Last updated: 7:14 am
July 31, 2008
Posted: 3:26 am
July 31, 2008
MANNY Ramirez and Jason Bay both were tiny blips on the Mets' radar. But as that duo became more likely to be traded - perhaps as part of a three-team trade - the Mets were circling in on smaller prizes.
The deadline arrives at 4 p.m. today, and the Red Sox - after coming close in previous seasons to dealing Ramirez - have finally grown so sick of Manny being Manny that they were working diligently to finalize the divorce.
Multiple sources said last night that the Red Sox, Marlins and Pirates were working on a deal that could end with Ramirez in Florida, Bay in Boston and a prospect haul in Pittsburgh.
That deal would shake up the competition for both the Yankees and Mets, with the Yankee-killer Ramirez departing the AL East to form a Ramirez and (Hanley) Ramirez duo in Florida that would become a huge issue for the Mets.
However, as of last night, the Mets were not big-game hunting. The majority of their calls involved relievers, and not even closers. They no longer had interest in Oakland closer Huston Street, and the prospect price to get Colorado to deal Brian Fuentes was beyond the Mets' tolerance level. The main cog to obtain Fuentes was a young starter, and the Rockies were trying to target Philadelphia lefty J.A. Happ, an NL official said.
So the Mets were looking more in the set-up aisle that includes righties who previously played with the team: Cincinnati's David Weathers and Baltimore's Chad Bradford. The Mets like Cla Meredith, but feel San Diego is asking too much.
Pedro Martinez returns to the rotation tomorrow and John Maine (shoulder) will miss at least one rotation turn. Yet despite the starters' physical issues, the Mets were not pursuing starters.
That is in part because they do not like what is on the market and also because if all the starters are healthy, "Who is going to have the conversation with Pedro Martinez to tell him he is out of the rotation?" a Met official said.
COMMENTS