TRACH-SELL

No Mets game tonight. The Marlins lost, so the Mets will pick up a half-game on them.

But the big news is the stuff I heard Buster Olney talking about on ESPNRadio this evening. The Mets are probably going to deal Steve Trachsel by Wednesday, the deadline for making waiver-wire deals.

Olney says the Mets made a very smart move (and I agree), which is that they started the process of putting Steve Trachsel through waivers before he made his start last week. So Trachsel cleared waivers (no one tried to pick him up), and then he goes out and pitches 8 shutout innings. So now he's valuable, and he's trade-able. So the Mets are (probably - Olney wouldn't say this for sure, but it's speculation) looking to trade Trachsel for a first baseman or a reliever.

Here's my take on the Trachsel situation. He probably ticked off Willie Randolph when he wouldn't go to the bullpen, and acted like the Mets were jerking him around. Randolph is big on "TEAM", and there's no "TEAM" in Trachsel. He's all about me, or at least that's what he's made it sound like while he was waiting for a slot to fit in. So Randolph is probably endorsing using Trachsel as bait for a reliever, because the Mets could use some bullpen help (although this hasn't been a big problem lately - mostly because the starters have been so good).

The other interesting note about the Wild Card chase is the fact that this is the time of year that teams play within their divisions. Unfortunately, this gives the Astros a huge advantage in the hunt for the playoffs. The Astros have just 12 games against contending teams the rest of the way - I assume they play the Cardinals about 6 times, then a couple of East teams. The Mets, Phillies, Marlins, and Nationals play about 28 of their remaining 32 games against contending teams - for the Marlins - their whole remaining schedule is against contenders. The Mets, I know have the Nationals, Marlins, Phillies, and Braves all 6 times, then the Cardinals for four, and then play the Rockies. Now, just because they're playing "contending" teams doesn't mean they're not going to win the games (and non-contenders doesn't mean they'll win - we all know the Rockies will cause them problems that final weekend), and the Phillies don't scare me, and really, the Nationals don't either. So the Braves, Marlins, and Cardinals series are the tough ones. The problem. though, is that the Astros are playing teams like Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. They do have games against the Cubs - hopefully the Cubs are in a spoiling mood - but the Astros can go on a tear here.

One last point before I go to bed: In the two losses to the Giants over the weekend, Armando Benitez got two saves. This is getting ridiculous. I forgot, but last year, the Marlins gave the Mets fits, and Benitez was their closer. Benitez got 11 saves against the Mets last year, when he was with Florida. 11! That's the most saves anyone has ever had against one team in a season. That's ridiculous. And now he's back from the DL, and boom! two saves. What a joke. He's killed us as a Met, and now against the Mets. And the worst part about it is, as much as I cursed him as a Met, he's a really nice guy - and he's very gracious, and although he struggles with English, he grants interviews to the New York media...who have been very tough on him. It's hard to hate him. But he's doing a good job of making me feel that way towards him.