MLB Trade Rumors: Fausto Carmona For Fernando Martinez??

In his Sunday morning blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney speculated that the Mets may seek another top of the rotation starter come the July 31st trade deadline, and mentioned they could have interest in indians starter Fausto Carmona. Here is what he had to say:

Heard this: The New York Mets' search for a pitcher has led to a lot of internal conversation about a guy with a power sinker who is having a bounce-back year -- Fausto Carmona of the Cleveland Indians. What is attractive about Carmona is that, when he's throwing strikes, he can be dominant -- and he is throwing a lot more strikes this year, after struggling in 2008 and 2009. What is scary about Carmona is what could be called the Oliver Perez factor: He has shown he is capable of veering completely off course, and you do wonder how pitching in the high pressure of New York would impact him.

 

 

Another factor for the Mets is that Carmona is under contract beyond this year, unlike Cliff Lee orJake Westbrook or Ben Sheets, who are all eligible for free agency in the fall. Carmona is making $4.9 million this year and $6.1 million next year, and his contract contains $7 million and $9 million options for 2012 and 2013, respectively. If the Mets landed Carmona, and he responded well to New York, they could have a nice core of pitching intact for the next few years.

Should the Mets feel that Carmona can handle the pressure of pitching in New York, I can see the Mets offering AAA outfielder Fernando Martinez in a package for Carmona. The Mets would probably have to add to FMart as Carmona has a team friendly contract for the next few years. 

Everyone knows that Martinez has trouble staying on the field, so would the Mets include High A starting pitcher Kyle Allen in the deal? In 68 IP in 2010,  Allen is 5-4 with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP with a terrible 38/39 K/BB rate. In 2009, Allen went 9-6 with a 3.45 ERA and a 111-51 K/BB rate.

The Indians can use Martinez as a possible replacement for Grade Sizemore in centerfield, as there is some concern that Sizemore may not be able to play CF in the future after having season-ending knee surgery.