The Mets have agreed to trade Kris Benson to the Orioles for reliever Jorge Julio and righthanded pitching prospect John Maine, Newsday has learned.
The Benson-for-Julio swap, which was discussed months ago, was revived early in the week and agreed to late Friday night.
The Mets discussed trading Benson for much of the winter. This deal enables them to give Aaron Heilman an opportunity to win the No. 5 slot in the starting rotation. Heilman, whose stock soared last year, had requested a trade if he wasn’t made a starter.
Mets general manager Omar Minaya is said to like Julio’s power arm. Julio, who’s been clocked as high as 99 mph and reminds some of Armando Benitez, saved 83 games from 2002-04. However, his value fell after being hit hard last year after his demotion from closer to set-up man. Julio, who turns 27 in March, was 3-5 with a 5.90 ERA. Overall he is 11-24 with a 4.20 ERA.
Maine, 24, gives the Mets yet another hard thrower. Maine was 2-3 with a 6.30 ERA for the Orioles last year. In 40 innings, he allowed 39 hits while walking 24 and striking out 24.
Heyman and David Lennon had mentioned this deal was probable in a Newsday story earlier this morning. After the efforts to obtain Danys Baez failed, this trade seemed inevitable, but not entirely adviseable. Unless Julio can turn into one of the NL’s premier setup men, the above transaction feels more like a salary dump. Or, perhaps the biggest vote of confidence to date in Aaron Heilman.
No, it still feels like a salary dump. ESPN ‘s Buster Olney suggests shipping out Benson clears the way for the Mets to make a run at Jeff Weaver, but I suspect Dennis Weaver would fare better in the New York spotlight.
Jeff Weaver? Man, I wish I didn’t know that. I thought the days of the Mets being the Yankees’ Island of Misfit Toys were over. If it’s really a salary dump — and I don’t know that it’s the worst if it is, because of Benson’s too-high salary and too-low endurance across a full season — then at least Weaver and his four-year contract demand would probably be out of the picture.
Also, while I like Heilman better out of the bullpen than in the rotation, the Mets also have several pitching prospects comparatively near the Bigs who might be able to match Benson’s 11 to 12 wins per year. Provided, that is, that the Mets don’t deal them for John Flaherty, Clay Bellinger or Andy Fox.
As for the Mets’ several pitching prospects comparatively near the Bigs, that’s pronounced “Marlins”…
Or Brian Bannister or Alay Soler or (reaching, probably) Mike Pelphrey. I didn’t dig them dealing all those prospects, either, but the cupboard is hardly bare. If this is opening space for a Zito deal, though, then I suspect the proverbial cupboard is going to be pretty depressing by the time it’s all done.
I’m glad there are least two human beings on earth who are able to look at this trade in baseball terms. One prominent “sports” website (guess which one) wrote, “The Mets have acquired right-handed pitchers Jorge Julio and John Maine in exchange for Anna Benson. Included as throw-ins were Anna Benson’s tits and her husband Kris.”
Sports Frog, perhaps trying to cope with a bar that gets lowered everyday by the creeps referenced above, merely opted for the headline “Baltiwhore”, accompanied by a photo of Mrs. Benson.