Is it wrong that I feel they just traded a couple of buddies of mine? This is the part of baseball that sucks.

Nooooooooooooooooo!

Really? Sounds like a steal for the Nats, no? Has Milledge fallen that far in the Mets' eyes?

(repost)

Well, that's one shoe down. And if Church and Schneider had to be dealt, this is just the kind of deal that should have been made: one for youth, immediate impact and high upside.

I'll miss 'em, though.

Welcome aboard, Mr. Milledge.

Can Milledge play center field or is he more a corner outfielder? Is he our solution at CF now? Pena, Milledge and Kearns seems like a pretty good upgrade from Church/Logan/Kearns of last year.

milledge has definitely fallen in many eyes. it's the right kind of trade. will it prove to be the right trade? only time will tell. we'll have to see what church does in a new home (and how he handles the NY media) and whether milledge will prosper in a different atmosphere. maybe manny is the right tonic to get his head together.

Schneider and Church are sure to get huge ovations at Nationals park that opening night. But in terms of building a winner for the future, this is great.

Yeah, it's the right type of trade. I just hate to see Schneider go. I guess the FO is sold on Jesus Flores as an every day guy. Milledge is a CF. He's played all three positions because of Beltran, but he's primarily seen as a CF.

I agree ... I feel a sunken feeling in my stomach right now .. its going to be weird watching Schneider throw out our own guys next year
--------------
Is it wrong that I feel they just traded a couple of buddies of mine? This is the part of baseball that sucks.

couple of comments from jason stark's current chat on the subject:

Matt (Philly): How awful is the Milledge for Schneider/Church trade for the Mets...and how great is it for the Phillies that 2 years ago Milledge would have been the centerpiece for the Mets getting a top starting pitcher and now he got them an anti-semetic 4th outfielder and a catcher who can't hit!

SportsNation Jayson Stark: (1:17 PM ET ) I'm going to ignore the second part of that question and just evaluate this trade. The Mets have been looking for a defensive-minded catcher who could lead a staff, and Brian Schneider does that as well as anyone. And Ryan Church is a better player than you're giving him credit for. He's better than a fourth outfielder, even though he might be more a 5-day-a-week kind of player than a 7-day -a-week kind of player. And Milledge, frankly, turned out to be overrated. HIs value had plummeted. For a team trying to win in the short term, like the Mets, I totally understand this trade, Now let's sit back and see how good Milledge turns out to be.

========

If this were the only move the Mets were going to make this winter, I'd be with you all the way. But Castros isn't an every-day catcher. They obviously didn't think Estrada was what they had in mind. So they have more well-rounded pieces to deal with now, I think. All they had before was outfielders. So they had to make two deals to address their needs, not one. For pure tools, the Nationals got the best player in the trade. But it makes some sense for both sides. Remember, Omar Minaya feels the heat to WIN RIGHT NOW. If he waits around for Milledge to put it together, somebody else will be the GM of that team.

=====

The Mets marketed Milledge everywhere this winter. Obviously, if they thought he was going to bring back an ace, they'd have saved him for that deal. This trade is a sign he didn't have that kind of value.

Not happy.

Except that we can finally put all the Church griping to rest.

Dang, I'm gonna miss the Schneid. He was one of my favorites from the start. I don't like this part of baseball, either, Atlanta.

So now we're down to Cordero and Rauch in the former Expos club?

I understand the trade and don't really doubt it was probably a good one. But man, I'm crushed. Of all the players, Schneider deserves most to experience the new park and to experience a winning Nationals team.

I love that guy. He's so smart, so classy. I so wanted him to be the one guy from the Expos who made it all the way through.

Sob....hold me.

one more BULLSH*T trade like this and I am off of this franchise.

seriously. STUPID.

