Mike Cameron

[YASNY]

Meh..I personally don't think Nady becomes much but we'll see.

 

If he is 27 as was mentioned, he should be entering his prime. He hasn't shown much at the ML level as of yet.

[RockRaines]

INsider

 

Cameron for Nady ... really?

posted: Thursday, November 17, 2005 | Feedback

 

When the offseason dust settles and pitchers and catchers report to spring training in mid-February, a common refrain will be that the Mets had the best offseason of any team in the majors. They are in a commanding position to sign Billy Wagner to be their closer, they inevitably will land whoever they think is the best catcher on the market, and they will add a big-time bat this winter, whether it's Manny Ramirez or perhaps Carlos Delgado or somebody else.

 

It's as if Omar Minaya has $10,000 to spend on a couple of new suits: No matter what he does, he's almost certain to look good with the new duds.

 

All that said, I don't get the Mike Cameron for Xavier Nady trade. And some of Minaya's peers around baseball don't get it, either. It's a terrible deal.

 

I wish I could tell you what Minaya was thinking, precisely, but he has begun to develop a Dan Duquette-like habit of failing to return phone calls. Without Minaya filling in the blanks for himself, I've been sitting here trying to understand how it is that in a market starved for good center fielders -- and Cameron is a great center fielder -- he settled for a player who has demonstrated all the signs of being a journeyman.

 

Some possible rationales:

• Maybe another team dangling a heavy hitter -- the Red Sox, perhaps -- told Minaya they wanted Nady, specifically.

 

• Maybe the Mets ownership insisted that Minaya make sure he got Cameron's contract off the books before offers were made to Wagner, Ramon Hernandez, etc.

 

• Maybe Minaya really sees something in Nady that others don't see, as a possible platoon partner with Mike Jacobs at first base, or as a corner outfielder.

 

But the problem is that no matter what the reason was for making this deal right now, the Mets could have and should have done better, because Cameron simply has more value in the current market than Nady.

 

"I heard they were talking about that, but I couldn't believe it was true," an executive with another team said. "Now I wish I had called and offered to make a deal for him and then moved him to another team, because you could've gotten a lot more for him."

 

The executive pointed out that Cameron had "a perfect storm" of value:

• He is a solid veteran player with a unique ability (center field defense), and a time when there is a dearth of quality center fielders in the big leagues. Teams like the Padres, Yankees, Rangers, Cubs and Dodgers went into the winter knowing they probably would have to land a center fielder.

 

• The free-agent market stinks, and teams are looking to deal for help, rather than overpay a free agent.

 

• Cameron has cost certainty, with just one year remaining on his current deal, at $6.5 million. And unless he gets hurt, you can rest assured that he will have value in trade next June or July.

 

Nady hit well against left-handers last season, batting .323. But let's face it, the Padres are dying for offense, they're about to lose Brian Giles, and they are willing to deal a guy they drafted and developed; that should tell you something.

 

And while Nady is five years younger than Cameron, and is now 27 years old, we recall past words of Bobby Valentine: A major leaguer who is hitting well at 21 or 22 years old, that's a good young player, someone who can be expected to develop into something much more than he is.

 

Nady, at 27, is not a young player anymore. He's had playing time in four different big-league seasons and has yet to establish himself as an everyday player. In the year that Cameron turned 27, he already had three seasons of 141 or more games. Nady has never played in more than 124 games in any season, and 269 games in all, and he's got a lifetime average of .263, and an on-base percentage of .320. When you heard the flip side of the deal yesterday -- Mike Cameron for ... -- you kept waiting for more names to be added.

 

The Mets will be fine, with more big deals to come. But this was a missed opportunity.

 

And with the Padres probably facing a rough season ahead, they will be poised to deal Cameron by mid-summer. Let's open the speculation right now: There is at least a 50-50 chance Cameron will finish the 2006 season as the center fielder in The Bronx.

 

Adam Rubin adds some detail to the Mets' machinations. John Harper also weighs the merits of the deal.