Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the Mets signed right-hander Chad Cordero to a minor league contract.

Rosenthal writes that the deal will be completed today. Cordero opted for free agency after being refusing a minor league assignment with the Mariners last week. The 28-year-old right-hander posted a 6.52 ERA in nine appearances with Seattle. The deal reunites him with his former GM Omar Minaya, but Cordero is unlikely to be a difference-maker. (RotoWorld)

Jason Bay is literally carrying the Mets on his back — he’s 10 for his last 15 in these past four games, scoring 8 runs and driving 4 extra-base hits, including his first two homers after a 92-at-bat drought. He had multiple-hit games in all of the wins, and only one hit in the loss (to the Yankees on Friday).

Bay also has a hit in each of his last 7 at-bats and has reached base in 9 consecutive plate appearances, going back to Friday night.

One more Bay fact: he has a hit in 15 consecutive games at home — tied for the longest at-home streak (with Cody Ross).

Last night’s win marked two milestones: the Mets’ first “rubber game” win of 2010 and their first “Subway Series” win over the Yankees since 2008, when they swept the Bombers in the Bronx.

Johan Santana’s win last night was the first by a Mets starter not named Mike Pelfrey since April 30th. Santana has a 1.35 ERA over his last 3 starts.

Wins by Santana and Pelfrey over the weekend marked the first time Mets starters had back-to-back wins since April 28-30, when John Maine beat the Dodgers and Jon Niese beat the Phillies.

The Mets are 9-3 at Citi Field when they hit at least one home run. They are 3-0 when they hit two or more.

The Mets are 18-7 this year when they score first.

Francisco Rodriguez has caused 76 heart attacks in his last three appearances, tying a mark set by Jesse Orosco in 1986.

To get the full story, listen to Rich Coutinho’s report on 1050ESPNRadio’s “Baseball Tonight” (Coutinho comes on at the tail end, during the last 10 minutes or so).

The gist of it was this: When asked if Maine would remain in the rotation (during the postgame press conference on Tuesday night), Manuel told the world he’d “have to sleep on it”. Somehow, Maine didn’t hear about this, so when Coutinho told him on Wednesday afternoon that he heard Manuel was keeping him in the rotation, Maine was stunned — he had no idea removal was being considered. Maine then spoke with Manuel behind closed doors for about 45 minutes.

In the end, it turns out that Maine is on a very short leash, and his next start could be his last. Maine doesn’t have access to the internet and couldn’t read MetsToday for tips, so instead he spent time with Dan Warthen looking at video of himself from 2007. Apparently the two of them discovered some differences in his delivery then compared to now, and John will spend the next few days trying to fix his mechanics prior to Saturday’s start. Maine had this to say (courtesy of MetsBlog):

“I wanted to tell (Manuel) was that I’m fine, my shoulders fine. I know the No. 1 priority is to get back and throw my fastball. That’s what I’m going to do in my bullpen. That’s what I’m going to do in my next start I’m going to get back to where I was… There’s a big difference (in my delivery). I don’t want to get into why that it is, but there’s a difference. I’m going to scratch everything I’ve been doing this Spring, and get back to what I was doing two years ago… I’m just going to go back to that delivery, going back to throwing the fastball. Hopefully it turns out fine. I may get hit, but, you know, at least I know I’m going out there, getting beat with my best pitch and not my second and third pitch.”

Sooo …. Maine’s going to address the “big difference” in his delivery, but he doesn’t “want to get into why that is”. But John, inquiring minds want to know!

I haven’t yet had a chance to look at any of Maine’s outings from 2007 to compare to his current delivery so I can’t yet guess on what exactly is the “big difference”. (I do vaguely remember thinking something looked “different” about Maine while seeing him live in Jupiter and Port St. Lucie during ST ’08, with his follow-through toward 1B being an indicator of an issue.) But, if I were a gambling man, I’d bet that the change he made had something to do with avoidance of pain. Perhaps he had a mild injury of some sort — not necessarily with his arm — that he learned to deal with by changing something in his mechanics. My next-best guess was he changed something about his delivery with the goal of being more effective, and the change simply didn’t work. For example, maybe he thought he could get a few more ticks of velocity by using his hips and over-rotating — thinking that the extra hip swing would result in more MPH. Again, I haven’t yet looked at the old videos so can’t say for sure.