I will miss The One True Church. But I can no longer testify in his name.

i completely agree that this is one of the tough things about baseball. i like brian, too, both as a player and he just seems like the right kind of guy to have in your clubhouse. especially with a bevy of young pitchers. this is one of the reasons i always hesitate nowadays to get a jersey with someone's name/number on it. in any sport.

brings up an amusing anecdote from the 2006 season opener. wilkerson had been traded for sori. i had nice tix about 10 rows back of the nats dugout and saw a guy in the 1st or 2nd row with a wilkerson jersey. except he had written "soriano" on a piece of paper and taped it skewed across wilkerson's name. made me chuckle.

I am very unhappy about this. Church, I understand. Schnieder? I'm heartbroken. Like my seats in the new park, I'm going to give Milledge a chance, but I was not impressed with what I saw from him last year.

I like the move; We save $5M for Schneider's backup catcher role (its obvious they want to go with Flores full time). Church had reached his potential with us and was going to be no more than a 4th outfielder anyway. We already have 3 other 4th outfielder candidates on the 40-man roster (Logan, Langerhans, Maxwell). We do need to find a backup catcher though (the Moeller 6-year minor league free agent pickup makes more sense now).

Sad to see Schneider go but I think that this could be a good deal. Plus, it clears up some of the Ryans confusion.

Directly from an e-mail from my Cubs-fan girlfriend:

"NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"I love Brian Schneider"

"brings up an amusing anecdote from the 2006 season opener. wilkerson had been traded for sori. i had nice tix about 10 rows back of the nats dugout and saw a guy in the 1st or 2nd row with a wilkerson jersey. except he had written "soriano" on a piece of paper and taped it skewed across wilkerson's name. made me chuckle."

Milledge better go 40-40 next year...

I guess this is clearing the decks for Flores to be fulltime and taking a flyer on Milledge, since he sure doesn't seem to be all that currently.

Man do I hate it theat Schneider won't be there for Opening Day in the new park.

I'd love to see the Nats pick someone up someday who's not a question mark.

I think it's a good trade for the Nats, even though I like both Schneider and Church. But I do have the concern now as to who will be the other catcher(s) besides Flores next year. Just say no to Fick as part of that equation, JimBo. Please.

Also, I fervently hope that Church doesn't turn into Endy Chavez v2.0 on his way up to Shea. That would suck.

Go to Metsgeek.com. The Mets fans are absolutely ripping Minaya in a way that only New Yorkers can do. Negative comments are running about 20:1.

and a followup after my emotions have cooled. there is something in baseball that doesnt have a dollar amount. its called chemistry. and the Nats are RFing this up.

its still stupid. and im holding to my word. one more character guy for immature talent trade and i am taking my baseball up I-95.

joebleux, he *MAY* be there for opening day in the new park, if the Nats can get the 3/30 game with the mets scheduled... just not playing for the team we expected. and while i always hoped that would happen, i hope for it a little more now. it would be nice to have him there and i'm sure he'd get a great ovation from us fans.

"one more character guy for immature talent trade and i am taking my baseball up I-95."

Where? To Philly? You ain't gonna find no character at OPCY, y'know?

It's, like, maybe these guys weren't the best players ever. They're probably not going to be Hall of Famers, but they were *ours* from the very beginning. They were two members of a team that made me fall in love with baseball again, after I'd forsaken the Orioles from too many years of heartbreak.

Maybe it's ridiculous of me, but I wanted to both win and keep the core group of players intact. To have them suddenly play with a greater level of talent than they actually have, like that happened in early 2005.

Ryan could have been Rookie of the Year in '05. And then he was up and down and up and down, and I wish he could've found success here, with us, because he brought this fan a lot of entertainment and winning a championshhip after being a part of the building process of a team seems like the least he deserved.

And what about Brian? I'll never forget that time he threw the chair. I think we'll miss his game-calling; and if ever there was a time to bring in a veteran pitcher (*cough*LIVAN*cough*), now's the time to do. The pitching staff is going to need leadership, and I think that might be what we just gave up.

It's going to hurt, seeing these guys play in a Mets uniform next season. But at least we'll get to see them play. I hope they both enjoy success with their new team, especially Church, for whom this may the opportunity to start over that he needed.

