The question of whether Adam Dunn would be a free-agent this winter has been answered: no. The Cincinnati Reds picked up the options on Dunn, catcher Javier Valentin, and first baseman Scott Hatteberg.

However, the Reds declined the option on lefthanded pitcher Eddie Guardado. I’d have to think the Mets would at least mull over the possibility of going after “Everyday Eddie”.

Erstad, Myers Available

Meanwhile, the Chicago White Sox, as expected, declined options on outfielder Darin Erstad and LHP Mike Myers. Scary that they would cut loose Myers on Halloween, don’t you think?

A few years back — before the Carlos Delgado and Beltran days — Erstad was rumored to be coming to the Mets to play either centerfield or first base. I’ve always like him — he’s one of those overachieving, hard-nosed guys — but he’s on the downside of his career, has spent all of it in the AL, and makes Moises Alou seem dependable. All that said, I wouldn’t mind him on the Mets’ bench next year — though I’d rather see Shawn Green return. I doubt either are a possibility.

Myers, however, should definitely be a target. As mentioned a few weeks ago, I like the idea of a submariner — my theory is that they can pitch every day without a loss in effectiveness. It helps that Myers hasn’t been in the NL for five years, so he has the added element of mystery — at least for a while. If the Mets can get him for a cheap one-year deal, or a minor-league contract, I say do it.

More Free Agents

In addition, the following players have become free agents, either by refusing minor league assignment or by declined options: Kris Benson, Mike Lieberthal, Geoff Jenkins, LaTroy Hawkins, Shawn Camp, Ramon Martinez, and Jorge Velandia.

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that the Mets have no interest in reviving the Anna Benson chronicles. However, I imagine the Yankees could be in the mix. Anna does love NYC.

Lieberthal could be a decent backup catcher, though I’d rather have Ramon Castro back. Jenkins could be a lefthanded bat to come off the bench and platoon with Lastings Milledge in right field. However, he strikes out too much and is notoriously streaky. Hawkins is worth thinking about for the bullpen, though his best days are behind him. Camp has never had best days, and likely won’t have best days, but may be worth a minor league flyer. Martinez and Velandia are backup infielders who have no value to the Mets.

Mantei To Return

In another development, former lights-out closer Matt Mantei says he’s healthy and wants to make a comeback. However, he’s hell-bent on pitching for his hometown Detroit Tigers so the Mets can forget about him now. If he is indeed healthy, he could find a job in Tigers’ pen, considering that they just lost flamethrower Joel Zumaya to injury.

Has Anyone Noticed?

Oh, by the way, has anyone noticed that the Pittsburgh Pirates’ manager job has been open for about a month? Take your time, guys, you have all winter to think about it.

I really didn’t want to bring up A-Rod in a conversation that included the Mets. But, it appears that the Mets are at least considering going after the $30M-dollar man — if Omar Minaya’s meeting with David Wright is any indication.

According to Minaya: “I reached out to David and spoke to his representative a little bit,” Minaya said. “With Alex out there, the questions are going to be ‘are the Mets going to be involved?’ I’ve let the representatives know what’s going on and what the thinking is. With a free agent like that, there’s going to be speculation.”

The money shouldn’t be an issue for the Mets. After all, Citi Field promises to bring a windfall of cash, and SNY should grow into a billion-dollar venture before long. And if Buster Olney has the correct facts, MLB.com profits have generated $30M for each team — right there is enough to cover A-Rod’s salary.

Where Rodriguez would play really isn’t an issue, either. You make room for a player of his caliber. Presumably, A-Rod would remain a third baseman and David Wright would change positions — possibly to second base or the outfield. There’s talk he’d move to first base. Not sure why they wouldn’t leave D-Wright where he is, put Rodriguez back to shortstop and move Reyes over to second — Reyes has played there before and did admirably. If the Mets were willing to move Jose for Kaz Matsu, I don’t see why they wouldn’t move him for arguably the best shortstop of all-time. And yes, A-Rod would be at least as good defensively as Reyes at short, if not better.

The issue, rather, is, do we want to see Alex Rodriguez in a Mets uniform?