Assuming there is in fact a mechanical issue, the biggest questions are:

1. Why did it take this long for Maine, Warthen, and the Mets to realize something was wrong with Maine’s mechanics?

2. Why wasn’t this addressed when Maine looked bad in the spring?

3. Is it possible to “fix” the mechanical problem in three days?

4. If the issue is fixable, will it result in Maine rediscovering his 94-95+ velocity?

5. Why does it make sense for Maine to make these tweaks at the Major League level, against a Cardinal lineup that includes, among others, Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, and Ryan Ludwick?

Oh … and is anyone else concerned that Maine is going to try to throw more high fastballs — likely to be in the 88-90 MPH range — to those three sluggers? Yikes!

I’m a bit skeptical that Maine can transform himself so quickly without the aid of a telephone booth and red cape. But we can assume that if things don’t go well this weekend, Maine will find himself either in the bullpen or in the minors — a la Steve Trachsel — to work things out. Part of the problem is Maine may not have an option remaining, in which case a minor league trek would be difficult to navigate.

Now I feel kind of bad, because that rather modest winning percentage is, in fact, the organizational goal. Jerry was only pushing his team toward the expectations set by his bosses. Sorry, Jerry — my misunderstanding.

See these quotes by Omar Minaya, from the Daily News (hat tip to loyal MetsToday reader “gary s”):

“The home stand, we had an opportunity to be 4-2,” Minaya added. “I think we showed some fight, that we’ll battle and come from behind. We need to get more clutch hits. I thought the pen did a good job and the starters held their own.

“It’s early in the year. One week you have one concern, the next week you have another. You always like to be around .500 and we have a tough road trip. But we got Jose Reyes back. … If we had won (Sunday), we would’ve ended the home stand at .500.

“I feel good that we’re going to win some games.”

Apparently, “some games” equals about 80 or so by season’s end. Hmm … I’m not sure that’ll be enough to put the Mets into the postseason. Though, it might fool some Mets fans into thinking that their team is “playing meaningful games in September”.

My guess is that Omar and Co. are looking at the past NL Championships in Mets’ history, in particular the NL crown won in 1973, when the team went 82-80. Perhaps they point to that season as evidence that a .500 team can go to the playoffs.

And perhaps, their next move is to coax Rusty Staub, Don Hahn, George Stone, Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, et al, out of retirement.

Dwight will be there signing baseballs and other memorabilia from 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM.

Former Met Jim Leyritz will also be at Stan’s, but on Wednesday, April 14th, from 2:30 to 4:00 PM.

Oh, you forgot Leyritz was, technically, a Met? Kind of the same way Glenn Davis, Freddy Garcia, and Bret Boone were also “Mets”.

In addition, former Yankee and hair salon magnate Joe Pepitone will be at Stan’s this Saturday from 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM. Pepitone was never a Met but he has lived one of the most interesting lives of any MLBer in modern history, and remains a wonderful, generous guy with great stories to tell (though not all are “family friendly”).

You can see all the signings coming up at Stan’s by visiting the MintPros site. Yeah, it’s a Yankee-heavy schedule, but they are all very congenial, fun, former players who come across as regular guys and yet have incredibly fascinating tales to tell.

Ruben Tejada was demoted to AAA Buffalo to make room for Reyes.

Nelson Figueroa was claimed on waivers by the Phillies. He was the losing pitcher in his first appearance as a Phillie, giving up a bloop double to Ryan Zimmerman that drove in the winning run for the Nats’ first victory of the year.

Sean Green was put on the disabled list with a strained right intercostal muscle — that’s somewhere in the rib cage area.

Raul Valdes was promoted from Buffalo to take Green’s place on the roster.

Clint Everts and Shawn Bowman were designated for assignment. It’s assumed both will go unclaimed and return to the Mets’ farm system, possibly to Buffalo.

Shawn Riggans, who spent parts of the past four seasons in MLB with the Tampa Bay Rays, was demoted all the way down to the AA B-Mets.

Speaking of backup catchers, Chris Coste — who was claimed by the Nationals at the tail end of spring training — did not play this past weekend because he’s on the 15-day DL after hurting his elbow in one of his first batting practice sessions with the club on March 31. No doubt at least a few boo-birds were hoping to see him make an appearance at Citi Field.

I’m not sure what exactly this means, mainly because I don’t own (nor can I find online) an official guide to MLB rules regarding waivers, the “end” of the season, “designated for assignment”, and players to be named later.

