MLB Trades: New York Mets Made Scott Boras Look Like a Fool, but at What Cost?

The New York Mets' trade of Francisco Rodriguez to the Milwaukee Brewers is a terrible baseball trade but a shrewd financial move. They spent $5 million but no longer have to be concerned with Rodriguez’ $17.5 million option kicking in if he finishes 21 more games this season.

Rodriguez recently changed agents, hiring Scott Boras to replace Paul Kinzer. In trading him, the Mets accomplished what few teams have ever done: they outmaneuvered Boras by trading Rodriguez to one of the teams not on his blocked list.

Thus, there was no way that Boras or Rodriguez could stop the trade.

This past Monday, Boras told baseball writer Ken Davidoff “Francisco Rodriguez is a historic closer. He’s not going anywhere to be a setup man.”

Nonetheless, a setup man is what Rodriguez is going to be regardless of his desire and history of being a closer. The Brewers have John Axford, who has converted 23 consecutive save opportunities, positioned at the back end of their bullpen.

Francisco Rodriguez has a temper, and he'll need to control himself in Milwaukee because he will be a free agent at the end of the season. Becoming a disruptive force could cost him a lot of money.

Boras knows all about Frankie Rodriguez, which is why he is extremely upset with the trade.

“Closers don’t make good setup men. Does anyone want an unhappy setup man in their clubhouse?”

The Mets' baseball moves are dictated by their dire financial situation. Although Rodriguez never was as dominant with the Mets as he had been with the Los Angeles Angels, he is still one of the game’s top closers. He will not be easy to replace.

The Mets trail the Atlanta Braves by seven and one-half games in the Wild Card race. As other Mets teams have proven, that deficit is not insurmountable with 71 games remaining.

To make things worse, the Mets sent Rodriguez to another potential Wild Card contender. The Brewers are tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the NL Central and currently trail the Wild Card-leading Braves by five games.

There is a good chance that David Wright and Ike Davis, two of baseball’s brightest stars, will return to action shortly. The Mets have surprised the “experts” by playing better than .500 ball this season. With Wright and Davis, the Mets might create a few more surprises in the baseball world, but for now they need a closer.

In 1973, the Mets floundered in last place for much of the season, primarily due to injuries. Catcher Jerry Grote, shortstop Bud Harrelson, and outfielder Cleon Jones were among the stars who missed significant playing time.

And at the end of play on August 30th, the Mets were in last place, six and one-half games behind the first place St. Louis Cardinals. The walking wounded returned and the rest is history. It took the Oakland A’s seven games to beat the Mets in the World Series.

From a purely baseball standpoint, the 2011 Mets have (had?) a chance to make the playoffs. If that would happen, no one can predict what would be next.

The Rodriguez trade may just be the beginning. It is believed that Carlos Beltran is the next to go, which raises a key question.

Why would the Mets keep Jose Reyes?

Now that the Mets have traded their closer and may soon trade Carlos Beltran as well, they may no longer have a realistic shot at making the playoffs. In that case, why would they think to retain Reyes for the remainder of 2011?

The team has claimed that it will try to sign Reyes when he becomes a free agent, but despite “saving” $12.5 million on Rodriguez, any team that pursues Reyes will have to pay him “Carl Crawford numbers.”

Sandy Alderson must know that he is better off getting quality talent for Reyes now than having him sign elsewhere at the end of the season.

Reference:

Fox Sports on Francisco Rodriguez Trade