Mets make right call trading K-Rod

Prince Fielder had not yet even finished hoisting his 2011 MLB All-Star Game MVP trophy when word got out the the Brewers had completed the first of what should be many trades this July. Shortly after the game, the Brewers had acquired star closer Francisco Rodriguez from the New York Mets in exchange for two players to be named later.

The reasoning for the Mets making this trade is a no brainer. With the Bernie Madoff mess and Jose Reyes' impending free agency hanging over Citi Field, the Mets need to find ways to save money. Trading K-Rod and his potential $17.5 million deal for next season is a great start. If you're not contending for a playoff spot, there is just no need to have a closer making over $10 million a year, let alone the money K-Rod was making. In the short term, the Mets can turn to Bobby Parnell and Jason Isringhausen to handle the closing duties.

The trade also means Carlos Beltran should keep his bags packed and be ready to leave. According to ESPN's Buster Olney, there are seven teams actively talking to the Mets about trading for Beltran. Beltran is in the last year of his contract and almost certainly won't be back with the Mets next season so the right thing to do is ship him off for prospects and build for the future.

As for the Brewers, the trade is a risky but bold move. The trade clearly states that the Brewers are going for it all this season. And why not? They've got 2 of the best young hitters in the game (Braun and Fielder), two of the best young starters in the game (Grienke and Gallardo) and now two of the better closers of the last two seasons. K-Rod's addition has basically turned Brewers games into 7 inning affairs: don't get to their pitchers in the first 7 innings, be prepared to be shut down by K-Rod and Axford.

The big risk for the Brewers is that $17.5 million vesting option K-Rod has for next season. If K-Rod finishes 55 games this season, the option automatically kicks in for next season. K-Rod is currently at 34 games finished. The Brewers will most certainly use Rodriguez as a set up man to Axford. However, if Axford was to get hurt or go into a slump, the Brewers would be forced to use Rodriguez as their closer, putting the option at risk of being activated.

Another question this trade brings up (albeit a minor question) is about Prince Fielder. Could the Brewers also be making this trade with the mind set that if they let both Prince and K-Rod walk after the season, they could be in line to pick up 4 draft picks and help restock their deflated farm system? Just something to ponder in what should be a rest of July full of trades and rumors.

How to Fix the MLB All-Star Game

Too much of the talk regarding this year's MLB All-Star Game has revolved around the players not present in Arizona. Whether due to injuries, rules or personal issues, many of the league's top players are not participating in tonight's game. With that in mind, some ideas on how to fix the MLB All-Star Game.

1) Move the Futures Game to Monday: MLB wanted a televised Draft to drive up hype and hope it become's an event as the NBA and NFL Drafts have become. So why not do the same with the Futures Game? Currently, the Futures Game is played on the Sunday of All-Star week, during which regular MLB games are going on. Unless you're at that ball park or your home team's game has ended, you're not rushing to tune into the game. However, if you move it to Monday, on a day when none of the other major 3 sports have anything going on anyways, you can garner a huge audience.

The argument that most fans won't know about the players participating in the game are overrated. In this age of Internet and 24 hour sports networks, fans know who the top prospects in the game and their team's are. Making this a marquee All-Star event can only help in promoting MLB's young talent.

2) Move the HR Derby to Tuesday: The HR Derby is close to becoming the grand event of All-Star week if the game itself isn't fixed. The main reason for moving the event down a day is...

3) Move the All-Star game until Wednesday: With this, the rule of starters who pitch on the Sunday before the All-Star game can go out the window. In fact, all players can decide to show up to the All-Star location late Monday or early Tuesday, giving them more time to prepare for All-Star. All players suited up (who are not on the DL) can play. Which leads us to...

4) All players selected to All-Star game must show: UNLESS THEY ARE ON THE DL. If you're healthy to play, no reason not to show up.

5) Fans and players should not be allowed to vote: Too many times, fans turn the voting into a popularity contest and certain guys who might not be putting up All-Star like seasons are selected as starters. Too many times, players turn the voting into making sure they make their teammates happy and screw over guys they don't like from other squads. If we're making this game count, then managers should be picking the rosters. Being that selection is not complete until after July, the managers of each division leading and wild card leading teams should convene to pick out the rosters: starters, bench players and pitchers.