It is interesting to read everyone's response. The players on this team have nothing if not loyal fans - and that is great to see. But (correct me if I am wrong) I seem to remember a number of people who were ready to deal Cordero for Milledge back in July. Now we get him for Schneider and Church. Beyond our appreciation for Schneider as a ballplayer's ballplayer - how can this trade be denigrated? Milledge is 22 years old.

"Of all the players, Schneider deserves most to experience the new park and to experience a winning Nationals team."

Unless, of course, Schneider might actually PREFER to deserve a legit. shot at a ring before the knees go kaput.

I will seriously miss Schneider. He is my idea of the sort of catcher who can develop a young staff. OTOH, the Nats may have concluded that they were longer away from bringing the mound studs up from the farm than many of us had hoped. In that case, Schneider's value, to the Nats, goes down. If we were going to see Detwiler, & the rest up in the last 1/2 of '08, it's different, but I'm guessing that the F/O concluded that it would not happen.

I'm guessing that Minaya looked at the mistakes that cost the Mets the pennant and figured that, other than firing Willie Randolph, having a catcher who could better tell him when a pitcher was done was the best that he could do.

As to Church, good riddance. Hope he enjoys NYC. They will skewer him. Just wait 'til someone gets hold of his remarks about Jews being condemned to hell.

BTW, in looking over the F/A list for the year, I did notice that there are quite a number of available #2 catchers. Flores better buckle 'em on.

The thing concerning me the most about this trade is how losing Schneider will affect the pitching rotation and bullpen. Schneider was key in the demand and development of a young pitching staff as well as a constantly changing rotation. His batting average was never great but his defense mindedness and game calling was essential. We will see what happens.

Keep your car in park for the moment theraph. I almost assaulted JimBo when he traded Wilkerson, but ended up quite pleased (as someone pointed out this morning). I still miss Brad, but wouldn't go back in time to reverse it.

Having said that: JimBo, you're really testing the outer limits of my belief in you.

I'm in with the "this hurts but it's probably a good deal for the team" faction. Milledge (if he has gotten his act together or Manny et al can get his act together) does fill the CF slot nicely for the Nationals.

But I will be among those giving Church and -- especially -- Schneider a raucous standing ovation their first time back, and hoping they do well but not well enough to cost the Nats the ballgame.

By the way, pre-move 506, your Cubs' fan girlfriend's reaction is exactly what I heard from Ann over the phone a few minutes ago when I called her with the news. If Ann wasn't (still) a rabid Red Sawx fan I might be getting a little suspicious.

It's not show friends, it's show business. Manny apparently "gets" Milledge and I have to imagine he was consulted in some manner before the deal was done. Milledge's star may have fallen but this is the type of deal this team has to make if it has the opportunity.

http://www.armchairgm.com/If_It_Weren%27t_For_That_Kazmir_Trade%2C_This_Would_Be_The_Worst_Trade_In_History

mets fans are far more upset than anyone here.

LC:

I'm in the "devastated to see ole #23 go" camp. Not the least of which is that I have no idea what to say to my 12 year old Schneider jersey wearing daughter when I pick her up at school today. I think our allegiance to Church and Schneider is wrapped in the fact that so many of us have missed baseball for long. As a life long DC guy, I'm emotionally into this team like a first girlfriend. Breaking up is hard to do. Sorry for the mushy sentimentality.

Intellectually though, this is a good trade. Your point about Cordero for Milledge is a good one.

I will miss Schneider, but it's a smart trade.

Milledge
Belliard
Zimmerman
Young
Pena
Kearns
Flores
Guzman

Offensively, it is at least a draw for 2008 and is likely a win for the long term future.

Brian, Ryan... I'm sad to see you go. Brian was the first National that I knew. His calm demeanor and grin made it really easy to switch allegiance from the misery of the O's to the new Nats. Church, I liked, but I think this is best for him.

Aside from my feelings, I want to hear about the young pitching staff who Schneider coached through the season. Or whether Livo would come back without his battery mate. sigh.

