Writings on baseball by Matt Barnard and Dan Stein.

 
Trade Steve Trachsel

I was listening to an interview of Mets interim general manager Jim Duquette last week on WFAN (the most prominent sports talk radio station here in New York) when he was questioned about the availability of Steve Trachsel - a sensible query given that the Mets are now in full-on rebuilding mode and have already shipped out Roberto Alomar, Jeromy Burnitz, Armando Benitez and now Graeme Lloyd under Duquette's watch this season. Unlike those guys, Trachsel's under contract for at least one more season after 2003, as he's got a guaranteed $5 million coming to him next year (the Mets also have a $5 million option on him in 2005). Duquette explained that he liked the stability that Trachsel brings to the rotation, that he's had some success in New York, and that he expects Trachsel to be an important part of the Mets rotation in 2004.

I'm not a Mets fan, but I do attend and watch Met games periodically, so this is bad news. If you've never seen Steve Trachsel pitch, that's a good thing, as he's one of the least pleasant guys to watch in the majors currently. There are plenty of guys who work slowly...but I don't think there's anyone who reaches Trachsel-slow. With or without runners on base, he consistently takes a full 30 seconds between every pitch. Let's take a look at each of his starts this season and compare his average game time to the league's:

Trachsel starts this year (w/ game time, # of innings Trachsel pitched)

4/3 vs. Cubs - 2:53 (5 innings)
4/9 at Marlins - 2:49 (6 innings)
4/14 at Expos - 3:07 (6 innings)
4/19 vs. Marlins - 4:01 (5 innings)
4/25 vs. Diamondbacks - 2:53 (6 innings)
5/1 at Cardinals - 3:21 (5 innings)
5/7 vs. Dodgers - 2:28 (7 innings)
5/12 at Rockies - 3:16 (6 innings)
5/17 at Giants - 2:47 (8 innings)
5/23 at Braves - 3:05 (5.2 innings)
5/29 at Phillies - 2:59 (6.2 innings)
6/5 vs. Brewers - 2:46 (4 innings)
6/10 at Rangers - 3:19 (3.1 innings)
6/15 at Angels - 2:38 (9 innings)
6/20 vs. Yankees - 3:19 (7 innings)
6/25 vs. Marlins - 2:49 (7 innings)
6/30 vs. Expos - 2:45 (7 innings)
7/5 at Reds - 2:33 (6 innings)
7/10 vs. Phillies - 2:46 (1.2 innings)
7/17 at Braves - 2:26 (6 innings)
7/22 at Phillies - 4:01 (5.1 innings)
7/27 vs. Reds - 2:45 (5.1 innings)

His games are averaging just over 3 hours a piece, which really isn't as bad as I expected, but is still almost a quarter of an hour longer than the average game in the major leagues this year (the figure I have is 2:46, but it's a bit dated...if you know of where to get this kind of information updated, please let me know). As annoying as he is to watch, it'd be alright if he were a really effective pitcher or the Mets were a team that could effectively utilize a professional major league innings eater, which is exactly what Trachsel is.

Keeping him for this season (and signing him to his $8 million, 2 year deal in December of last year) was perfectly defensible coming off what was probably the best season of his career, as he posted a 3.37 ERA over 30 starts and 173.1 innings with an 11-11 record for the Mets. The team was still deluding itself into believing that it could contend for a playoff spot, and having the 2002 version of Steve Trachsel pitching relatively cheaply at the back end of a rotation would help in that pursuit. Clearly, the 2002 iteration is no longer with us, as despite his slightly improved record (he's at 9-7 this year so far), he's pitched significantly worse. The team is also totally out of contention, and while paying him an average of $4 million over these two seasons would've been acceptable if the team was good, it's no longer a wise investment. He's not helping the Mets do anything more than tread water, and expecting him to be worth the $5 million he's due next year and turn it around again at 33 seems pretty foolish to me. Right now, there are enough contending teams desperate for starting pitching that the Mets could no doubt ship him out of New York, and regardless of what they get in return, get out from under his contract for next season (or pick up a piece of the money owed and get more value coming back).

If the Cardinals call up and offer a total non-entity for Trachsel and insist that the Mets pick up his entire contract, it's defensible for Jim Duquette to decline. While he's occupying a roster spot, he's capable of going out every fifth day and giving the team a chance to win. That said, if the Mets can get either out from under his contract or acquire some players with value in return, they'd be foolish not to take advantage of such an opportunity.

posted by VZW Watcher at 3:49 PM -