Remember John Maine? A's and Mets

[DrShorebird]

From Gotham Baseball

http://gothambaseballmagazine.com/forums/index.php?topic=438.0

According to a West Coast baseball official, if the A's are even thinking about dealing Dan Haren to the Mets, the price wiull be "steep".

"The conversation will start with (John) Maine," said the official, who spoke with Gotham Baseball Magazine on condition of anonymity.

Of course this is nothing new to GBM readers, who have been reading here for the last two years that John Maine has been long-sought by Oakland GM Billy Beane in any deal involving an A's pitcher, be he named Haren, Harden, Blanton or Zito.

Beane has repeatedly asked for Maine in deals, going all the way back to the 2005 offseason, when the Moneyball Man pestered the Orioles for Maine during his talks with Baltimore regarding Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder.

Reportedly, the Mets are publicly seeking an innings-eater, but what they really need is a top of the rotation starter with less mileage on him than a Livan Hernandez.

First of all, when the A's and Mets make a deal, give me a call. I have covered trade talks and rumored talks and chased rumor after rumor involving these two teams for the last three years. Each instance rings true, as each club seems to not only scout each other's players a lot.

Yet, while Mets GM Omar Minaya and Beane seem to enjoy playing poker with each other, they never show their cards.

[byrdz]

Man that was such a horrible trade for us but maybe he's one of those guys that pitches terrible in the AL.

[NewMarketSean]

So we didn't give up Maine to get Hudson or Mulder, but we gave him up to get Kris Benson? We must have really soured on him over the course of a few months to go from that to that.

[JTrea81]

So we didn't give up Maine to get Hudson or Mulder, but we gave him up to get Kris Benson? We must have really soured on him over the course of a few months to go from that to that.

The price was Maine and Bedard, not just Maine. The writer makes it sound that way, but Maine was one of the pieces Beane wanted...

[NewMarketSean]

I thought that was the case. Couldn't remember.

[DuffMan]

So we didn't give up Maine to get Hudson or Mulder, but we gave him up to get Kris Benson? We must have really soured on him over the course of a few months to go from that to that.

Didn't they also want Bedard in any deal for Hudson? So glad we didn't make that trade.

[mikezpen]

I think Beane wanted Penn too. Forget it, man!

[Flosman]

Maine, Bedard, and Penn, just goes to show Beane can identify talent.

[Gurgi]

We should enter trade talks with Beane once in a while to see who he wants that we have and then never trade them.

[wildcard]

This article is somewhat misleading. While Maine may be talked about as a piece in a trade for Hudson or Mulder in the past and Haren now, he is only a piece. It would then, and does now, take a whole lot more to get these pitchers.