Well, welcome Lastings. I hope you rock for us!

anyone who doesn't think this is a brilliant deal for the nats is a cretin. milledge LOVES manny acta, and is going to be a star for the nats for years to come. this clears money to go after a 2B to replace the horrid felipe lopez and starting pitching. sign a veteran free agent catcher to a one year, incentive laden contract. start the year with jesus in AA or AAA, then let the C walk with a potential draft pick to come in. can't lose.

And more upside for those that care, perhaps this ends our interest in Dukes.

I'll never forget one of the fast-paced, action-packed video montages in the first season. One of the clips showed Schneider sliding home just under the gun, but he was blowing a bubble-gum bubble at the same time, like "la-di-da, this is easy."

OMG just back from a meeting and had this to greet me. I feel sick. I love Schneideyman. :(

LurkerNowPoster, I'm also heartbroken. I would've understood Church for Milledge straight up, but the Mets would rightfully not have gone for that since Milledge is only 22 and still has a big upside, whereas Church should be nearing the apex of his career and still hasn't "arrived".

Something that gets me is that Milledge looks to be the guy in CF now. For how long, though? If Justin Maxwell keeps coming on, he'll be ready for that job in another year. Meanwhile, not having Schneider around could retard the progress of the young arms in the system; how many kudos did Schneider receive last season for the way he handled the pitching staff -- from Florida to the final game of the season?

The only way this trade is a positive for the Nats, IMO, is if Milledge becomes at least a solid, every-day center fielder, and a significant improvement over Maxwell. Time will tell ....

On another note, how great is Barry for breaking this trade so quick?

mlb.com still has no idea what's happening, and this news is an hour old!

I just realized that the above sounds ridiculous, but being a Gen Y or Echo Boom or whatever they call us these days, information is supposed to come and go FAST.

OMG!

I just went to the Metsgeek site. It's a good thing that Minaya is not in NYC today. They'd leave him in Brooklyn...and Queens...and Manhattan...and parts in Staten Island.

georgetowner, smart teams bank up good young players. maxwell probably needs one more year in the minors to really blossom - he was called up too early this year. either kearns or pena may turn into a trading piece after this year. or maybe one of them gets hurt and we need both milledge and maxwell. in the uncertainty that is baseball talent development, milledge = upgrade over church/nook/others for a good bit cheaper (not to mention very smartly clearing schneider's contract)

You guys can't be this upset, it's a classic Bowden trade. Chruch is a 4th OF at best and Schneider is getting older by the minute and is on the downside of his career. Even if Milledge doesn't work out its a good gamble. If Milldege can turn it around with playing time it'll be a steal if not its no biggy.

This seems like the only viable solution to the center field issue, the free agents weren't going to come our way. I'm happy they made something happen, but it's rough seeing someone that's as great a leader as Schneid go. We can appreciate some of the dignity and outstanding defense he brought the club in it's DC infancy though. I'll happily get behind Lastings this spring.

I agree with Straub21 and the others who say: Sorry to see Brian go, but it's probably for the best in the long run. While Milledge does have some maturity issues, he is only 22, should hit for power, and run like a deer. I hate, hate HATE to see Brian go, but like the deal in the long run.

Biggest concern isn't Milledge being a bust. Honestly, so what if he is. My biggest concern is that this screws up the pitching staff while also impeding Flores progress by forcing him into the starting spot a year or 2 too soon.

Net-net, like (not love) this trade.

then call me a cretin.

i guess baseball fans are just the idiot cousins of football fans. lets cheer for the name across the chest with blinders on our eyes of the names on the back.

lets root for wins, home runs, earned run averages and on base %. lets ignore the players that draw us to this game. after all, its only about the bottom line.

lets go to the restaurant that serves crappy food - why not? it sure does have alot of lights and noises and people smiling in the pictures.

lets root for me-first athletes that would rather stare at a home run and dance around the field. lets ignore the hardworkers that do things under the radar. their name isnt in the box score, so anything is an upgrade right?

lets go all in on the term "potential".

and lets piss on chemistry, the ONLY REASON the Nats achieved their "success" last year.

you can skewer me if you want. i could care less. im not happy, and im not going to sit here and suggest that the trade is going to help. there are intangibles in baseball.

