The Mets right now are a team consistently walking the line between contender and catastrophe.
And with holes in the starting rotation and possibly at second base if Luis Castillo can’t stay healthy, the woeful Orioles could provide some answers for them if they decide to make some moves.
“I wouldn’t mind pitching in New York,” Kevin Millwood said before Baltimore lost 3-1 to the Yankees last night in the Bronx. “It’s a great city. But it’s not really up to me whether I do or don’t.”
Millwood is scheduled to pitch at the Stadium tomorrow and is still looking for his first win of the season.
Despite his 0-5 record, the 35-year-old has pitched well in his first season with Baltimore. He has a 3.89 ERA after being shipped from the Rangers in the offseason.
But with the Orioles already falling hopelessly behind in the AL East and Millwood a free agent after this season, the right-hander figures to be trade bait.
“If the Mets called the Orioles and wanted to do something, I’d certainly look at it,” said Millwood, who has a limited no-trade clause. “If it came up, I’d definitely consider it a possibility.”
He’s not the only Oriole the Mets could inquire about.
Former Met Ty Wigginton was in the cleanup spot last night, and went 0-for-4. While Wigginton has played first base for much of the past week, he has spent most of the season at second — a position where the Mets are thin due to Castillo’s injured feet.
“I absolutely loved playing there,” Wigginton said of his time with the Mets, where he came up in 2002. “But I really don’t think about what’s going to happen with trades and all that.”
That’s what happens when you play for five teams in seven years, as Wigginton has.
“You hear rumors all the time, but I don’t pay attention to them,” Wigginton said. “The longer you play, the more you learn to not worry about other clubs. I used to do that and let that stuff get to me. Right now, I’m just thinking about the Orioles.”
There isn’t much good to think about the last-place team.
“It’s been a tough year for everybody,” Millwood said. “We started out injured and have only gotten more injured. It’s frustrating, but they brought me here and wanted me to do a job. Until they decide they want to part ways, I’m here.”