I'm sure that most of you know the news by now: last night, the Mets and Brewers announced that Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez is being traded to Milwaukee in exchange for two players to be named later. The Mets are also sending about $5 million to cover the remainder of Rodriguez's salary for this season, leaving just over $1 million in salary for the Brewers to pay.
But even before we know which players are going to be sent to New York within the next six months, this deal appears to be a very solid win for the Mets. It remains to be seen how the deal will work out for the Brewers, given that they've essentially turned 2011 into a playoffs-or-bust scenario with all of the money and talent they've committed for this season, but Mets fans should really like this deal.
Sure, you may not know who you're going to receive from the Brewers yet, but realistically, any quality prospects that end up with the Mets should be considered gravy at this point. By ridding themselves of Rodriguez, they not only avoid the headaches of having to deal with his $17.5 million vesting option for next season, but they also save millions in the process, both through his remaining salary for this season and the buyout on his 2012 option.
It's not clear what kinds of players the Mets will have to choose from, and they'll likely be underwhelming given the sheer weakness of Milwaukee's farm system, but they do have some interesting guys to choose from, such as Tyler Thornburg, Cody Scarpetta and Wily Peralta. Ridding themselves of the future headaches while saving some cash is a win in itself, but landing a Scarpetta or Peralta in the process as well should be considered a major victory for the club.
As for the Brewers, this deal is only a success if you see the Crew playing in mid-October. Otherwise, the Brewers just committed an awful lot of money to Prince Fielder's going away party.