Gotta agree, this is a good gamble. Although Milledge has been shaky, there is huge upside potential. We've pretty much seen the peak of what Church/Schneider will give us. Schneid was a great guy for this team, best of luck.

Theraph-

You really overvalue Schneider... he bats .230, makes $5 million the next two seasons, and his intangibles led our pitching staff to the second worst ERA in the NL, in the best pitchers park... WOW, what a loss-

as far as how this affects maxwell, i've seen it written a number of places that milledge is probably OK in CF now, but will be more of a LF down the line. and it's not the worst thing defensively to have two guys who can play CF in your OF (unless they pull the cameron/beltran collision).

agreed that maxwell isn't ready, but i don't know that they 'brought him up too early.' he just got a september callup cup of coffee. just something to wet his whistle and give him an idea of what it's like up here. i don't think they ever intended for him to be playing in DC in april.

This is a great trade for the Nats. I like Schneider as much as anyone, but it clearly is time to see what Flores can do as a regular. As for Church, he had his opportunity to play full-time last year and was still mediocre.

You left out Giants Stadium. Oh, wait, I think that the mythbusters disproved that one...

---

I just went to the Metsgeek site. It's a good thing that Minaya is not in NYC today. They'd leave him in Brooklyn...and Queens...and Manhattan...and parts in Staten Island.

Posted by: Catcher50

We have gone from our biggest need being a CF to C. Schneider was the perfect catcher for all the young pitchers we are trying to develop. On the flip side, Fick will be around another season as back-up catcher.
I will miss saying "You get wise, you get to Church. Head on down the the Crystal Rock Church and check out Reverand Cleofis." - Blues Brothers

Me, too, NatsNut. He handled the Flores situation particularly with a lot of class, IMO, and how does he get repaid? Yer out!

---

I love that guy. He's so smart, so classy. I so wanted him to be the one guy from the Expos who made it all the way through.

In poker, they say, if you can't spot the patsy at the table, you're it.

Lessee, Milledge was Minaya's guy, so it's not Omar...

****************
So now we're down to Cordero and Rauch in the former Expos club?
Posted by: Section 506 (Before moving) | November 30, 2007 01:47 PM
********
(from the last thread)
One of the best ways to get a "bargain" is to trade for a player that the current G.M. had nothing to do with. That G.M. will have (presumably) evaluated the talent as an outsider.
Posted by: Catcher50 | November 30, 2007 12:51 PM

I really don't understand all the anger from posters like theraph. I liked Schneider, too, but he was a lousy (not mediocre, lousy) offensive catcher the last two years. I'm sure he helped a bit with the pitching staff, but quite frankly, none of us can really judge how much credit he deserves and how much credit goes to the coaching staff- In whom I have quite a bit of faith following their 2007 performance. Schneider was the kind of person you want to root for, and I wish he were catching Mayor Fenty's opening pitch at the new stadium next year. Heck, I'll join you all in cheering for him when he takes the field as a Met. But beyond that one pitch, he was just a chemistry guy with little to offer on the field considering his relative salary.
I have no sympathy for anyone disappointed about Church. He's been in the Washington/Montreal system for, what, 7 years or something, and no one seems to much like the guy. He's a decent fourth outfielder on a team that has no reason to be paying for a decent fourth outfielder, and he's old enough that we pretty much know his ceiling. Throw in his certainty of my eternal damnation, and I won't be shedding any tears.

As for Milledge, absolute worst case scenario is that we pay less than half a million dollars for another season of Nook-esque production. And, barring major injury, that worst case seems highly unlikely. I think we can safely expect a player who (a) is happy to be here and playing for Manny; (b) should give us league-average CF numbers at an absolute minimum; and (c) could develop into one of the better CFs in the league if all goes well.
Finally, this is exactly what Stan promised us he would do in moves that his team made. Count me as a satisfied fan.

