ESPN is reporting that the Mets are sending Brian Bannister to Kansas City for Ambiorix Burgos. Neither pitcher is a difference-maker, but I’m a bit surprised the Mets are giving up a solid rotation option (albeit a back-of-the-rotation option) for a short reliever.
Burgos has upside, but this says to me that Omar Minaya is very confident of landing at least one more starter this offseason. The Mets rotation could be spectacular once everyone is healthy, but there are a heck of a lot of question marks for Minaya to be trading away his insurance. On the flip side, this seems like a solid deal for the Royals: they need somebody to eat a bunch of innings, and Bannister comes a whole lot cheaper than the Mark Redmans, Tomo Ohkas, and Miguel Batistas of the world.
By Jeff Sackmann, Brew Crew Ball
