What Could Have Been

When the Mets dealt Kris Benson to the Orioles before the 2006 season, they got back Jorge Julio (whose claim to fame for the Mets was that he was then shipped out for Orlando Hernandez) and John Maine. Quite a take, right?

Well, the only thing about that is that it was never the way the Mets planned it. When they made the deal, Maine (who Anna Benson referred to as a bag of balls when she described what the Mets got back) wasn't the young pitching prospect that they wanted.

The Mets worked hard to try to pry Adam Loewen from the Orioles, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2002 draft. But the Orioles wouldn't budge, so instead Omar Minaya settled for Maine.

Well, the news just came out that Loewen is done as a pitcher.  The Orioles said that after the latest injury, Loewen will try to pull a Rick Ankiel and make himself into an outfielder.

Sort of makes Maine's control problems seem like a minor trouble, right?

Comments

[GravediggerHebner]

Given the Mets' pressing need for healthy, viable major league starting corner outfielders, if Maine continues his high walk rate and inability to make it through 18 outs, maybe he should consider a similar conversion. But seriously, Maine does seem, at least coincidentally, to be the one negative to come out of the mid-season pitching coach change.