For those making Maxwell and Milledge comparisons, remember that Maxwell is 1 1/2 years OLDER than Milledge. Milledge is by far the better prospect for that reason alone.

And there are times to say goodbye too. The Nats were never going to give Church the shot he deserved. And Scneider is, what, 2 years away from FA? One? No doubt he was the captain of the team. You say the trade isn't going to help. I disagree. Because keeping both here wasn't going to help either. Church and Schneider are gone, not dead.

I think this is a win-win for the team and players we love. Now Schneider, Church AND the Nats all have a shot at winning a championship sooner.

So they get a guy who may or may not be the OF bat they need, and he's not currently under indictment, he just likes to call people names. And the Nationals get a young guy who may yet pan out.

I'll be another one ready to welcome Schneider to the new stadium with a big ovation (just like the ones that I give Jamey Carroll).

I keep visualizing Flores dropping those popups late in the season.

Re. former Expos, wasn't Ayala one, too?

To be fair, Andrew, there are LOTS of ballplayers certain of your (and mine, for different reasons maybe) post-mortem prospects. Church just got caught. I have every confidence Milledge will prove just as progressive.

********
Throw in [Church's] certainty of my eternal damnation, and I won't be shedding any tears.
Posted by: andrew | November 30, 2007 02:40 PM

"So now we're down to Cordero and Rauch in the former Expos club?"

Them, and Nick (assuming he makes it back). Patterson (likewise) and Ayala too, perhaps, although I'm not 100% sure about them. They were both Nats in '05, though, I know that.

I think Don Sutton is behind this. Now he doesn't have to (mis)pronounce #23's name 50 times a game.

Grrrrr.

---

I think Don Sutton is behind this. Now he doesn't have to (mis)pronounce #23's name 50 times a game.

bowden loves the classic tools with upside. but it is a good move.

i'd bet manny acta is happy so i'm happy.

and milledge brings a lot of enthusiasm to the park. i love the fact that young guys are going into the winter knowing they are getting their full-time shot in the spring.

i wonder if flores would have been in line for that gig if we hadn't snaked him last year!

Anybody remember who the Nats got Flores from in the Rule 5 draft last year? That's right, the New York Metropolitans. So Flores comes over and supplants Schneider whom we then send to the catcher-desperate Mets along with Church for Milledge. Essentially, we've switched players, except now we have the 23 and 22 year olds and they have the 31 and 29 year olds. I like it.

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/30/AR2007113001311.html

Here's the AP article

And Barry's: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/30/AR2007113001286.html

next floor, the basement

----

anyone who doesn't think this is a brilliant deal for the nats is a cretin.

Losing B-Schneid is going to be hard to explain to my son. I am truly sorry to see him go, especially to a division team.

Milledge may have a lot of upside, but he's still an unproven everyday player. This is a huge gamble - high-risk, high reward.

Perhaps the best result here is that it should put to rest any silliness about looking at Corey Patterson.

Okay, so judging by my very own criteria set forth earlier today (grrrrr) this is a good trade.

Flores was never going to play in AAA next year, no way. So that situation is the same. We have a vet minor free agent catcher, so while we'll miss Schneider's presence in the majors, his loss will be a wash in the minors.

Milledge, on the other hand, relieves the demand on the minor leagues to produce an outfielder NOW. Suddenly, we're set in the outfield for the next season. That means the Nats only have ONE pressing concern in the minors (middle infield) instead of two and also that Maxwell, et al., can develop instead of getting rushed. And since Milledge is under 25 that means J-Max could get traded as a deal too. Not saying he should, just that it opens up possibilities.

Also, it's nice to have a young African-American on the team that PR can use to increase the team's presence among non-white suburbanites.

Millege,

thanks for adhering to my sentiments. avg, money, era. thanks for playing.

and what of this second worst era without him? if i recall, it was retreads, has beens, and never will bes that pitched for washington last year? perhaps a 110 loss team?

i would be willing to challenge anyone on this journal that actually played baseball above little league to argue with me. you cannot replace leadership and character - when those qualities in a player were a huge part of the team - with youth and talent. the Nats will regress this year. just watch. im done with this. have a good weekend.

