METS HOT STOVE - CONFLICTING REPORTS


I don't who to trust (though Andrew Vachss looks like he can keep a secret)


(Vachss, defender of the defenseless. No evidence, however, that he's a Pirates fan).

Confused about the Mets' direction this off-season? Join the club.

Most of us have presumed that pricey superstars like Vladimir Guerrero and Miguel Tejada aren't realistic targets. Not so, says Newsday's Laura Price-Brown.

The Mets, intent on paring payroll and building for the future, privately acknowledge landing either shortstop Tejada or rightfielder Guerrero would be a long shot. But given the changing market - agents already are grumbling how long-term contracts are branded with scarlet letters in the new order of free agency - it wouldn't hurt for a rebuilding team such as the Mets at least to inquire about superstars in the primes of their careers.

Tejada, the 27-year-old former Oakland Athletics shortstop and 2002 American League MVP, already has expressed his desire to play for Mets manager Art Howe. "He's the one who gave me the opportunity and pushed me every day to make me a great player," Tejada said a month ago. Problem is, the Mets already have a blue-chipper at shortstop in Jose Reyes and several decision-makers would be reluctant to move him to second base.

However, should the Mets fail to sign free-agent second baseman Luis Castillo (the Marlins, Dodgers and Cubs are also in the mix), then Reyes could be shifted to second to make room for Tejada.

The Daily News' Sam Borden & Bill Madden claim the Mets are quite out of the running in the fight to acquire 2B Luis Castillo. But the Star-Ledger's Dan Graziano says Castillo is probably a lost cause, suggesting the Mets have turned their attention to Japanese SS Kazuo Matsui and hope to move Jose Reyes to 2B if Matsui signs.

The Mets went into the off-season targeting Castillo, but his poor performance in the World Series against the Yankees scared them away. They did an extensive background check, asking more than 30 people about Castillo's makeup, and appear to have determined they'd rather have Matsui.

According to baseball officials with knowledge of the talks, the Mets' offer to Castillo was slightly lower than the Marlins' offer of $15.5 million for three years. But the lack of a state income tax in Florida and the Marlins' apparent willingness to add a fourth year vesting option, make the Marlins' offer much larger. The Mets appear to have decided they'd like to have Castillo only if they can get him relatively cheaply.

Matsui, in contrast, is likely to command something in the range of the three-year, $21 million deal Hideki Matsui got from the Yankees last winter. And it could go higher if there's a bidding war, especially with the Yankees. Yankees officials would like to sign Matsui for second base and move Alfonso Soriano to the outfield, and they haven't given up hope that they can convince him to change positions.

Kaz Matsui, in an upcoming interview with ESPN Magazine, said he might be willing to change positions.

"I've only played as a shortstop, but I don't have an unhealthy attachment to it," Matsui told the magazine. "I would play somewhere else if it helps the team."

With the Mets, though, he could play his regular position if Reyes moved to second base. The Mets see Matsui as a dynamic, exciting player who would generate good buzz and attention. He's a switch-hitter with speed and an outstanding defensive player who hit for power in Japan. Some scouts believe he could hit 20 home runs in a major-league season.

Another thing that makes Matsui more attractive than Castillo is the fact that he won't cost them a draft pick. If a team signs another major-league team's free agent, it has to compensate them with a draft pick. But since Matsui played for the Seibu Lions last year, he would only cost only money.

Finally, in the don't-get-your-hopes-up department, the San Diego Union Tribune reports that the Mets and Padres are discussing a trade of the defensively-challenged Roger Cedeno for recently swapped OF Terrence Long and pitcher Kevin Jarvis.

There are already rumors that Long's stay as a Padre will be short.

Although he once started all 162 games in center for the A's, Long didn't start a game in center for Oakland last season, and his best position is said to be left. Could Long, 27, be packaged with pitcher Kevin Jarvis in a trade with the Mets for center fielder Roger Cedeño? Long began his career as a Met and had his best seasons in Oakland under manager Art Howe, now with the Mets.

Between them, Long and Jarvis will make more than $7.5 million next season. If Long isn't dealt, the trade with Oakland will add $750,000 to the Padres' payroll next season and $3.55 million in 2005. Freeing himself of Jarvis and Long would give Towers more flexibility in his search for pitching.

Posted: Fri - November 28, 2003 at 04:15 PM      

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