The last time he was on the market, I had hoped the Mets would at least make a decent offer — though in hindsight I’m glad they signed 17-year-old shortstop Jose Reyes that year instead. This time around, I’m hoping the Mets do not enter the bidding whatsoever, except for the express purpose of driving up the price for someone else.

Can the Mets use a guy in the lineup who is almost certain to hit 45 HRs and drive in 130 runs — in an “off” season? Of course. And though you can say all you want about his greediness, you can’t question his preparation and the way he plays the game. He does everything well, plays as hard as anyone, and produces at a level no one else can match. But in the end, he’s a mercenary.

A-Rod says that he wants to win a World Championship above all else, and he probably believes that’s the truth. The reason he’s leaving the Yankees could be because he doesn’t see them returning to the postseason anytime soon — not with all those young pitchers, the bullpen in a disarray, and the possibility of Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte leaving. At the same time, it’s hard to find another big league team willing to spend $225M+ to almost guarantee that they make the playoffs. Who else has a hands-down better chance to get to the playoffs next year, other than the Yankees? Maybe the Red Sox? By hook or crook, with or without Rodriguez, the “Evil Empire” will do everything in their power to push their team into yet another postseason appearance. So is a World Series ring really his desire, or is it more Kobe Bryant-like? In other words, does A-Rod really want to win a ring on a team where HE is “the man”? After all, on the Yankees, he’d always be second to Derek Jeter in the hearts of the fans and the ink of the media.

Right now, the Mets’ “face” is David Wright. If A-Rod wears orange and blue, that would have to change, immediately. There are already indications that D-Wright would be the one to move to make room. Rodriguez would take not only Wright’s position on the field, but also his position as the face of the franchise. He’ll be on the cover of the media guide, in the Mets commercials, on the SNY opening highlights. It will be A-Rod’s team.

That doesn’t sit well with me as a Mets fan. Not because I want to see David Wright as the face but rather because I don’t want A-Rod as the face. In many ways, Wright is only one of the “faces” — he shares the spotlight with Reyes, and to a lesser degree with the Carloses Beltran and Delgado. There’s room others on Wright’s stage, and in fact there’s no hard indication that it even IS Wright’s stage. Yes he grabs more and more public attention every year but at the same time you still see David’s grin along with a Mets hat, or a Mets jersey, or the NY logo — the team is not lost. If Rodriguez comes on board, the Mets turn into a typical NBA team — it’s all about the superstar first, and the rest of the team comes in second. Someone referred to A-Rod as a “24 and 1” guy, and the tag is apt.

Personally, I hope A-Rod is a non-issue. I don’t care how good he is, I’d rather the Mets take their chances without him. To me, adding A-Rod would completely change the personality of the Mets, and therefore change my view of the team as well. His addition would not excite me in the least — in fact, it would be akin to the day Steve Phillips acquired Roberto Alomar, which was an uneasy feeling of nausea. In fact, I’d likely reconsider my allegiance to the orange and blue.

In case you haven’t heard, the Mets have picked up the option on Moises Alou and have re-signed Damion Easley for 2008.

Not really huge news, as picking up Alou’s option was expected — but I for one am happy it’s been done as I can’t imagine going into the winter with holes in both outfield corners. If Alou can give the Mets 100+ games, he’s worth the $7.5M option. If he only appears in 85-90 (he was in 87 last year), then it’s kind of expensive. But hey, the Mets are not going to find a better hitter at that price, with only a one-year commitment, in this market. So I’m fully on board with bringing him back and having Endy Chavez, Carlos Gomez, and/or Lastings Milledge filling out the rest of the innings in left field.

The Easley signing is only mildly surprising. As we’ve reviewed here on MetsToday, there aren’t too many solid righthanded-hitting bench guys available this winter — and few, if any, have Easley’s versatility. Now if the Mets can get Marlon Anderson signed, he and Easley (and Endy) make for a promising bench in 2008.