What I do know is that once a player is “designated for assignment”, his team has ten days to trade, release, or waive him. I *think* Carter would have to clear waivers before being traded to the Mets — otherwise this move would’ve been made weeks ago. I’m also not sure how the “ten days” figures in, considering that the regular season ends before then. I *think* that the ten days can include the postseason — and run right through the World Series and perhaps a few days after the last game of the WS.

I’m going to take a wild stab and guess that Carter will now be subjected to irrevocable waivers — meaning if he’s claimed, the Bosox can’t pull him back. But since they’re irrevocable, I don’t believe the claiming team has to give up anything in return — so the “trade” part of the DFA doesn’t apply.

Further, if no teams claim Carter before the Mets get their chance, does that mean the deal is complete when/if the Mets do claim him?

If you can find an official link explaining what can happen here, or if you are a licensed MLB agent, please comment below.

For those of you interested in seeing Beltran play, you can watch it live on Twitter. Just follow @hvrenegades and there will be a link when the broadcast starts. You will be able to see the game starting at 7pm.

While you’re at it, follow @metstoday and @smallballusa too. Thanks.

Matz, selected in the second round and #72 overall, has reported to freshmen orientation at Coastal Carolina, still waiting to receive an offer from the Mets.

Before you get yourself into a tizzy wondering about the holdup, it’s likely because Matz is seeking a $1.1M signing bonus, which would be above the “recommended” bonus for second-round picks — and MLB is holding up all current contract offers that are “above slot”. For legal reasons, there’s nothing truly “official” about the slotting system, but for whatever reason, Commissioner Bud Selig is able to prevent above-slot contracts from being signed before August. Don’t ask me how or why, as none of this slotting business makes sense to me. All I know for sure is that the Mets have historically followed Selig’s rules to the letter. How this helps them, I’m not sure … maybe it gets Fred Wilpon an invite to Bud’s annual yacht party.

Outside of Matz, the Mets have signed 29 of their 39 picks thus far, which is a good amount. They have until August 17th to sign any players eligible for college classes.

One of those signees, lefthanded-hitting outfielder Nicholas Santomauro has gotten off to a nice start with the Brooklyn Cyclones, with 20 total bases in his first 18 games as a pro. He went 3-for-4 with a triple two nights ago against the Vermont Lake Monsters. I mention him because he’s a local boy — from North Caldwell, NJ, by way of Dartmouth (where he was Ivy League Player of the Year). Good luck, Nick!

Vicente Padilla

The righthanded pitcher was waived by the Rangers after a miserable 3-inning, 7-ER start against the Yankees. He’s 3-3 with a 5.97 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP through 9 games and 53 innings.

He must be really bad, if the Rangers are willing to eat his $12M contract to get him off the roster; few teams will be willing to take on the $8M he’s owed between now and the end of the season.

But, he has shown signs of effectiveness — for example the three starts prior to the Yankees massacre, in which he pitched 23 innings and gave up only 12 hits and 4 earned runs. Think about that — in his last four starts, he’s pitched eight innings twice and seven innings once.

Though he hasn’t allowed a ton of homeruns — 4 total, and none in his last 5 starts — he does give up a large number of fly balls, something unusual for a sinker-slider pitcher such as himself. In his 8-inning win over the Angels two weeks ago, he allowed 21 airballs. Strangely enough, he’s had one game in which he induced 14 ground balls (also an 8-inning victory).

A move to the NL and a spacious ballpark could be a good thing for Padilla. But, he’s an eternal enigma, often beating himself and crumbling in the face of adversity (see: Oliver Perez). Additionally, he’s been fighting a shoulder issue for the past month. Is he worth the headache? Tim Redding’s next start may provide the answer, though I might prefer seeing Nelson Figueroa on the roster.

Wilson Betemit

Oh how quickly and how far mighty talents can fall. It wasn’t so long ago that Betemit was a phenom in the Atlanta organization, a sure-handed, switch-hitting shortstop with corner-infield power. A few years and four organizations later, he finds himself DFA’d by the White Sox, dragging with him a .200 average in 50 at-bats.

Is he worth picking up? If this were two weeks ago, when Jose Reyes first went on the DL? Probably. One week ago, when the Mets were scrambling to find someone better than Ramon Martinez to play SS? Definitely. Now, with Alex Cora back, Wilson Valdez playing well, and Martinez on the DL? Absolutely.

