Defeat the Empire

The Mets dealing Kris Benson to Balitmore for a retread reliever certainly isn't an attempt to make the team better. It's to, a) Dump $15 million, and b) Dump Anna Benson.

Sure, Anna's a right-wing nut (read some of the pro-gun rants on her website) who's a loose cannon and will be in Playboy by this time next year. But Kris Benson is a decent starter, which isn't easy to come by these days, and to only receive Jorge Julio (5.90 ERA in 2005) and John Maine (6.30 ERA in 2005) is a travesty.

We're a New York team, right? We generate boatloads of revenue, we pour money into the team at every turn so Omar can make this team better. The idea isn't to have the team dump a decent starter just to save money and get rid of a divisive figure.

More than likely, every player involved in this trade will pitch poorly in 2006. Maine is unproven, Julio isn't any good, and Benson will struggle in Camden: he gave up 24 home runs in 28 starts, while in the National League and pitching at Grand Canyon East, Shea Stadium, for half of his starts. Now that he faces the Yankees and Red Sox every week in a bandbox, he will start looking like a slimmed-down, better-looking Sidney Ponson on the mound.

One positive to take from Julio, possibly, is his K:BB ratio. Statheads proclaim this the best measure of future performance, and Julio's was a very decent 58:24 in 2005. Maybe he'll get some people out at Shea.

Or more likely, not.

Farewell, Anna!