Here’s a recap of some minor Mets news and notes from around the web…
Carlos Beltran said Thursday, that he still believes he can thrive in center field, but would be open to playing right field if the team asked him. “I’m all for doing whatever is good for the team” Beltran said, “I have never been a selfish type of player.”
Beltran also discussed his feelings about waiving his no-trade clause should the team approach him about it.
“I want to be a Met. I want to finish my career with the Mets. Right now, my mentality is just to come back next year 100 percent to help this team win a championship. But, at the same time, if the organization is looking at different options, I have to be aware. I’m a professional. I know the organization, they’re professionals. So if the situation comes between them and us, we’re going to handle it in a very professional way.”
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Joel Sherman believes that the Yankees will sign Cliff Lee to a five-year $125MM deal. I think it’s safe to say, Lee won’t be coming to a Mets ballpark near you. Sherman says the contract would pay Lee $23MM for five seasons with a sixth year option for $25MM ($10MM buyout. Cliff Lee is 32 years old.
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Sandy Alderson interviewed both Clint Hurdle and Don Wakamatsu at Citi Field Wednesday and according to Andy Martino everything went well. His interview with Ken Oberkfell is still set for today in the Dominican Republic. The second round of interviews will begin next week and will include Backman, Collins, Melvin and Chip Hale according to Ken Davidoff. Davidoff says it’s more likely Backman will manage Single-A St. Lucie next season. Joel Sherman, Jon Heyman, and Andy Martino still see Collins as the front runner. I don’t know why this made the news, but apparently Lee Mazzilli will not be a candidate for Mets manager.
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Omir Santos and Mike Hessman became free agents after refusing minor league assignments, according to Adam Rubin. Santos never played for the Mets in 2010, but hit .260 with seven home runs and 40 RBI in 2009. He will always be remembered for his dramatic game winning home run off Red Sox closer Jonathon Papelbon.
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Jon Heyman is reporting that the Mets are concerned that Pedro Feliciano may be “burned out” after leading the league in appearances for three consecutive seasons. So based on that silly notion, there’s a rumor going around that the Mets are now pursuing Scott Downs, the 35 year old lefty reliever from the Blue Jays. Downs is a Type A free agent which means that any team that signs him forfeits their first round draft pick in the June Amateur Draft. I looked up their stats and discovered that both relievers have logged 175 innings pitched in the last three seasons.
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Oliver Perez made his third appearance in Mexico, and allowed 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB with 3 Ks in 1.2 IP. Overall, he has a 7.36 ERA in 3.2 IP. Daniel Murphy played first base for Aguilas on Thursday. He went 1-for-4 with a triple in a 6-0 loss to Gigantes. Murphy is hitting .303. Josh Satin, 25, continued to produce Thursday, in Mesa’s 6-5 loss to Surprise. The sixth-round pick in 2008 went 2-for-4 to lift his AFL average to .438.
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Looks like the Mets got shutout again in the hardware department. No Mets were among the 2010 Silver Slugger awards that were announced yesterday. David Wright was the last Met to win the award in 2008.