---------------------------------------

You really overvalue Schneider... he bats .230, makes $5 million the next two seasons, and his intangibles led our pitching staff to the second worst ERA in the NL, in the best pitchers park... WOW, what a loss-

Aside from having to tell my teenage daughters that Ryan and Brian are gone, the little kid in me feels like its 1968 and the Mets just traded Ed Kranepool and Jerry Grote. Just like Ryan and Brian, they were not the stars on the team, but they were the type of hardworking, franchise (in the old school way) players that were part of your team that a young fan could always enjoy.

And what happened to the Mets in '69?

No, the best is that it should shut down the Elijah Dukes talk.

Having taken a few deep breaths, this is looking better to me. LM is young, 22, and power hitters often add muscle later (sometimes as late as 38, but that's another story). And he seems, what little I know about him, more enthusiastic than malicious, and might yet fit in well here (not being so subject to the "know your place, rook" BS that didn't help his rep in NYC).

Church's value was probably as high as it's going to get, and Schneider's certainly isn't going up.

*********
Perhaps the best result here is that it should put to rest any silliness about looking at Corey Patterson.
Posted by: Mike | November 30, 2007 02:59 PM

Great move for the nats. SChneidermana nd Churchy will be missed, but this kid should be awesome and immediately fixes 2 of our biggest problems (leadoff hitter and CFer).

There's a new post up, with the (Nats) club's release.

Realistically 2010 is about when we hope to be freezing in the upper deck in late October. Brian is going to do a lot of knee squats between now and then. Church will likely be on to his third team. Milledge could, I say could, be one of the NL's bright young stars that year. And you don't get that kind of potential without trading value.

I wonder if part of the deal is the Mutts agree to start the season here on Sunday, March 30. This may seal the deal for a one game opener. Just thinking/typing out loud.
Glad I did not buy the Schneider shirt last year. He is/was one of the few playes on the team I figured would here for our post season run in a few seasons.

theraph, you make me chuckle.

leadership/character are both underrated and overrated. overrated by those who tout them and underrated by those who poo-poo them.

losing schneider isn't going to leave the nats bereft of either. church didn't necessarily add a ton of either. while i do worry about the handling of the pitching staff, you can't get something for nothing and neither of those guys is truly a building block for the future of this team, so there's no reason to gnash our teeth over their losses (other than the fact that we liked them, specially schneider, and we'll miss them).

if this is truly something that would push you toward being an Os fan, then so be it. see if you can appreciate angelos instead. ;) but this is a solid baseball move by the FO and i'm thinking most analysis will show it was a good move for the nats.

I've bought one jersey with a name on it in my life. Brian Schneider #23. I will miss him. He is a character guy with a great attitude who seemed to make a difference with the pitchers. He was the kind of guy you wanted to be a coach on the team after he retired. I totally agree with folks who are bummed that he won't catch the first pitch in the new stadium. Brian - I wish you the best of luck!

Having said that, this trade makes all the sense in the world. There is a lot of upside for Milledge and he fills a huge need and runs like the wind. Remember, even if he was over-valued, he was the absolute untouchable stud in the minors just a 2 seasons ago. I'm hoping that guys like Meathook and Manny can get in his head and get the best out of him.

We need to go after a veteran catcher for a 1 year deal to take the pressure of Jesus Flores. Perhaps Doug Mirabelli, Gary Bennett, Mike Piazza or even Sandy Alomar could be interesting and make sure that Flores is not rushed.

The more I read about it, the better I like the whole thing. I will miss Brian and Ryan also, but Flores showed us last year that he is ready and getting a 22 year old prospect like Milledge is just awesome. We can forget all about picking up a loser like Dukes (while also keeping the teen pregnancy rate a bit lower in the DC area) and Logan or Langerhans can move to the bench as a defensive replacement. All good things. Now, we just need to find a veteran pitcher....

