Whew! Manny to the Dodgers

I would have been really unhappy if Manny Ramirez had ended up with the Marlins, as the rumor mill was hinting. The Mets have nine games left against them, unbalanced schedule and all, and none against the Dodgers, so the difference could be meaningful.

It's not as good as, say, the Mets getting Manny for Anderson Hernandez or something but it's better than letting a division rival get him.

C'mon Omar. Do something. Get Marcus Thames just to let us know you show up for work every day.

Teixeira to the Angels; Braves rendered talentless

Remember when it was folly to predict any team but the Braves to win the NL East... because the Braves always won the NL East? Well with the trade of Mark Teixeira, close on the heels of news that Tim Hudson may be done for the season, the Atlanta Braves officially suck.

In all the excitement of the Mets' stirring turnaround I hadn't noticed, but the Braves had already been looking sickly at 49-56, and that was with one of the best first basemen in baseball and a Cy Young candidate in Tim Hudson. When Hudson went down, the Braves probably figured there was no sense in waiting to trade Teix.

What major league talent did they get back in the deal? Casey Kotchman? Good luck with that. When you're ready to field a competitive team again, come back without that stupid chant, you goobers.

Phillies acquire Joe Blanton

Last season's collapse must have really taken its toll on my psyche. Gary Cohen just reported on the SNY broadcast that the Phillies acquired Joe Blanton, and instead of thinking "Oh, you mean soft-tossing rotation filler Joe Blanton?" my first thought was "Oh noes! He's much better than Adam Eaton!"

Talk about being scared of your shadow.

Mets are three (3) games above .500

Sure, if you can't beat up on a team that bats Bengie Molina cleanup... but still, it feels pretty good.

I remain concerned about the Phillies, but if Mike Pelfrey really turns out to be a non-busted draft pick, as he seems to be doing, it would make a big difference. The Mets might have the better rotation regardless of whether Pedro returns to form. Hell, Orlando Hernandez is still among the living, and may be back after a few more rehab starts.

I don't have a good sense for what if any deals may be on the horizon. As I understand it from reading my good friend Toby, the elite prospect cupboard is pretty bare except for Fernando Martinez, who I gather is still "untouchable" despite having a pretty mediocre season at Binghamton. (Yeah, he's only 20 and he's at Double-A, but I have this weird thing where I like to see Top Prospects put up monster stat lines everywhere they go.)

C.C. Sabathia or Rich Harden would have been nice gets, but we really need another bat. I know this is probably a minority opinion but I think we could make use of Adam Dunn. We know JP Ricciardi doesn't want him!