According to this tweet by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Mets may have something cooking with the Texas Rangers who are seeking to move outfielder Julio Borbon.

Borbon, 27, was designated for assignment last week and the Rangers have until this afternoon to trade him or place him on irrevocable waivers. He has a slash of .283/.324/.358 over parts of four years in the majors.

Last season, Borbon hit .304/.349/.433 with 23 doubles, eight triples, 10 home runs and 20 stolen bases in 28 attempts for the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate.

The Orioles have previously been tied to the Rangers outfielder and remain the heavy favorites to land him.

Thoughts from Joe D.

This doesn’t say much about the current Mets center field situation if the Mets connection to this rumor is true. For now the Mets have had a merry-go-round out there that has included Collin Cowgill, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Jordany Valdespin for the most part.

We certainly could use the help, but Borbon doesn’t look like an answer or a solution to me.

Plus if this involves other teams bidding, the odds the Mets come out on top seems like a longshot.

Yesterday, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reported that the Mets decided to send Omar Quintanilla to Triple-A Vegas to start the season so they could minimize the risk of losing him to waivers early in the season. Quintanilla is not currently on the 40-man roster.

Collins said the Mets were wary of carrying Quintanilla out of spring training in part because if they ever needed to free a spot on the major league roster and Quintanilla was the casualty, he would need to be exposed to waivers and the Mets would risk losing a valuable piece.

The Mets decided to carry Kirk Nieuwenhuis as an extra outfielder to provide another option to a weak outfield configuration.

It was a logical decision by the Mets who felt that they could get by for a week or two without having to rest the younger Ruben Tejada. But now it’s time to shore up the infield and cut loose one of the six outfielders.

Kirk has options remaining so he’ll be the one to go whether it’s deserved or not.

Ken Davidoff of the New York Post has a somewhat critical take on the Mets under Sandy Alderson, and yesterday he spoke to a rival NL executive who told him this:

“The big thing for me is it feels like the Mets are stuck in some kind of purgatory,” an official from another NL team said recently, on the condition of anonymity. “They didn’t blow up their club like Houston did, but they also aren’t a serious threat in the NL East behind Washington, Atlanta, and even Philadelphia.”

“Players like Ike Davis and Daniel Murphy have value, but are they going to be part of the next division winner in Queens? Unlikely. They are losing value every day as their salaries increase and years of club control decrease.”

Davidoff adds that the Mets’ first two drafts under Alderson have not received high grades in the industry, nor has the team come up with any under-the-radar finds through waivers or minor league free agency.

They have done better internationally, with 2011 Dominican pitchers Rafael Montero and Luis Mateo climbing the organizational ladder. Their clear need is for position players, as top draft picks Brandon Nimmo (outfielder, 2011) and Gavin Cecchini (shortstop, 2012) have underwhelmed outside observers.

I’m a big fan of Sandy, probably the biggest one on this site. But clearly he’ll need to make some noise in this year’s draft and follow that up with a less rigid approach to how he navigates the off-season next winter.

I doubt he can continue to tell fans that he has the money, is unwilling to spend it, and get away with it.

He’s losing some of his most steadfast supporters lately, and a fifth straight losing season could start tipping the scales the other way. It’s time for him to be bold and start talking more about the present and less about the future which we already know looks bright.

3:30 PM Update:

Adam Rubin has now reported that Darin Gorski has cleared waivers and will remain under team control. It also has been announced that Scott Rice, and not Robert Carson, will be the second lefty in the bullpen for 2013.

The bullpen now projects as follows:

1. Bobby Parnell
2. Brandon Lyon
3. LaTroy Hawkins
4. Scott Atchison
5. Josh Edgin
6. Greg Burke
7. Jeurys Familia
8. Scott Rice

So here’s today’s moves as announced by the Mets:

They have selected the contracts of LaTroy Hawkins, Scott Rice, Marlon Byrd and Scott Atchison, added them to the 40 Man Roster.

Robert Carson, Landon Powell and Omar Quintanilla were all optioned to Las Vegas.

2:00 PM Update:

Adam Rubin has just reported that Reese Havens has cleared waivers. He remains under control of the New York Mets and can be assigned to the minors. There is still no word on Darin Gorski. Update to follow.

Original Post:

According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, the Mets are expected to waive infielder Reese Havens and left-hander Darin Gorski to make room on their 40-Man roster.

The process would involve exposing them to waivers. If they clear, they can be outrighted to the minors.

I can see either of the two being picked up by other teams, and I’d put it at 50/50, especially for Gorski who could be ready to join an MLB bullpen right now.

Rubin writes about them:

Havens, a first-round pick in 2008, has struggled through back injuries throughout his career. He hit .215 in 325 at-bats last season with Double-A Binghamton.

