DETROIT — Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez remain in the Mets’ plans, but for how long?
As talk heats up heading into the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline, Beltran and Rodriguez remain the most likely Mets players to be dealt. A report yesterday suggested the Rangers have interest in both players, but an industry source with knowledge of the Mets’ thinking indicated it’s still too early to gauge where both players might land.
If Beltran is to be dealt, the source said there is a good chance the Mets would wait until mid- or late July, with the expectation David Wright — who is out with a stress fracture in his back — will return to bolster the lineup by then. But if the Mets (39-39) go into a tailspin before the All-Star break, Wright’s return could be a moot point for 2011 and Beltran might be dealt earlier.
Rodriguez is on pace to finish 60 games — five more than is needed to trigger the $17.5 million option in his contract for next season. The veteran closer remains the most likely of the Mets’ stars to be traded because of the implications of that salary on the 2012 payroll.
Unlike Beltran, who has a full no-trade clause in his contract — which he likely would waive for a deal that makes sense — Rodriguez has a limited no-trade that consists of 10 teams he cannot be dealt to without his consent.
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Besides having a homecoming for three days at Comerica Park, manager Terry Collins will reunite with Tigers manager Jim Leyland, whom he considers a mentor. It was Leyland, then managing the Pirates, who gave the Michigan native his first major league coaching job as bullpen coach for Pittsburgh in the early 1990s.
Collins’ favorite Leyland story? Watching Leyland hit a golf ball from a hotel room through an open window toward a patch of grass across the street. The ball hit the underside of a balcony and rocketed down several stories toward the pavement.
“I’m terrified it’s going to kill somebody,” Collins said. “The ball bounced . . . and landed on the grass, just like he said.”
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The Mets will be making their first appearance at Comerica Park since 2007, when they lost two of three games to the Tigers. The Mets’ only other appearance in this city came in 1997, when they were swept in three games at Tiger Stadium.