DALLAS -- Frustrated by the complexity of a megadeal for Manny Ramirez, the Mets have ramped up their discussions involving Barry Zito, and the club already has inquired about the possibility of signing him to an extension as part of any trade with the Athletics.
With that in mind, the Mets continued their efforts last night to move Kris Benson, discussing a trade with the Royals that would bring a relief pitcher, Jeremy Affeldt or Mike MacDougal, to Flushing. A baseball official with knowledge of the talks described the trade as "imminent" at one point, but another said a deal was not close as of late last night.
Finding a taker for Benson hasn't been easy. The Mets considered shipping him to the Orioles last week for reliever Jorge Julio but scrapped that proposal in about 24 hours.
The benefit of trading Benson is twofold. The Mets not only would get a chance to upgrade their rotation at the No. 3 spot with a former Cy Young winner in Zito, but they would get to clear Benson's salary off the payroll. He is due $15 million in the next two seasons.
If the deal eventually gets done with the Royals, the Mets will receive a quality arm for their bullpen, which is another area of concern.
When general manager Omar Minaya was asked earlier in the day if the Mets will seek to bolster their rotation, he said, "We would like to add a guy. In our ballpark, we like to have pitching as a priority. If there's an opportunity to get a front-line guy, you have to explore it."
Zito would appear to be that guy. He will earn $8.5 million this season in the walk year of his contract, and the cost-conscious Athletics have a habit of trading their most expensive players rather than paying to keep them.
Oakland GM Billy Beane did it with Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder, but he's been on the fence with Zito. If the Mets become willing to part with top outfield prospect Lastings Milledge, however, Beane might change his mind in a hurry.
Meanwhile, the Athletics seem to be preparing for life without Zito. Oakland signed Esteban Loaiza to a three-year, $21-million contract before the winter meetings, and the A's also are interested in trading for David Wells, who would be a logical, if older, replacement for the lefthanded Zito.
Minaya had been holding on to Milledge as the centerpiece of a multi-player package for Ramirez, and there is some disagreement in the organization about whether or not to deal him. Money is becoming more of a consideration, too, when it comes to Ramirez.
Now that the Mets have satisfied their most pressing needs, and have doled out the $30 million to new players that they trimmed from last season's payroll, COO Jeff Wilpon is putting the brakes on Minaya's free-spending ways - unless he can shave more cash from the payroll.
It's almost impossible for Minaya to find enough room for Ramirez, who will earn $57 million in the next three years. Now it seems that the Angels are the front-runner for the Red Sox slugger; talks progressed yesterday on a three-team swap that includes the Diamondbacks.
In that deal, the Angels would get Ramirez, the Red Sox would get Troy Glaus, and a package of prospects would be sent to the Diamondbacks. It seems unlikely that Ramirez will be traded by the end of this week, but the groundwork is being discussed.