One must figure that bringing back Easley will affect Jose Valentin, who is a free agent. Valentin still isn’t healthy, and won’t be until just before spring training begins. He wants to continue playing, but there wouldn’t appear to be room on Mets — especially if as expected they sign Luis Castillo and bring back Marlon. Valentin may try to hook on with a team that could give him a shot at semi-regular playing time — maybe the Giants or Reds? Who knows, maybe he can platoon at 3B with Wilson Betemit for the Yankees. Personally, I’ll miss “Stache”, and a part of me hopes there’s a spot for him on the Mets’ bench next season.

With Alou signed on, the main question in the outfield focuses on Lastings Milledge. Has he convinced Mets management that he’s ready to be a full-time rightfielder? Has he convinced other teams that he’ll be an All-Star some day? If the Mets make a significant trade this offseason — and all signs point to that happening — I don’t see how Milledge won’t be included. Even if he’s not traded, I’d have to think that the Mets are considering bringing in a big bat — likely a lefthanded one — as insurance or for a platoon with LMillz. Time will tell.

As you might have already seen, Curt Schilling listed the Mets as one of the teams he’s interested in signing with for next year.

Wow … where did that come from?

Ideally, he’d like to return to the Boston Red Sox, but there’s a good chance they will not meet his expectation of a one-year, $13M contract. However, there will be someone out there willing to give him that kind of deal — after all, Roger Clemens received $25M to pitch four months. Teams don’t mind spending big bucks for proven veterans seeking short commitments.

Now, although I advocate that the Mets go after a Carlos Silva or Livan Hernandez to eat up innings, I see no reason not to consider Schilling on a one-year deal. The reason being: the Mets were prepared to spend $13M for another year of Tom Glavine. Regardless of whether Glavine had accepted or rejected the option, the Mets still needed to get a Silva/Livan guy. So why not take that $13M earmarked for Glavine, and give it to Schilling?

The pros:

• Big-game pitcher
• Successful in the AL East
• Longtime veteran; provides experience and instruction for youngsters
• At worst, a solid back-of-rotation starter

The cons:

• Not the strikeout pitcher he once was
• Older, more prone to breakdowns / DL stints
• Openly opinionated (or as some people say, a big mouth)

OK, so he probably won’t pitch 200 innings in 2008 … but he might. Glavine through exactly 200 and posted a 4.45 ERA, and was counted on to be the #1 starter. Do we know for sure that Glavine will pitch another 200 frames? If he does, will it be at the expense of a 5+ ERA? Would he be counted on to be a #1 next year? All these are fair questions.

Like Glavine, Schilling would not be expected to be a top-of-the-rotation starter. He wouldn’t be expected to pitch 200 innings. Also like Glavine, he would be expected to be a role model and go-to guy for the youngsters, like an “assistant pitching coach”. Similar to Glavine, he’d be counted on to pitch in the postseason, assuming the Mets get there. Tell me: at this stage in each of their careers, who would you rather have starting a “big” game — Glavine or Schilling?

Schilling threw 150 innings last season, going 9-8 in 24 starts and posting a 3.87 ERA in the American League — facing powerful lineups like the Yankees, Tigers, Angels, and Rangers. A move to the NL would certainly help him maintain those numbers, if not improve upon them. Personally, I’ll take those numbers from a #4 or #5 starter next year, if all it’s going to cost is a one-year, $13M commitment.

Of course, there is the personality issue. As mentioned, Schilling is, well, opinionated, and not afraid to speak his mind to anyone who will listen. And he often says things that some find inappropriate, offensive, or just plain stupid. You know what? Maybe that’s exactly what the Mets need in their clubhouse — someone to speak to the press. For the last two years, the New York media has been running around in circles trying to get some kind of juicy comment from a Mets player, only to be frustrated with boring quotes from the lifeless personalities in Met uniforms. After finding out quickly that Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Tom Glavine, David Wright, Jose Reyes, and most of the rest of the Mets didn’t ever say anything headline-worthy, the media focused on making Paul LoDuca or Billy Wagner crack. By the end of 2006, LoDuca was clearly tired of being “the” guy to answer all the questions, over and over — and it only became more of an issue in 2007. LoDuca is willing to talk, but he doesn’t embrace the microphones the way some players do — such as Schilling. Let Schilling come in and be the fall guy, and be the guy to say the dumb things — he’s done it before, he can handle it, and he loves it.

