Seriously, Omar Minaya must be on vacation as the MLB trade deadline came and went and Omar did NOTHING to improve his team. He must still be in the Dominican, or maybe Fred Wilpon gave him an all-expense paid vacation to Hawaii for the team doing so well since he fired Willie Randolph.
So, Omar must think that Fernando Tatis will continue to hit .319 and OPS .880, something he hasn't done since 2000. He must think that Damion Easley will continue playing like a 27-year old-he's 39. He must think that Pedro will give him some quality starts over the next two months. He must think that John Maine will be the John Maine of 2007. He must think the Mets bullpen will holdup down the stretch in a tight pennant race vs the Phillies and Marlins.
Maybe he's right. He wanted to keep his prized prospects, some of which may help him this year. But this team is built to win now. This year. I am surprised Omar didn't do what it took to get Manny in NY. Or to shore up his bullpen by trading for a Brian Fuentes. Or a starting pitcher like Washburn or Burnett. This team is built to win now. And the Phillies and Marlins are no pushovers anymore. Just ask Jimmy Rollins.
The LA papers are saying the Manny trade was a gift from the heavens. Most people think the Dodgers were winners in their trade deadline deals. But Baseball Prospectus' Joe Sheehan sees the other side of this argument:
It makes sense because Colletti traded two really good prospects for Casey Blake, making LaRoche invisible and turning the last 60 games of the season into a desperate attempt to save Colletti's job.
This Dodger roster is a mess, and it's no less a mess now than it was six days ago, except that for eight weeks, the team can play Manny Ramirez and Casey Blake. Three very good prospects and a #1 pick are all gone, third base isn't really any better than it was. Five-plus years of LaRoche is a better option than one-plus years of Bay, which is a better option than two months of Manny Ramirez with an option on future services.
If the Dodgers win the West, and win a few games in the playoffs, Colletti's job is probably safe. Otherwise, he may be calling Brian Sabean for a job in November.