Here’s why: Betemit is a natural shortstop who can play all four infield positions and both outfield corners. He hits from both sides of the plate, and shown a bit of power in the past. He’s 27 years old. Need I go on?

The negative is that he swings and misses — a lot. Last year he struck out 56 times and took only 6 walks in 204 plate appearances. So you can compare him to Billy Hall — a super utilityman with a little pop and a lot of whiffs. I still like him better than some of the other 25th-man options that we’ve seen thus far.

Tom Glavine

We discussed this yesterday. On paper, he might be worth a try, and the Wilpons love him. I don’t think the fans can stomach his return, however.

Jorge Julio

15 walks and a 7.79 ERA through 17 innings was too much for Milwaukee to handle. Rick Peterson’s tight leash made him almost valuable as a one-inning guy, but I don’t think he’d flourish in the Dan Warthen era. He still throws in the upper 90s, so someone will take a chance. No thanks.

Pat Misch

Who is Pat Misch, you ask? He’s a crafty lefthanded reliever most recently employed by the San Francisco Giants. He’s not particularly good — a career 5.20 ERA through 97 MLB IP (and double that this year) — but he’s slightly more effective vs. LH hitters than righties. As long as Ken Takahashi continues to struggle against lefthanded hitters, the Mets need to at least take a glance at any and every southpaw on the market. Maybe he’s worth giving a look-see in AAA.

While the Mets are hurting now, parts of the cavalry are making their way back. Carlos Beltran should be feeling better soon, and Ryan Church can come off the DL about a week from now, which means Fernando Martinez will likely be sent back to AAA Buffalo.

Or will he?

Because Carlos Delgado is out until at least July — maybe longer — there has been some chatter regarding the acquisition of a big bopper to take his place in the middle of the lineup. Unless Mike Piazza comes out of retirement, it’s obvious that the import would be a first baseman and/or outfielder.

If indeed the Mets bring in, say, a Matt Holliday or Jermaine Dye, then Dan Murphy has a chance to stay at first base. But, if they acquire a first baseman — Nick Johnson, for example — that puts Murphy back in the outfield, possibly in a platoon situation.

There’s a problem with that second scenario, though, which is that the Mets have decided that Murphy is not an outfielder. The other issue is that the outfield is already crowded, once Ryan Church and Angel Pagan return.

And then there’s Fernando Martinez, who is not being overmatched at the plate.

Whether F-Mart can keep it up is anyone’s guess, but if he does, that changes the situation — it puts the focus on getting a first baseman, displacing Murphy. Add in another factor: Ryan Church is the Mets’ most eligible everyday player to be dealt. He’s only 30, under contractual control for another year, inexpensive, and undervalued by Mets management. The Mets have no “MLB-ready” prospects in their minor-league system, which means they almost certainly would have to provide at least one starting player from the 25-man roster in a blockbuster deal. Church fits the mold — as does Murphy.

If Martinez continues to show he belongs in the bigs, the Mets might consider giving him the right field job and moving Church to obtain a first baseman (Garrett Atkins? Chad Tracy?) — particularly if Murphy continues to struggle at the plate. Though not yet the complete package, Martinez right now has better raw tools than Murphy in the areas of speed and defense, and he might have the edge in power. Hitting under .250, Murphy brings little value to the starting lineup — his defense is a detriment in the outfield, only adequate at first base, he has below-average power for a corner infielder, and is below-average to average as a baserunner. In other words, if Murphy’s not hitting .300+, there isn’t much point in playing him.

Martinez, on the other hand, can at least give you solid defense and baserunning, and he might smack a few extra-base hits. Of course, his batting average needs to improve by at least 75 points — but if it does, it may be enough for him to stick.

The next two weeks could turn out to be a competition of survival between Fernando Martinez and Danny Murphy. Which one will remain standing?

You can no longer get behind the dugout unless you are ticketed for that section. You can’t get behind the photographer’s well, the next section over. You have to go all the way to the outfield corner. There was no reason given. In addition to being much further away from the players, it’s a much smaller area, so it’s now much more crowded. Yes, you can go in the outfield, but that’s kind of useless if you’re trying to get photographs of players, or if you’re a kid hoping for an autograph.

It is a very informative and extremely disappointing post. Read it all here.

RHP Carlos Muniz
LHP Richardo Rincon
RHP Bobby Parnell
LHP Jonathan Niese
RHP Al Reyes
C Gustavo Molina
2B Argenis Reyes
INF Ramon Martinez
INF/OF Marlon Anderson

Obviously, the Mets welcome any and all arms to their pitching staff. The question, however, is whether Jerry Manuel will trust any of the “new” arms in key situations. If he doesn’t, there isn’t much point of their presence.

