Mets trade Beltran
I’m still not sure how I feel about this trade. When Beltran is healthy, he’s very good. It’s just that my memory remembers him more on the DL than on the field.
The NY Daily News has compiled a list of notable moments in the career of Beltran in New York. The most memorable being a called third strike in the 2006 NLCS game.
Oct. 19, 2006: Beltran strikes out looking at Adam Wainwright curveball with the bases loaded to end heartbreaking Game 7 of the NLCS. Despite hitting three homers and driving in four runs in series vs. Cardinals, Beltran is labeled as goat of series.
I don’t think most Mets fans ever forgave him for that. It’s not entirely fair as far as I’m concerned. People make mistakes. Lots of other Mets players made mistakes in that series, but that’s the single instance that people remember. I wish I had Beltran’s stats to judge him on instead of the list the Daily News made.
The Mets get pitching prospect Zach Wheeler in the deal. From what I’ve read, he’s supposed to be good. He’s not in the majors and I have no way to watch him, so it’s hard to judge if this is a good deal or not until we can actually see what Wheeler is capable of.
In the end, it was a deal that needed to be done. The Mets had to trade Beltran. By keeping him, they would have lost more money and more prospects. Mets GM Sandy Alderson stuck to his guns, demanding a top prospect instead of just cash for Beltran and got what he wanted. Despite his injuries, I always felt Beltran tried to give his best. It’s just that his best way to help the Mets now is by being traded to the Giants.
