Lastings Milledge traded

According to ESPN.com, Lastings Milledge has been traded from the Mets to the Nationals in exchange for Brian Schneider and Ryan Church.

WASHINGTON -- Catcher Brian Schneider and outfielder Ryan Church were traded to the New York Mets by the Washington Nationals on Friday for outfielder Lastings Milledge.

In Schneider, the Mets add yet another catcher, following their trade for Johnny Estrada last week. In Milledge, the Nationals pick up a talented young player they hope can avoid the sorts of missteps that marked his Mets career and be a key component of their rebuilding project.

Schneider was given a lot of credit last season for holding together a ragtag Nationals starting rotation, but he struggled at the plate, batting .235 with six homers and 54 RBIs.

Church hit .272 with 15 homers and 70 RBIs, while tying for the team lead with 43 doubles.

I'm not sure what Omar is thinking here. Milledge has been touted as one the best, if not the best, prospect in the Mets system. He was dangled in deals for Barry Zito, Roy Oswalt, Manny Ramirez, Tim Hudson, and the like, but Omar was too high on him to pull the trigger. Now he trades Milledge for a mediocre catcher and a third outfielder. As far as I'm concerned, while not as bad as the Scott Kazmir trade, this may go down as the worst trade Omar will make as GM of the Mets.

According to SportsTalk 980 in Washington, DC, Milledge may have been traded due to insubordination issues with the Mets.

There's a rumor going around that as little as two weeks ago, Milledge was in the front office for a meeting with Jeff Wilpon and Omar Minaya. At the meeting they criticized his lack of focus on baseball, caused by what they believe to be numerous outside business ventures that he was undertaking with his friends and family. Fearing the possibility of another public relations fiasco, they demanded that he shut down his record label, and the other aspects of his music operation in its ENTIRETY, he refused, and this is where we're at in the present.

While I'm not sure of the credibility of this source, this would weaken the terribly bitter taste in the mouths of Mets fans. Milledge has always been a topic of controversy for the Mets and their front office, so this would certainly make sense.

The bottom line here is that I think Omar got ripped off on this trade. Just one man's opinion.