Personally, I think Ricardo Rincon will be a key guy from the left side. I don’t expect Rincon to be a closer, nor do I expect him to be a multiple-inning guy. However, I believe he’ll be effective as a LOOGY. Hopefully he can give Scho and Pedro Lite a rest.

Jonathan Niese will start on Wednesday against the Brewers, which will be a tough assignment considering they are a righty-heavy lineup. However they are also a wild-swinging bunch, which can play into Niese’s favor.

We kept hearing that Bobby Parnell was an “untouchable” … from what I saw in spring training, Steven Register was a better pitcher — by a wide margin — and Register was returned to the Rockies by the end of March. Perhaps Parnell made tremendous strides since then and will prove to be an impact arm. The Mets certainly can use another reliever.

The promotion of Ramon Martinez makes zero sense, and I’m guessing this is more about somebody owing somebody a favor. Nothing against him, he’s a solid utilityman, but this is a team filled with utility players. It’s on par with the Mets adding Gerald “Ice” Williams to their roster a few years back.

The Gustavo Molina promotion is a little bit strange, only because Robinson Cancel is a better-hitting version and Raul Casanova was left behind. I did like Molina’s defense when he was up with the Mets, but his hitting is atrocious. In contrast, Casanova’s glovework is acceptable at best, but he is a switch-hitter with some pop. I guess the Mets feel a defensive-minded catcher is more important than a switch-hitter off the bench. It’s still early though, so Casanova could still be added.

Al Reyes had some arm issues this season, but if he’s healthy he could pitch meaningful innings. The Mets gave up nothing for him, and had nothing in AAA better than him, so his presence makes plenty of sense.

Since the New Orleans Zephyrs have ended their season, it’s curious as to why some other players weren’t immediately promoted — though we’ll likely see more promotions over the next week. For example, where is Valentino Pascucci? Certainly there were reasons not to bring him up earlier in the year, but with the roster expanded to 40 and flexibility on the roster due to players on the 60-day DL, what more did Val need to do to earn a September callup? Other than Pascucci, I’m guessing we’ll see Claudio Vargas make a reappearance — though like Pascucci would need to kick someone off the current 40-man (though I don’t get putting Ramon Martinez ahead of either of them). Those who are on the 40-man and may receive callups in the coming days include Ruddy Lugo, Adam Bostick, Eddie Kunz, and Willie Collazo. If Amby Burgos is healthy, he could also get a promotion.

Since we haven’t heard hide nor hair of Matt Wise, Trot Nixon, or Jason Vargas, your guess is as good as mine as to whether we’ll see them in September. I’m guessing no on Vargas, in which case he should be transferred to the 60-day DL to open up a roster spot (same goes for El Duque, whose season is already officially over). Nixon and Wise, if healthy, could be contributors down the stretch, but no one knows anything about their status.

Finally, we might see Fernando Martinez and Mike Carp come up for a cup of coffee once their season with the B-Mets ends. Their last game is September 1st and they did not make the playoffs.

You can listen or download the shows (there are two episodes, we covered the Mets / NL East in episode 1) by going here or by clicking the Blog Talk Radio button to the right.

Suggestions:

- Esteban Yan, who hasn’t pitched in MLB since 2006 and was released by the Orioles after posting a 5.7) ERA at AAA Norfolk. Yan, however, still throws gas and struck out 55 in 47 innings, walking only 15.

- Alex Escobar, who was recently released by the Nationals. I’m sure that MetsToday loyalist Micalpalyn supports this suggestion.

- Chris Resop, a hard-throwing outfielder-turned-pitcher who the Braves just released. He’s had control problems, but can reach 98 MPH. Maybe all he needs is a tweak to get him on track.

- Marcos Carvajal, another flamethrower who can’t find the plate. I cried and moaned when the Mets dropped him from the 40-man last year, and now he’s available again after getting lit up in the hitter-friendly PCL. Yes, he has been with six organizations in as many years, but the kid is still only 23 years old and approaches triple digits on the gun. TRIPLE DIGITS. Remember, the Mets traded Brian Bannister for a very similar biological oddity (Ambiorix Burgos). Get the kid back into the system … if not AAA then AA.

