Posted by Jayson Stark
With
Xavier Nady and
Casey Blake off the market, the Mets will turn their attention to Seattle's Raul Ibanez, whom they believe is their only remaining realistic option to acquire as an outfield bat.
Pittsburgh's
Jason Bay remains a theoretical option, but clubs that have spoken with the Mets say they were more focused on Nady than Bay because of Nady's familiarity with playing in New York, and because they thought the asking price for Bay (four players) was excessive.
Even Ibanez might not be affordable, however, Seattle hasn't asked interested teams for specific names yet. The Mariners are one of many clubs saying that, because Ibanez projects as a Type-A free agent, they would want the equivalent of a first-round pick and a sandwich pick for him.
The Mets, meanwhile, continue to tell teams that their two best prospects, outfielder
Fernando Martinez and pitcher
Jon Niese, are off limits, so they might not have a match on Ibanez.
The Mets also have been trolling the bullpen market without much success. Two sources who spoke with them say they told Colorado they wouldn't be willing to deal
Aaron Heilman for
Brian Fuentes. So indications are that they're now no longer in the mix for Fuentes.
Other bullpen names the Mets are believed to have kicked the tires on include San Diego's
Cla Meredith, Baltimore's
Chad Bradford and Cincinnati's
Jeremy Affeldt.
Dodgers hunting for relief help
Now that the Dodgers have dealt for a bat, they'll also now turn their attention to pitching. Among names they're believed to be still pursuing: Colorado's Brian Fuentes, Baltimore's
George Sherrill, Cincinnati's
David Weathers and Oakland's
Alan Embree. They're not believed to be interested in Oakland closer
Huston Street.
Another possibility could be trading for
Greg Maddux, who has told San Diego he would only waive his no-trade clause to accept a deal to L.A. The Dodgers could then move one of their current starters to the bullpen.
Byrd for sale
With
CC Sabathia and Blake now dealt away, the one player the Indians are now most actively marketing is
Paul Byrd. Clubs that have spoken with them say they're willing to listen to talks on anybody on the roster and are "open to anything." But dealing Byrd, the last of their three prospective free agents, is now their main focus. While the Indians have had some clubs scout Byrd's recent starts, they've had so little aggressive interest that it's probably more unlikely that they'll be able to trade him before the deadline.
