"VID-RO!!" MUST GO!!

Nats320
If there was any doubts that Jose Vidro is on the down side of his career, anyone who saw yesterdays dramatic 6-4 win over the Marlins at RFK were given plenty of reasons why Vidro should be traded by the July 31 trade deadline.
As much as I like Jose, he has no range at 2nd base, makes easy grounders into hits and continually gets himself out with the game on the line.
Yesterday, in the top of the 4th inning, John Patterson struggling, and one run already in for the Marlins with one out, Miguel Cabrera hits a routine grounder to the second base hole, but Vidro, overplaying toward the bag at second, could not go the 6 feet to his left to pick up the ball. Dan Uggla on second for the Marlins, scores easily. After Hermida strikes out, Joe Borchard singles into the exact same second base hole and Vidro still could not get the ball to his left. Reggie Abercrombie comes up and hits a routine ground ball to Vidro just to his left, and Jose boots the ball to load the bases. Vidro does make the final out when Patterson gets Matt Treanor to pop right to second, but the damage is done. Later in the 5th, with one Florida runner on base, Hanley Ramirez slices a grounder right at Vidro, he scoops it up and turns a 4-6-3 double play, but if that ball is not hit directly at Vidro, he will not make that play. In 2000 and 2001, Vidro helped turn over 100 DPs per season. He was healthy and did not have knee problems. He is on course to maybe turn 70 this season. His range is down noticeably. Later on in the key 8th inning, Vidro has a throwing error on a potential 5-4-3 inning ending double play, but he throws the ball in the dirt to Nick Johnson, setting up Cabrera to score the then go ahead run. Vidro only has 4 errors this season, 2 of which came on July 4th, a decent .988 fielding percentage,but there are many, many balls that are always just out of his reach, due to his range being so limited by his knee problems. How many times have you seen VIdro dive to his right or left this season. FAR TOO MANY TIMES!!

At the plate, Vidro has hit over .300 the entire season, but with runners in scoring position, he is batting .190 with just 4 RBI in the last 3 innings of any Nats Game. Yesterday, he flew out to left field in the 9th, right before Zimmerman hit the game winning blast. I am sure, I was not the only won who thought he would hit into a double play to end it. Vidro has hit into 12 double plays this season with the game on the line. Vidro gets alot of hits, but mostly when the game is not on the line. He's hitting .325 with runners not in scoring position. .276 with runners in scoring position overall.

Not good numbers from a supposed mainstay cornerstone player on your team.
Vidro still has value, and Omar Minaya, now the Mets GM loves him and Minaya wants to win it THIS YEAR!! Maybe the Nats can get lucky and rob the Mets of some serious talent to make up for the terrible giveaways Minaya made as caretaker GM of the Montreal Expos. It would only be fair.