Again, I don’t believe any of the above players are guaranteed to help the Mets this year. But you never know, and though each of these individuals were tossed aside for one reason or another, each also has something of value — some potential. Remember that many players are released by one organization, only to flourish in another (for example, Carlos Pena and Jorge Cantu).

BTW, both of the players traded to the Cubs for Angel Pagan — Corey Coles and Ryan Meyers — have been released. I’m not sure that the Mets have any interest in re-obtaining either of them.

Anyone else out there? Please post your suggestions below.

The Mets are desperate for arms — for both the bullpen and the starting rotation. The relievers are out of gas and ineffective, and the Mets will have to plan for absences by John Maine and Pedro Martinez. I hope I’m wrong, but my gut tells me that Pedro will be back on the DL shortly, and that Maine will have problems with his shoulder for the rest of the season.

So let’s take a look at the scrap heap.

Freddy Garcia
He’s a free agent and scheduled to be auditioning on August 5th. If I’m the Mets, I don’t wait — I roll the dice, sign him today, sight unseen, send him to the minors, and hope for the best. I’d give him two years, in fact, so there’s backup depth for ’09.

Livan Hernandez
Livan was DFA’d by the Twins yesterday after posting a 5.48 ERA. You know what? He’s leaving the Twins with a 10-8 record. How many Mets have 10 wins? Um, none. Yes, he was hit hard in the AL, but he is fine as a #5 in the NL. Pick him up, put him in AAA, and have him ready when Pedro or Maine goes down. At worst, you have someone as a backup in case Jon Niese isn’t the Sandy Koufax the Mets keep telling us that he is.

Matt Clement
The Cardinals finally gave up on Clement, who decided he wasn’t progressing quickly enough. Chances are, he won’t help this year, but you never know. Sign him to a contract through 2009, send him to Port St. Lucie, and tell him to take all the time he needs. If he can’t make it back to MLB this year, you have a possibility for ’09 (see Freddy Garcia). Who knows, he might get back just enough velocity and endurance to be a middle reliever in September.

By the way, the Red Sox just signed Joe Borowski to a minor league deal. I suggested that the Mets pick up the Bayonne Bullet and put him in AAA a month ago, so send that idea to the circular file.

Oh, and don’t get me wrong — the Mets should, and will have to, give the kids a shot now. Jon Niese, Eddie Kunz, Bobby Parnell (a.k.a., “The Untouchables”), and anyone else down on the farm should be promoted, pronto. My suggestion is to promote the youth and pick up these junky veterans to take their places in the minors — this way there’s a backup plan in case the rooks aren’t quite ready. It’s always a good idea to hedge your bets. Plus, I’m of the belief that a big league bullpen, in this day and age, requires a minimum of 10 pitchers who appear in at least 10 games to get through a season (see bullpen articles ONE and TWO. The Mets have only 8 relievers who have appeared in at least 10 games to this point.

The “Insane Package Request”

Selling team “leaks out” that they want two or three of another team’s best prospects in return for their player on the block. The Mariners are being particularly insane in their demand for two top prospects in return for the fast-fading Raul Ibanez. Naturally, the idea is to drive up the price for a player, and hope someone is desperate enough to fall for it.

The “Tease”

This can also be called “The Billy Beane BS”. A team that really isn’t interested in trading a player, offers him up to the world by leaking his availability. The strategy is to see if someone would grossly overpay for the player — which serves two purposes. First, if it’s a “bowl me over” offer, you pull the trigger. If it’s close, the selling GM can keep that in his pocket as a starting point when he talks trades over the following winter. Beane did this recently with Huston Street, who probably isn’t nearly as available as has been reported.

The “Owner Vetoed the Deal” Announcement

Sometimes an owner really does kill a deal — Baltimore owner Peter Angelos is infamous for this. Just as often, though, the trade was never serious, but the selling team “leaks it out” in an effort to set a price for a particular player.

This was recently played by the Pirates, who “leaked a deal that was on the table” between them and the Braves for Jason Bay. Apparently the Bucs were not happy with the offers they were receiving for Bay, so they created their own ideal package, hoping to stir the coals. Naturally, it was all baloney — the Braves were sellers, not buyers.

