Buyer beware

Mets may have been sloppy in trading for injured Zambrano

Victor Zambrano made three starts for the Mets before going on the disabled list with elbow tendinitis. Brian Bahr/Getty Images

Few teams do worse with more resources than the New York Mets. The organization is on yet another extended run of poor decisions, poor play and, yes, poor luck.

Name me one established player whom the Mets acquired in a trade or signing since 1990 who actually played better for them than for his previous team. Bernard Gilkey for one year? It's easier to come up with those who became worse the minute they put on the Mets' pinstripes/orange/black/all white/or whatever their fashion of the day.

Now it appears people would like to add Victor Zambrano to the legacy of Bobby Bonilla, Vince Coleman, Mo Vaughn, Roberto Alomar, Matt Lawton, et al. If the Mets didn't do enough homework to fully learn about his physical condition, shame on them. But can we please wait until Scott Kazmir pitches more than five big league innings to return the verdict on the trade?

If Kazmir wins more big league games over the next few seasons, then yes, go ahead and rip the Mets. But be careful not to tear a meniscus with the knee-jerk reactions.

How stupid do the Mets look now that Victor Zambrano is possibly sidelined for the season and Scott Kazmir already has started (and won) a game for the Devil Rays? Is it possible Tampa Bay traded damaged goods to New York?
 -- David McConahay, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Look around baseball over the past 40 years and find me all the 5-foot-11, left-handed pitchers who threw in the mid-90s and were perennial 200-inning pitchers. OK, Ron Guidry. Next? See, Kazmir might indeed turn out to be the next Guidry. If so, the Mets made a mistake, just as the Dodgers goofed in trading a young, smallish right-hander named Pedro Martinez because they thought he would break down. Those guys are the exceptions.

It was the Mets' calculation that because Kazmir was drafted out of high school, because he has been treated delicately in the minors, and because of his body type, Kazmir would need more time to develop to be a regular starter on a team that expects to contend for a championship. (Insert own Mets joke here.) And he might become a bullpen guy anyway if his body does not withstand the violence of his delivery.

I do understand, however, that Zambrano is himself a risk, which is why the deal can be questioned. Asking a big league pitcher to learn how to throw strikes is like asking a big league hitter to learn how to take walks. It rarely happens, at least to a significant degree. My guess is Zambrano will always fight his command. I thought trading Kazmir for Alfonso Soriano before the season started made more sense than for Zambrano in July. But I understand the Mets' risk. If he's healthy (boy, they have to really sweat this out) they have a decent, cheap, young starting pitcher with an upside. I'm not convinced it will work out for them, but I'm willing to wait two years to decide.

Do you foresee any of this year's crop of wild-card contenders making a World Series run, such as the Marlins, Angels, Giants, etc., have in the past couple of years?
 -- Emily, Stamford, Conn.

Absolutely. I still believe the Cubs and Red Sox are dangerous postseason teams because their pitching can get on a dominating roll.

Who would have believed at the beginning of the year that the Pirates would be a game and a half behind the Astros on Aug. 19? Of course the 'Stros were supposed to be in first place but hey, that's all right. This is what passes as a successful baseball season in the 'Burgh. The Pirates are still the best AAA team in the country!!
 -- Jerry, Pittsburgh

MAILBAG MAILBAG Tom Verducci will answer select questions from SI.com users in his Baseball Mailbag. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

Hang in there. The Pirates do have a good future, beginning with Oliver Perez. They still need more thunder in the middle of the lineup, though, and won't spend the big money to get an established star.

For all this talk about whether or not a DH (read: Edgar Martinez) should get into the Hall of Fame, ask yourself whether Mike Piazza should get in. Let's face it: Piazza has been a trainwreck defensively. Almost all HOFers are voted in based on offensive numbers with defense being an added bonus. Edgar could easily have been a trainwreck at first base, making this a mute discussion.
 -- Christopher Balding, Los Angeles

I don't think Piazza is that awful defensively. Is his throwing terrible? Yes. But he blocks balls OK and calls a decent game. But ask yourself this: how much better would his numbers be if he never had to worry at all about playing defense? No wear and tear from catching. One hundred percent of his time devoted to hitting, including watching video or taking swings in an indoor cage in between at-bats during games. I will always consider DH a specialist's role, an easier job than playing the game the way it was designed to be played.

When people talk about the top pitchers in baseball this year, conversation always revolves around Roger Clemens, Jason Schmidt, Randy Johnson and Mark Mulder. But why is Jake Peavy's outstanding season in San Diego going completely unnoticed? Seems like a 23-year-old with a 2.22 ERA, who in 19 starts has given up more than two earned runs twice should get more recognition.
 -- Justin Busbey, Westerville, Ohio

Peavy has quietly become one of the best young starters in the game. He's a bit overlooked this year because he missed a few starts, doesn't have a tremendous win total (10) and suffers from the usual bias toward teams that play in the Eastern time zone. By the way, it's still amazing to me that with all the advances in technology, Eastern newspapers still can't get West Coast scores in the next day?

Where do you think Cuban defector Kendry Morales will end up?
 -- Scott Mieszala, Chicago

It's too soon to tell. There hasn't been a lot of information out there about Morales. It's safe to assume, though, that the usual big-revenue teams will be doing battle on that front.

I know you must get a thousand angry letters after each and every list you put out. I have to say though that leaving Steve Stone off your list of the best TV analysts is a mistake. This guy knows everything that's going to happen before it happens. He's like The Amazing Kreskin.
 -- Adam Strandberg, Chicago

I like Stone and am glad you mentioned his knack for thinking ahead. I don't need an analyst to tell me what I'm watching when it's a replay of what I've already seen. Much of what makes baseball so great is the anticipation of action. A good analyst is able to set up situations, not just explain them.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Tom Verducci covers baseball for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com.