SNY.tv: Online Home of All Things Sports

Anyway, since I last posted, there's been a flurry of activity on the Mets roster. Orlando Hernandez went to the DL (shocking), Ambiorix Burgos was sent to Triple-A, and someone named Lino Urdaneta threw 2/3 of an inning in the 3-1 loss to the Diamondbacks last night and lowered his career ERA from infinity to a mere 81.00.

But of all the action, nothing -- thanks to Jorge Sosa's performance in El Duque's stead -- is as troubling as Jose Valentin's trip to the disabled list with knee trouble that will reportedly have him out for at least two months. Valentin has struggled with knee injuries before, and I'm not convinced that the 37-year-old second sacker and one of baseball's last great mustache heroes will effectively return at all this season. I have no real reason to doubt the reports, but with aging players and aching injuries, it's hard to be optimistic.

In addition to the hole it creates at the bottom of the Mets lineup, Valentin's injury has exposed the Mets' organizational lack of infield depth. Though Damion Easley has filled in nicely at second so far, his terrific knack for the clutch hit has betrayed his .194 batting average, and, because Easley has only two significantly better than average seasons on his Major League resume (1997 and 1998), it's hard to expect that he'll produce anything like the way Valentin would have.

The Mets called up Ruben Gotay to replace Easley as the backup infielder, but Gotay has never really hit at all past Double-A, and he's looked overmatched in his first ten at-bats with the Mets. Rumor has it that the Mets are shopping for another infielder, so I'll take it upon myself to look around the league for some possible fits:

Jorge Cantu, Devil Rays: A lot of the internet speculation surrounding the Mets search has focused on Cantu, mostly because the 25-year-old hit 28 homers two seasons ago before struggling mightily last year. He's now buried behind hard-hitting uber-prospect B.J. Upton, and the miserable Rays could use help just about everywhere, so on a cursory level he seems like a good fit. Looking deeper, though, even in Cantu's breakout year in 2005, he posted a weak .311 on-base percentage and his career Minor League OBP is under .300. Basically, Cantu struggled last season because he's just not that good, and though he's young and strong, he can't really hit.

Marco Scutaro, Athletics: Scutaro is fan favorite in Oakland because of his penchant for the walk-off hit and his exceedingly chant-able name (try it, you'll feel like a European soccer hooligan in no time), so it's unlikely that they'd deal him. And though the Venezuelan supersub has been struggling early, Billy Beane is too smart a GM to sell-low. Still, Jason Kendall is starting to show the signs of age and backup catcher Adam Melhuse can't hit, so if the Mets were willing to move Ramon Castro, the deal might make sense for both teams. Granted, I'm not in love with the prospect of moving Castro, but no matter how valuable a backup is, he's still only going to get about 150 at-bats for the season. With defensive specialist Mike DiFelice in New Orleans, the Mets could afford to trade Castro if it meant getting a starting middle infielder in return.

Jamey Carroll, Rockies: Carroll is currently starting at second for the Rockies because our friend Kaz Matsui is on the DL, but with Matsui slated to come back sometime this month, Carroll will become expendable. He likely won't cost too much as he hasn't hit well this year, but Carroll is a solid player who would be a nice fit for the Mets. He has always shown good plate discipline -- he has a career .354 OBP -- plays solid defense and can steal a base or two. He's not exactly an All-Star, but he's the type of solid player who fills out pennant-winning teams, and, for whatever reason, he's been overlooked by most of the league. At 33, he's not getting any better, but he's probably got a few more decent seasons in him, and there's no reason one of those couldn't be 2007 in Flushing. The Rockies need help behind the plate and (another big surprise) across the pitching rotation, so the Mets could probably snag Carroll for a spare part.

Finally:
Mike Fontenot, Cubs: I made Fontenot my choice to play second for the Mets last November, more as a symbol of the type of player they should look for than because of anything special about him. And I stick to my story: Fontenot has again hit admirably -- though unspectacularly -- in Triple-A and is buried behind a bevy of lesser prospects in the Cubs organization. I'm not sure what the Cubs would ask in return -- though again, they could probably use a backup catcher -- but since Fontenot doesn't seem to be a big part of their plans at all, I can't imagine he'll cost much. He hits left-handed, so he could platoon with Easley (as the Mets thought Valentin would) and could be the solid, young backup infielder that the Mets need to spell David Wright, Jose Reyes and Valentin when the latter returns.

There are others, for sure, but I'll keep my point consistent with the points I've made all along: The Mets shouldn't trade significant value -- in terms of prospects -- for a stopgap second baseman, and shouldn't be tempted to go with a relatively big-name guy like Cantu when there are better alternatives.