Mets Exposed!

[NetShrine]

Friday, August 3
Mets exposing just about everyone
ESPN.com news services

The New York Mets have requested waivers on Todd Zeile, Robin Ventura and Benny Agbayani, the Newark Star-Ledger reported on Friday.

The Mets' waiver requests, which were made over the past two days and were confirmed by high-ranking officials with two NL teams, also included two players the Mets are open to trading -- Edgardo Alfonzo and Kevin Appier -- and their two most untouchables -- Mike Piazza and Armando Benitez.

The Mets have not asked for waivers on Rey Ordonez, the player they would most like to trade, but probably will do so eventually.

It is standard for teams to request waivers on all their players at some point in August. There is an initial 48-hour period in which teams can place claims on players and a subsequent 48-hour period in which the team which requested the waivers either trades the player to the claiming team, pulls him back or allows the claiming team to simply have him.

If a player clears waivers, he is free to be traded anywhere for the remainder of the month. If a claimed player is pulled back, he cannot be traded before the start of September, at which point the process would have to be repeated.

Because of their contracts, it is unlikely Zeile or Ventura will be claimed.

If Alfonzo, Appier or Agbayani were claimed, the Mets would invite the claiming team to make an offer. If the offer were not to their liking, they would pull each player back from waivers.

Because of his low salary, Agbayani is a prime candidate to be claimed. The Padres are interested in Agbayani and nearly traded for him before this past Tuesday's non-waiver trade deadline.

The Mets will know if someone has claimed Zeile, Appier or Agbayani by Friday. They will know about Ventura and Alfonzo by Saturday. Piazza and Benitez will almost certainly be claimed and, of course, pulled back.

The Mets might wait to request waivers on Ordonez until they sense teams like the Arizona Diamondbacks or the Los Angeles Dodgers are desperate for a shortstop, or at least until another team believed that enough to make a claim in order to block a trade involving Ordonez.

If Ordonez were claimed, the Mets would likely allow the team to have him and the $12.25 million remaining on the final two years of his contract.

Before the trade deadline, the Mets parted ways with pitchers Rick Reed, Turk Wendell and Dennis Cook in separate deals with the Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins.

[BuzzBuzzard]

I just saw this myself. The was a report in one of the tri-state area papers today that had an interesting stat. The Mets have made more post-7/31 trades since 1996 than any other team. Phillips like to wheel and deal.

When I say may prayers tonight I am going to add in a little something about Benny being traded. Please, God, find a home for Benny other than in Queens.

[NetShrine]

Just a hunch, but, I think he's going to the Twins.