, the Mets had a .153 average when pinch hitting.

24.5, the number of games the Tampa Bay Devil Rays are behind in the American League East.

0, the number of days the Mets have not been in first place this season.

86, the number of posts previous to this. Read More...

Castro is a free agent after this year. With 9 homeruns in 124 ABs for the Mets this year, Castro could move to the front of a weak class of catchers. Assuming Jorge Posada and Ivan Rodriguez never hit the open market, that leaves Castro, Michael Barrett, Paul Lo Duca, and Jason Kendall.

Castro signed for $850K last winter to again serve as Paul Lo Duca's backup. Lo Duca hasn't been healthy or hitting, and Castro's having his best season with an .889 OPS.

In 119 games as a Met, Castro has a .255/.324/.455 line with 21 HR in 459 ABs. One has to wonder if he could do that in a single season. If so, he'd be one of the better catchers available. In the past, Castro has shown the ability to throw out 30%+ of would-be basestealers. However, he's nailed just two of 25 this year. Mets fans - what's up with that?

Teams like the Devil Rays, Mets, Cubs, Astros, and Padres may all be looking for catchers this winter. Castro should get consideration as a regular, and might be a decent buy at two years, $8MM or so. Read More...

Blog NJ is reporting that the Mets and Devil Rays were discussing a Lastings Milledge and "a Minor League pitcher" (probably either Mike Pelfrey or Philip Humber) for Carl Crawford trade. Read More...

The Mariners, Yankees, Mets, and Indians have called the Rays about Dan Wheeler and Al Reyes, but they require an "aggressive offer" as both can be kept for the 2008 season. Read More...