Houston dealt Richard Hidalgo and cash to the Mets for Jeremy Griffiths and David Weathers yesterday. Hidalgo opened the season with a strong April, but his contact rate dropped dramatically in May, and his batting average correspondingly plummeted. Consequently, the Astros decided to remove Hidalgo from their starting lineup in favor of Jason Lane. Houston did not believe Hidalgo would adjust well to a bench role, so the club investigated trading him. Hidalgo apparently would have preferred to stay in Houston as a starter, but if that wasn't possible he wanted to be on a team where he could play full time.

New York is willing to gamble that Hidalgo will rebound before the end of the season, improving their position in the National League East. The Mets' chances of earning a playoff berth are not sufficient to warrant investing substantial components of future teams in their current endeavors. However, Hidalgo was available at a discount, because he is not guaranteed to further their efforts this season. At this point, the 28-year-old has proven capable of both impressive production supported by solid skills and unpredictable severe slumps.