The Matt of All Trades

The Mets have made some very bad trades over the years, and being the fan that I am, I'm allowed to say that. Fans will remember Kazmir for Victor Zambrano, and Dykstra and McDowell for Juan Samuel from years past.

But more recently, the Mets swung a deal with the Florida Marlins, sending rookie pitchers Henry Owens and Matt Lindstrom to the Fish in exchange for Jason Vargas and Adam Bostick. The Mets definitely got short-changed on this one, as Owens (before being placed on the DL) and Lindstrom gave the Marlins a boost in their rotation, while Vargas pitched in two games for the Mets in 2007.

Lindstrom is a hard-throwing righty who made his debut in 2007. He was arguably the best middle relief pitcher the Marlins had all season, sporting his nifty 3.09 ERA and and 62 strikeouts in 67 innings pitched, according to baseballreference.com. To go along with his 95 MPH plus fastball, Lindstrom has a nasty breaking ball that makes hitters look like little leaguers.

Lindstrom is a 27-year old rookie from Rexburg Idaho, and is just another Mets' Fish that got away.