Gorski, a 25-year-old left-hander, was 9-8 with a 4.00 ERA in 25 appearances (24 starts) with the B-Mets in 2012.

With both being cleared off the 40-man roster, the Mets now have five open spots for adding players on minor league deals.

We all knew there would be some tough decisions to be made, and certainly these are two of them.

Havens has been largely disappointing because of his inability to stay healthy, but oozes with talent, power and potential at a premium position. Gorski may not have been a starter in the majors, but could be an effective lefthander out of the bullpen.

Rubin also confirms that reliever Greg Burke and right-hander Jeurys Familia both have made the Opening Day roster, according to his sources.

The bullpen now projects as follows:

1. Bobby Parnell
2. Brandon Lyon
3. LaTroy Hawkins
4. Scott Atchison
5. Josh Edgin
6. Greg Burke
7. Jeurys Familia
8. Robert Carson or Scott Rice

Carson is on the 40-man roster and presumably has the advantage. The Mets will go with eight relievers in the pen until Shaun Marcum is be activated from the DL to make his start against the Marlins to close out the final game of the Mets opening homestand.

Joe Mauer at Fenway Park (Photo by Jim Mancari)

The Minnesota Twins places All-Star catcher Joe Mauer on revocable trade waivers earlier this week, and, not too surprisingly, no team put a claim in for him.

The 29-year-old is due $23 million per season through 2018, so team’s likely balked at that salary.

I heard some reports that the Mets should have gone after Mauer if the Twins were willing to work out a deal. I know it’s slightly after the fact (at least until the offseason), but let’s dissect this trade possibility.

Yes, Mauer isn’t exactly his former self and projects more as a first baseman than a catcher, but the guy is producing this year at a .312 clip with eight home runs and 68 RBI, which earned him his fifth All-Star selection.

The Mets are desperately seeking offensive production from the catcher’s spot, and Mauer would be an instant upgrade. Kelly Shoppach has looked OK offensively, but Shoppach is not Mauer, end of story.

The problem here is that in order to keep Mauer healthy, he needs to either play first base or DH. Obviously DH is not an option in the NL, so it would have to be first base.

Ike Davis is currently the Mets first baseman. He struggled out of the gate early, but his power numbers have been just as expected. Are we already willing to give up on Ike in favor of a catcher who is more of a first baseman?

Let’s say though the Mets can trade Ike for some outfield help. In fact, let’s say that Ike is included in a deal for Mauer that also nets the Mets Josh Willingham. The “Hammer” is signed for $14 million over the next two seasons, but he’ll also be 34 to begin next season.

However, the whole purpose in trading for Mauer would be to add him to a lineup that includes Ike Davis. So instead the Mets would have to dig into their prospects for a deal.

Think back to winter 2008 when the Mets and Twins made a trade for Johan Santana. The Twins acquired four prospects: Phil Humber, Carlos Gomez, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra. Humber pitched a perfect game but for the White Sox, Gomez is now on the Brewers, Mulvey is gone from the Twins system and Guerra may have a shot to be a decent pitcher for the Twins.

If the Mets start throwing around names like Wilmer Flores, Jenrry Mejia, Jeurys Familia and Collin McHugh (obviously Zack Wheeler is untouchable), the Twins may get skeptical based on the results of the other trade. But that’s the whole point of rolling the dice on prospects; some don’t pan out.

I’m not a general manger (maybe just an arm-chair GM), but if somehow the Mets could have worked out a deal for Mauer and Willingham, the team would be in good shape maybe just for next year, but beyond that it would be a gamble. Here’s what a lineup would look like, assuming no other big moves were made:

Tejada SS, Murphy 2B, Mauer C, Wright 3B, Davis 1B, Willingham LF, Duda RF, CF (either Hairston, Nieuwenhuis, den Dekker, B.J. Upton perhaps).

This would be a pretty good team, but I just don’t see it happening. Actually to answer the title question, I don’t want it to happen. If the Twins were going to ask for mid-level prospects just to get something back for Mauer, then maybe. But Mauer is locked up for six more years, so the Twins would have to be blown away by an offer for this to work. They aren’t going to trade their only superstar just for the sake of making a deal.

So instead, expect something a little more like this for next season:

Tejads SS, Murphy 2B, Wright 3B, Davis 1B, Hairston/Baxter RF, Duda/Bay LF, Shoppach/Thole C, CF (Nieuwenhuis or den Dekker).

GM Sandy Alderson said the team would be creative in the trade market perhaps. The free agent market will be weak this offseason (except for Josh Hamilton, fat chance Mets fans!), so trades will be the only way to improve this team.

Again, if the Mets and Twins can work out a trade for Mauer and even throw in Willingham in which the Mets assume the contracts (another big if) rather than mortgaging the farm system, I guess it could work. But that’s living in a fantasy world.

The safe bet: Stay away from Mauer and explore other options.