ORLANDO – The Mets had their meeting with Scott Boras more out of courtesy and curiosity than a passionate pursuit of Alex Rodriguez.
The Mets came, they saw, they listened, and GM Omar Minaya was scheduled to follow with a report to ownership and also his recommendation whether to pursue Rodriguez or not, and for how much. But all indications continued to be that unless ownership was motivated for reasons beyond the play on the field – ratings on the new network or the 2009 opening of Citi Field – then the Mets were going to do nothing more than monitor the situation.
The club believes its strength is the young, high-ceiling, reasonably priced shortstop/third base combo of Jose Reyes and David Wright. And it would prefer not to break that duo up, even to add a star of Rodriguez’s magnitude.
The meeting with Boras had as much to do with propriety as it did with A-Rod. Boras is the sport’s most powerful agent, he represents several prominent Mets, and he is as likely as anybody to represent players the Mets want in the future. So, the Mets have no desire to disrespect Boras. So they met with him, listened to his sales pitch on A-Rod and his other free-agent clients, and plan to review the information.
Last year with Barry Zito, a Boras-represented player the Mets had interest in, the club made an offer it was comfortable with, though they likely knew it was below what Boras could get in the marketplace. It would not be shocking if they made a similar pitch in this spot to see if they could get Rodriguez at a price that would make a significant roster shuffle – likely Wright to a new position – worthwhile. But it is probably even more likely that they simply will not make an offer and concentrate their full attention on finding pitching in this difficult market.
“I always believe, whenever the dollars are available, always try to invest in pitching,” Minaya said.
A pitcher the Mets have their eye on is Japanese righty Hiroki Kuroda. The 32-year-old is a free agent, though it’s uncertain whether he’ll head to the United States or what his timetable is.
One night after Mets exec Tony Bernazard talked for about an hour with Seth Levinson – the agent for free agents Jorge Posada and Luis Castillo – the Mets had another meeting scheduled last night with the players’ representation.
The Mets also continue to explore other catching options, and their interest in Yorvit Torrealba appears legitimate. On Sunday, The Post first reported the Mets’ interest, and yesterday agent Melvin Roman said he spoke with Minaya on Tuesday, with the Mets reiterating their interest.
The Braves are interested in Tom Glavine. “I assume they’re going to make him an offer,” Minaya said.
Something to watch for regarding Glavine’s Mets status is their catching situation and rotation composition. If the Mets improve their rotation, it would ease Glavine’s burden. Those could be factors in his decision.
Pedro Martinez and Moises Alou partnered with SNY and the Mets Foundation to help with Tropical Storm Noel in the Dominican Republic. “It’s devastating,” Martinez said. Martinez postponed his training until next week because of the storm. He had been scheduled to begin yesterday.
People can donate money by mailing checks to the New York Mets Foundation, Shea Stadium, Flushing, NY 11368. Put “Attn: Dominican Relief” on the envelope and “Dominican Relief” in the memo part of the check.
Additional reporting by Joel Sherman.