The “Off the Market” Announcement

When a team fails with its “Insane Package Request”, they often will move right to the “Off the Market” ploy — announcing that a certain player is “off the block” and that the team is “no longer listening to offers” for the player. Of course, this is a tactic to drive up the price of the player. A prime example is Baltimore’s taking George Sherrill off the market only a few days after requesting the “Insane Package”. Orioles GM Lee MacPhail thought he could get a “top shortstop prospect” for Sherrill, who is having a career year. But he can’t be serious about pulling Sherrill off the market — after all, the lefty was little more than an average setup man before being thrown into the closer’s role this year, and though he’s saved 26 games, he’s no Billy Wagner. His 4.23 ERA is concerning, as are the 25 walks in 44 innings. Plus, he’s 31 years old — no spring chicken. Bottom line: his value will never be higher, and the last place O’s need to deal him now.

The “Off the Radar” Announcement

Used similarly to the previous smoke screen, a buying team will have an “official” tell a reporter that they are “no longer interested” in a player, or that he is “off the radar”. Usually it is pure bunk, and designed specifically to drive down the price of the player in question. Good example: the Mets saying they are not interested in Manny Ramirez. Yeah, right.

The “Dead Deal”

This one can be played by either the buyer or the seller, as a way to, ironically, get a deal going again. Prime example: the Yankees and Mariners and Jarrod Washburn. As soon as you hear the announcement that a deal is dead, assume the opposite — it’s likely reaching consummation.

Bottom line: don’t believe all of the “buzz” reported. At least half of it is poker playing, with most of the other half public negotiation.

Let’s get one thing crystal clear:

=

For those who are more literary than visionary, Raul Ibanez is Shawn Green. In other words, a guy who once was a strong all-around player with a slugging lefthanded bat, who has declined drastically in all phases of the game in the past few years due to age. Bat speed – gone. Power – gone. Fielding ability – gone. Baserunning – gone. Yet the Mariners want two prospects for Ibanez, and are supposedly holding out for Jonathan Niese. My answer to the Ms is “NFW”.

Don’t get me wrong — I was a HUGE Shawn Green fan, and enjoyed every moment he played in the orange and blue. But his skills were diminished, and he was nowhere near the player he was in his glory days — that’s why the Mets were able to snatch him away from Arizona for suspect Evan MacLane.

Similarly, if the Mariners ask for something reasonable in return for Raul — say, Adam Bostick or Tobi Stoner — then OK, do the dea. If not, hang up the phone and call Shawn Green instead. He’s the same player, and will come much more cheaply.

Mariners: Jose Vidro and either Jarrod Washburn or Carlos Silva

Vidro has zero value, and could be released. The Ms are so ticked at the Yankees over Washburn, they might consider taking a lesser package from the Mets to send him to New York. If not, maybe they’d like the idea of having Silva and his fat contract off their hands. Yeah, he’s stunk this year but maybe a move to the NL could help him. The Mets only need him as a fifth starter, not an ace. Considering this deal would be about a salary dump, it shouldn’t cost much in prospects. And please, Seattle, you can KEEP Raul Ibanez. If the Mets really want a former lefty-hitting slugger-turned singles hitter who can’t play the field, they’ll ask Shawn Green to come out of retirement.

Indians: Rafael Betancourt, David Dellucci, John Halama

Betancourt is having a terrible season and at age 33 is not getting any younger. But, he has good stuff. A move to the NL and to a winning team could be exactly what he needs to recapture the magic that made him a lights-out setup man — think: Guillermo Mota 2006. Dellucci could be a nice LH bat while we wait for Church and/or a platoon partner for Tatis. Halama has been out of MLB for a while but is 7-3 with a 4.12 ERA in AAA, averaging close to 7 innings per start. He’d be a nice backup plan if something is up with John Maine; or he could be a LOOGY / long man in the pen. The Indians also have Anthony Reyes and Brendan Donnelly tucked away on the Buffalo Bisons roster. Any of these men could be easily pried away for a song, I’m sure.

Rangers: Eddie Guardado and Nelson Cruz

I’m not sure why the Rangers are so hell-bent on holding on to “Everyday Eddie” when he’s 37 years old and they’re 11.5 games out of first. I read it as a feeble attempt to raise Guardado’s value. Nelson Cruz is tearing it up at a hitter’s park in a hitter’s league, but even still should be at least as good as Marcus Thames. The Rangers might be interested in a young first baseman — how about a package centered around Mike Carp?

There are a number of other players out there who could a) come cheaply and b) help the Mets. These trade partners above, though, seem to have players who can address several of the Mets’ needs at once. We’ll see what transpires in the coming days.