From Daily News.com…

I was upset by two things yesterday. News that Duaner Sanchez was potentially lost for the season in a freak taxi accident (what is it with Mets and taxis? can we get these guys an armored truck for transportation?) and losing a favorite player of mine in Xavier Nady. However, my rational side reminds me that Endy Chavez is a vast improvement over Nady defensively and combined with Lastings Milledge, the Mets likely will not lose much offensively without Nady. To top it off, the Mets add a proven set up man in Roberto Hernandez who arguably was the Mets MVP in 2005. Bert compiled a 2.60 ERA last season and currently holds a 2.90 ERA.

Duaner Sanchez was outstanding in the first half of the season but was more human as the midterm neared. If he is able to return for the playoffs, the Mets will have a ridiculously deep bullpen to ride them through October. If he isnt, they still have a solid set up in Bert.

I will miss seeing X as part of this special season, his contributions will not be forgotten. However I am excited to see the Lastings Milledge era begin again, hopefully with some lessons learned from his first time around.

Jim Callis reporting for Baseball America, makes his assessment on newly acquired Mets Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez…

Few lefties in baseball have the ceiling of the 24-year-old Perez,
but he has melted down since going 12-10, 2.98 with 239 strikeouts in
196 innings in 2004. He went 2-10, 6.63 in 15 starts, prompting his
demotion to Triple-A Indianapolis. In 76 innings, he had a 61-51 K-BB
ratio, .296 opponent average and 13 homers allowed. Those numbers just
don't make sense for a guy who can throw in the mid-90s with a tight
curveball, but Perez' stuff and command have slipped for no obvious
reason. Still he's a worthwhile gamble for the Mets. Perez, who avoided
arbitration by signing a one-year, $1.9 million contract, will be
arbitration-eligible again during the offseason. He has a career record
of 29-40, 4.56 in 105 games.

Hernandez will help replace Duaner Sanchez, who separated his
shoulder in a car accident yesterday. Hernandez isn't the all-star
closer he once was, but he has been effective in a setup role this
year. He has gone 0-3, 2.93 in 43 games. He has a 33-24 K-BB ratio in
43 innings, while opponents have hit .264 with three homers against
him. Hernandez operates with a low-90s fastball, a splitter and a
slider. He signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract as a free agent in
the offseason. In 938 career games, he owns a 64-68, 3.32 record and
326 saves.

Xavier Nady was just traded for Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez.

Lastings Milledge will likely be promoted to fill Nady's slot in right field.

Rotoworld gives their take…

Buc's Dugout chimes in…

If this is the whole deal, this is awful. Perez was probably a lost
cause, but only probably. There's still some chance he could be ironed
out. Nady is already 27 and has never been an especially good hitter.
There isn't very much upside for the Bucs here - Nady is only a little
bit better than the Ty Wigginton/Daryle Ward class of Pirates we always complain about, and the Bucs gave up quite a bit to get him.

Nady is basically Craig Wilson
lite. He doesn't have a position, he's not a great runner, his hitting
is not as good as Wilson's, and he's only two years younger than
Wilson. Why you'd trade a 24-year-old pitcher (however damaged) with an
All-Star caliber season under his belt, plus a valuable reliever, to a team that abruptly lost its setup man (Duaner Sanchez), to get Nady is beyond me. The Bucs already have Craig Wilson and they won't even play him.