Is Omar Bluffing?

Omar Minaya stated in today's papers that he is unlikely to make a trade as we head toward the deadline. Minaya claimed that the Mets will solve any issues they have internally. "We can't keep doing four-for-one deals," Minaya said. Minaya is right on that account. Still, the monkeys can't be sure Minaya isn't bluffing. Even if he was interested in acquiring an outfielder, it would be wise to take the stance he took and not seem like he was dealing from a position of weakness.

A big question is if Ryan Church is really just a week or two away from contributing. The tests he took indicated that the migraines are not related to his two concussions, but Church has had false starts before. If Church is indeed ready to play again, perhaps the Mets can piece together a combination to play left field.

Minaya believes Nick Evans is going to grow into a .280-plus hitter who produces 20 homers and 80 RBIs annually. Evans has looked better in a limited sample since his second callup. He went the other way and got two solid singles on Sunday. The monkeys feel that we would rather see Evans get a longer look rather than activating Angel Pagan who doesn't have nearly the power potential that Evans has. Perhaps it will be proven that Evans is still not ready, but why not give it a shot? With the organization a little lefty heavy with their first base and outfield prospects (Mike Carp, Fernando Martinez, Ike Davis), Evans will potentially have a major role on this team even as a bat off the bench for several years. Let's see what he's got.

The Mets can keep riding with Chavez and Tatis for a bit longer, but both players are probably better suited coming off the bench and playing in small spurts. The monkeys expressed our feelings about rushing Fmart in our last column. Let's see him dominate AA for a little while before throwing him into the fire.

We agree with Minaya's assessment that Eddie Kunz or Bobby Parnell could fill a bullpen role if needed. Kunz has 25 saves as Binghamton's closer and has not allowed a homerun in 41.2 innings which sounds good to the monkeys who have watched the bullpen in the majors give up their fair share. He has improved each month this season and only needs to cut down on his walks (23 in 42 innings) to eliminate any lingering doubts. After a rough April where he had an ERA of 7.15, Parnell has pitched extremely well lowering that ERA to a much more respectable 3.94. Parnell throws in the mid 90's and is a starter, but some scouts feel his stuff is better suited in relief. Both are close to being ready.

The next few weeks will be very interesting. If Church is indeed healthy, we feel the Minaya should fold and not play in the trading market. If Church is not healthy, we can't help but think Omar is going to go All In. And if he does that he had better win his hand or in this case, the World Series.