NASHVILLE – For the Mets, things haven’t exactly been too noisy at the Winter Meetings.
On Day 2, they were more focused on having conversations with agents. It was a day less about trades and more about free-agent possibilities.
The Mets had legitimate interest in free-agent righty Hiroki Kuroda, and as The Post reported yesterday, they reached the second round of bidding on the Japanese pitcher. The Mets had considered Kuroda as a middle-of-the-rotation innings eater, but as it turned out, they are not one of the four finalists for him.
As for the rest of the free-agent front, the Mets have some interest in right-hander Livan Hernandez. Agent Greg Genske has met with Mets GM Omar Minaya in Nashville, the agent said last night.
“I would characterize the Mets as being very interested in signing Livan,” Genske said, noting there are 10 teams in the derby. Genske declined to say if the Mets have made an offer.
The Mets were also set to meet with the agents for Octavio Dotel and Shawn Chacon yesterday, and they have interest in reliever Luis Vizcaino as well. Chacon could be a starter or reliever.
The team doesn’t believe it’s likely that either Baltimore’s Erik Bedard or Oakland’s Dan Haren will get dealt at the meetings. The Mets believe things won’t really move forward with either pitcher until Johan Santana’s situation is resolved. The belief is the Orioles and A’s are holding off until Santana is dealt, with the possibility then of receiving more in a deal from the trade suitors.
Another pitcher the Mets may consider dealing for is Cleveland’s Cliff Lee. The 29-year-old lefty was 5-8 with a 6.29 ERA for the Indians this past season. Though in his three previous years, he won 14, 18 and 14 games, respectively. Minaya dealt Lee from the Expos to the Indians in 2002 as part of the Bartolo Colon trade.
Hernandez turns 33 in February. He’s Orlando Hernandez’s half-brother. Like Kuroda, he’s more of a middle-to-back-end-of-the-rotation pitcher. Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.93 ERA with the Diamondbacks this past season and has thrown at least 200 innings for eight straight years.
As for Dontrelle Willis, who is reportedly heading to the Tigers along with Miguel Cabrera, the Mets hadn’t believed the lefty starter was available.