According to Adam Rubin, don't be surprised if Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez are
not traded by the July 31st non-waiver trading deadline.
For instance, if the Mets hold Carlos Beltran at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline and then subsequently want to trade him because they have faded from contention, Beltran would secretly be placed on waivers.
If Beltran is claimed, the Mets have three options:
- Pull him back, which would prevent Beltran from being traded anywhere.
- Let the claiming team have Beltran and receive nothing in return other than the salary relief.
- Try to swing a trade with the claiming team. (If no trade can be worked out, Beltran then is pulled back and cannot be traded anywhere else.)
However, the far more likely scenario is that Francisco Rodriguez and Beltran would clear waivers in August and then could be traded to any of the 29 other teams. The players would need only to be traded before Sept. 1 in order to be eligible for the new team's playoff roster.
Fromer Yankee, Cecil Fielder, told the Daily News he could see his son, Prince Fielder,
signing with the Mets when he hits free agency.
"I don't think the Yankees are gonna get him. But I think if everything goes well on the other side, the Mets are one of those teams that if they get that situation all squared away, they could get him."
Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal writes that the Mets speed and aggressiveness on the base paths have not only help them score runs, it's also made them the
best base-running team in the majors.
When a hitter reaches base, he looks over to Hale, who relays a sign from Collins. More often than not, Collins will give players the green light to steal, though that is not the same as ordering them to do so. Players are left to use their judgment.
The result: The Mets entered Monday tied for the major-league lead with 77 stolen bases. And they have been successful on 78% of steal attempts, which was tied for the third-highest mark in baseball.
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