Before you think that Schilling will say something that will rattle some cages, or cause ill will in the clubhouse, or somehow “poison” the team, think about this: he’s made plenty of questionable, supposedly damaging comments under a hotter spotlight in Boston, yet has won two World Series rings in the last four years. Maybe Schilling will come out and say some of the Mets are lazy, or don’t have the killer instinct. And maybe that’s what the Mets will need. Maybe part of the problem has been that no one — other than Wagner and LoDuca in a mid-season tirade — has spoken up, and made others uncomfortable. Guess what? Sometimes, discomfort is a good thing. Getting your teammates riled up, or angry, can be better than lounging around and waiting for something to happen. Ask the 1976-78 Yankees. Ask the 1971-74 Athletics. Ask the Red Sox of the last four years, who dealt with Schilling as a teammate.

I’ll pose another question: which would you rather hear after a tough loss? That the starting pitcher, who was knocked out in the first inning, “didn’t feel devastated”? Or “The feeling after I lose a game, I can’t describe how miserable, and the elation I feel after I pitch good is so much less than the bad is bad” ?

The $13M is already there, for “good guy” Glavine. Why not hand it to a similar pitcher and competitor, who can also be an effective lightning rod for the media?

To make room on the roster for newcomers Jair Jurrjens and Gorkys Hernandez, the Braves had to release RHP Chad Paronto and C Corky Miller. Paronto had been DFA’d earlier, and was expected to be dropped anyway. The big — and I do mean BIG — righthander was fairly effective in a middle-relief role with the Braves over the past two years, sporting a 3.57 ERA in 41 games in 2007 and a 3.18 ERA in 63 games in 2006. He’ll be 32 next season, and doesn’t quite have a “wow” effect on anyone, but he could be a decent guy to have in AAA to provide depth in the ‘pen as the season wears on. Miller is a typical catch-and-throw backstop; essentially, a younger (32) version of Mike DiFelice.

In a more under-the-radar move, the Braves claimed RHP Chris Resop off waivers from the Angels — actually, they made room for him by DFA’ing Paronto. Only two years ago, Resop was a highly touted prospect in the Marlins’ organization; he was traded to the Angels for current Marlins closer Kevin Gregg. This could turn out to be one of the better moves by the Braves in the offseason, as Resop is only 25 and touches 98 MPH. He spent most of the last two years in AAA as a setup man and occasional closer, and posted OK numbers — 82 Ks and 31 BB in 95 IP. But before you dismiss those numbers, understand he’s a converted outfielder, and has only been pitching for four years. Since the Braves, I assume, get dibs on the waiver wire before the Mets, we can’t call out Omar on this one. But I’d imagine Resop would be the type of project ideal for Rick Peterson. Oh well.

Another hard-throwing reliever who became available is the well-traveled Jay Witasick, who was cut by the Devil Rays when they claimed OF Chris Snelling off waivers. Witasick will be 35 next year, and sported a 6.61 ERA in 20 games with the Rays — though only 3.60 with the A’s in 16 games. He still throws hard, but still walks far too many batters — 27 in 31 innings last season. In my mind, he’s the righthanded Ron Villone — just when you think his career is over, someone picks him up for garbage duty. A return to the NL might help him, but he’s not worth a roster spot. I’d prefer to take my chances with Guillermo Mota.

The White Sox released RHP Ryan Bukvich, a middle reliever who resembles Chad Paronto in size but not in effectiveness. He throws in the mid-90s but has always had control problems. Last season he appeared in 45 games but walked 25 in 36 innings (he struck out 18). I’m not sure he’s even worth a AAA spot.

The Reds dropped RHP Tom Shearn, who went 3-0 as a starter for them last season — including six shutout innings against the Mets. However, he’s not all that, and not much more than filler material for the back end of a AAA roster.

Corey Koskie was officially DFA’d by the Brewers. I don’t see a fit for the injury-riddled, 34-year-old Canadian.

There were other players dropped and moved, but none seemed remotely interesting. We’ll have another update in a few days or sometime next week.