Link: ESPN.com - MLB - L.A. deals Ishii to Mets for Phillips.
The New York Mets plugged a hole in their starting rotation Sunday, acquiring left-hander Kazuhisa Ishii from the Los Angeles Dodgers for catcher Jason Phillips.
Only the Mutts can plug a hole by digging a deeper one. Kaz Ishii has great stuff, but, like Victor Zambrano, none of it is near the plate. Trust me from someone who could never put it together and find the plate, guys who don't throw strikes very rarely succeed in baseball. They put your fielders to sleep and they don't go late into games, eating up your bullpen. Ishii's ERA last year was 4.71. Did anyone watch Jae Seo pitch the other day against the Marlins? You're telling me he can't put up better than 4.71 over a full season? Who couldn't? Its one thing to replace an injured pitcher with a real replacement, but Ishii? You couldn't pay me to watch this guy pitch. All of the sudden, I'm not feeling so good about this season. Don't get me wrong, Jason Phillips is the worst base clog this side of Johnny Helmet, but he did bat .298 in '03. One bad season and we're done with him? Wasn't he the Mets leading hitter this spring? I don't know. I can't remember the last time this team made a deal that made me say, "Wow, I really like that deal."