I'm really going to miss Schneider, but let's be clear, the guy is a career .250 hitter with no power. At some point this year, Flores was going to take his job. May as well let him grow into it now. Church and Milledge had almost identical years in '07, only Milledge is six years younger, and well cheaper. He's younger than Maxwell, for that matter, and already a better hitter, so he's not blocking JMax. As long as his CF defense is as good as Church's, this is a wash if Milledge never gets any better and if he develops, a potential "cornerstone" kind of deal.

But it stinks to see guys I like get traded.

I saw a note that the Nats turned down Estrada as part of the deal and that they may consider Barrett or LoDuca as a free agent. (Maybe even Estrada, if he gets non-tendered and his price goes down.) But I don't think the Nats would be uncomfortable with Flores as starter.

Though I was a big Schneider fan, I think this is a good deal. Let's see what else Trader Jim comes up. Remember, he's not even in Nashville yet.

me too.

___________________

I've bought one jersey with a name on it in my life. Brian Schneider #23.

Posted by: roman1735 | November 30, 2007 03:18 PM

A few comments.

1. The trade is good for the Nats. We're not going to improve with Church & Schneider in the lineup. Lastings is a gamble worth taking.
2. For this saying Maxwell is a year from making it, don't hold your breath. He really hasn't done anything, anywhere! He put a nice couple of swings on the ball when he was called up in September but I don't understand why so many people are so high on him. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see it.
3. Keith Law at ESPN.com gave the "BIG" edge to the Nats on this trade which is saying a lot since he never really has anything positive to say about the Nats.

Bottom line is that you're not going to improve by sitting on your behind. The Red Sox forgave Theo pretty quickly after dumping Nomar!! Sleep on it...you'll feel better in the morning.

Theraph - I agree with you on the leadership and Schneider's handling of the staff - they will be missed. I really liked Schneider and think our pitchers will suffer without him this year.

BUT - we knew JimBo was coveting Milledge and he felt the price was right. I hope Milledge turns out to be good - probably will be much better than Logan, but not nearly as good as Andruw Jones and Rowland.

I'm sad to see 2 of my favorites go, but I knew JimBo wouldn't sit still. I hope the trade works out well.

Whether it does or not, I'm staying loyal to D.C. - NO WAY does this drive me to Balt...

BTW, I doubt Schneider sees this as punishment. We just traded him to a contender. He gets to play with Moises and he does not have to try to throw out Reyes. I'm sure he'll miss being with the Nats, but it is hardly Siberia for a 32 year old catcher. Most don't make it past 35 as a starter. Here is his chance.

I understand the trade. Schneider is on the downside of his career and Milledge is a gamble for short money. Don't be surprised if Church hits .300 in that park. he always plays well there for some strange reason.

Not a blockbuster, but reasonable for a team that knows that it has to reach .5oo before really spending the big bucks.

I will take the coward's way out and tell y'all my opinion of the trade come July. It has the potential to be a great trade IF Milledge's numbers improve on Church's and IF Flores handles our pitchers as well as BS did (He, Flores, has the potential to improve on Schniders numbers).

I would just like to say that I think this really stinks!!!!! Brian Schnieder was a great player and a great guy!! Even thought Milledge is supposed to be good, what is going to happen is that the Mets are going to be better then ever and the Nationals are going to stink because I don't think that Bowden realizes how badly they need a great cacher. I being a cacher really realize how much some people under think the importance of a great cacher. I never thought that Bowden would be a good GM. It would have been better if they had traded Schnieder for a Diamondback because I know that the GM there Josh Burns thinks that he is a very good player. Over all this was a terrible decision for the Nationals, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a big Schnieder fan but because it is the truth. ANY TEAM BUT THE METS!!!!!! It's was a bad trade!!!

O and by the way I'm #4's 12 year old daughter. He told me after dinner when I found the e-mail I got from nationals.com WHAT AM I GONNA DO WITH MY SCHNIEDER JERSEY!!!!!!!!!!!!