Mets busy on trade front, get Benson, Zambrano

Posted 9:14AM on Saturday 31st July 2004 ( 20 years ago )

NEW YORK - Pitchers Kris Benson and Victor Zambrano were traded to the New York Mets on Friday, boosting a rotation that had relied all season on three aging starters. A day before the non-waiver trading deadline, the Mets got busy in a big way and took a huge gamble before beginning a weekend series at division-leading Atlanta. To get Zambrano and minor league pitcher Bartolome Fortunato from Tampa Bay, the Mets sent their best pitching prospect Scott Kazmir and minor league pitcher Jose Diaz to the Devil Rays. Benson, a former standout at Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Ga., and Clemson University, is eligible for free agency after this season. For Benson and minor league infielder Jeff Keppinger of the University of Georgia, the Mets traded infielder Ty Wigginton, highly touted minor league pitcher Matt Peterson and infielder Jose Bautista to the Pirates. ``It's kind of a relief just to get it over with. It's been a tough day,'' Benson said before the Pirates played at Miller Park. ``If there was a team I'd be excited to go to, it would be them.'' The Mets sent a private plane to Milwaukee to bring Benson to Atlanta, and he planned to start Saturday night against the Braves. He would be facing Atlanta for the third straight time. The Mets got Bautista earlier in the day from Kansas City for minor league catcher Justin Huber. ``We're getting younger and transforming our roster that a year ago or two years ago was one of the oldest in baseball,'' Mets general manager Jim Duquette said. ``Both of these pitchers are 29 years old, they still have a lot of mileage ahead of them, pitching-wise.'' The Mets, led by starters Al Leiter, Tom Glavine and Steve Trachsel, entered the day trailing the Braves by six games in the NL East. New York, which started a weekend series in Atlanta, also are in the wild-card race. ``In my new home, they're waiting for me,'' Zambrano said before the Devil Rays hosted Toronto. ``I'm just going to go and do my 200 percent I can do there. I'll be happy to go there.'' ``All I can say, I appreciate the opportunity that they gave me. I'm just waiting to get to New York,'' he said. Zambrano, who turns 29 next week, is 9-7 with a 4.43 ERA. The right-hander also is 10-1 lifetime in interleague play, having pitched well against NL teams. Kazmir was the Mets' first-round pick in the 2002 draft, and was pitching at Double-A Binghamton. He has struck out 259 batters in 203 1-3 innings during his minor league career. ``I think we're getting one of the fine left-handed pitching prospects in baseball. I won't be surprised if he's not here come September,'' Tampa Bay general manager Chuck LaMar said. ``We get our hands on a quality left-hander and have some financial flexibility, too,'' he said. ``It's a move that's not easy to make at anytime, but we felt like it was the right time.'' Zambrano was eligible for salary arbitration after this season. ``He's pitched well enough to deserve what the system says he's going to get paid,'' LaMar said. ``He's arguably the best pitcher this organization ever had, somebody who could still improve at the major league level. But if not, he has proven he's an outstanding major league pitcher. He's had great success and I think that success will continue.'' Benson, 29, is 8-8 with a 4.22 ERA. The top pick in the 1996 draft has had injury problems, but the Mets hope he can give them a late push. Benson was scheduled to start Saturday night at Milwaukee. Mets manager Art Howe said he was unsure if Benson would go against the Braves. Wigginton was in the Mets' original starting lineup Friday, playing second base and batting sixth. He was changing clothes in the clubhouse after the deal was announced and asked for some time to get his thoughts together. Wigginton was hitting .285 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs. ``No question, he's going to be a loss,'' Duquette said. ``I've known Wiggy for a long time, dating back to when he was a minor league player and I was a farm director. ``I have affection for Ty that goes beyond the way he plays. He's a gamer, he's a hard-nosed guy, he's well-loved in the clubhouse.''

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