[EmpireWF]

The following is from Gotham Baseball's rumor mill at their board:

...The good news is that Minaya's decision NOT to sign Barry Zito (which, for the record, was oft-criticized in this space) has allowed for enough flexibility to allow for a deal for a pending FA like Mark Buerhle. The bet here is, after speaking with several scouts that are familiar with Minaya, the Mets will find a way to avoid paying high prices for talent.

"They're not dealing (Lastings) Milledge, Carlos Gomez, or Fernando Martinez to get a pitcher when they have Pedro coming back," one NL scout told GBM. "That doesn't mean he won't make a deal, though."

The Mets reportedly have interest in players that have spent some time in the bright lights of the Big Apple, like Brady Clark, Jay Payton and David Weathers. There are also some whispers that the Mets quietly sent scouts to Fenway Park this weekend to watch Randy Winn.

The Pirates have reportedly called New York as well, dangling such players as Shawn Chacon and Damaso Marte.

However, as usual, the Mets have been very good at not tipping their hand as to who they are really looking at.

Interesting. Over the past week, there have been rumors that the Mets were interested in dealing for Chicago's SP Mark Buerhle. The problem I have with the guy is for one thing, he'll be a free-agent at the end of the season and most reports say he's expecting a deal similar to the starters last off-season in the range of 6-years and about $12-$14 mil per year.

[EmpireWF]

In a NYTimes article today, the topic is Carlos Gomez. It's known the Mets are looking to add a RHP (and even a right handed bat) before the trade deadline. However, Omar Minaya won't deal a prospect like Milledge or Gomez for a rent-a-pitcher (like Buerhle would likely be).

However, the article points out, if Houston or Florida would open up to trade talks involving Roy Oswalt (has a five-year contract) or Dontrelle Willis, respectively, Minaya probably wouldn't have any quarrels about dealing some prospects.

[Lefty Noob]

Oswalt would be interesting. He's one of the more underrated pitchers in the league, and I might be tempted to favor him over Willis. That'd be an excellent pick-up for the Mets if Houston is actually foolish enough to put him on the market, which honestly I find hard to believe.