LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Mets appear to be walking a fine line between negotiating for Barry Zito and indirectly applying pressure on the free-agent lefthander. For that kind of activity, there's no place better than the winter meetings, where general manager Omar Minaya not only has spoken with agent Scott Boras, but talked about making deals with as many as seven teams, as well.
One new development yesterday was the arrival of Athletics GM Billy Beane, and Minaya talked with Beane about trade possibilities, primarily involving Rich Harden or Joe Blanton. The starting point for each was a package of Lastings Milledge and Aaron Heilman, but the two sides did not progress beyond the talking stage.
Minaya refused to confirm his meeting with the A's, but he's made no secret of his desire to stockpile pitching, which he did late Tuesday by trading Brian Bannister to the Royals for hard-throwing reliever Ambiorix Burgos. The acquisition of Burgos, whose fastball has reached 100 mph, could be a nice complement to the bullpen. But Minaya also suggested it could be a precursor to another swap, perhaps including Heilman, who has made it clear he would like to become a starter again.
"I don't want to get into the name of Heilman, but the trade with Kansas City gives me a lot of flexibility," Minaya said. "I feel a little bit more comfortable about the bullpen. If I want to move guys, I have an option to do that. I feel more comfortable doing that than I did before I had the trade."
Beane has long coveted Heilman and Milledge - they were often mentioned in a package for Zito the past two seasons - but it apparently will take more than just those two. Perhaps adding another young pitcher like Philip Humber to the mix might sway the A's. With rumors swirling about a potential Oakland-Mets swap, Beane playfully answered questions about his two pitchers.
For the 25-year-old Harden, Beane said, "I'd approach me on that one." As for Blanton, who will be 26 next week, he added, "I'd approach me on that one, too. The Mets aren't dumb. Pitching is hard to find."
The Mets have a surplus of young starting pitchers - Humber, Mike Pelfrey and Oliver Perez to name a few - but need more established starters for a rotation that is fronted by 40-year-old Tom Glavine and will be missing Pedro Martinez until after the All-Star break. Minaya also has spoken to the Rockies about Jason Jennings, but the price is difficult to predict until the free agents disappear.
The White Sox may be willing to move another starter after dealing Freddy Garcia to the Phillies for righthander Gavin Floyd last night, and there is also talk the Dodgers could make Brad Penny available after they agreed to terms with Jason Schmidt on a three-year, $47-million deal. Minaya was less confident about making another deal before the meetings end today, but he expects conversations to continue.
"I think some teams are coming down," Minaya said. "I still think that we may leave here and in general not have things done, because there are so many free agents still out there. I do know it's a domino effect, once one, two or three guys go off the board then it becomes boom, boom, boom. So I think that's when the trade market is going to kick in."
For Zito, it could be a while. At this stage, after meeting with Boras on Monday night, the Mets are reluctant to go beyond a four-year deal, but could be persuaded to go to five, as one person familiar with the situation said. And despite reports that the Rangers are prepared to go over $100 million on a six-year pact, Mets officials insist they are going nowhere near that figure. They may offer a higher annual salary over fewer years, but if the early reports of a nine-figure offer are correct, the Mets claim they won't match it.
Notes & quotes: Manager Willie Randolph announced Howard Johnson will be his first-base coach for the coming season. He also had considered Ken Oberkfell, Gary Carter, Rickey Henderson, Bobby Meacham and Gerald Williams.