From the Newark Star Ledger’s Dan Graziano.
The Mets have been encouraged by the interest other teams have shown in second baseman Kaz Matsui, whom they’d like to trade so they could sign a replacement such as Mark Grudzielanek or Tony Graffanino. The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the teams interested in Matsui, with an eye toward converting him to an outfielder.
Minaya said he was focused on finding additions to the bullpen and to the bench. The Mets plan to announce the signing of left-handed reliever Matt Perisho to a minor-league deal after tomorrow’s Rule V draft. They are in conversations with Roberto Hernandez about coming back as a setup man, but likely would have to come to a deal by tonight’s arbitration deadline, because they don’t want to offer him arbitration. And they have been trying to sign Mark Sweeney as a pinch-hitter and backup first baseman.
What with talk of LA moving Lt. Dangle to first, it could be fascinating to see how they’d fare with one or more veterans learning new positions on the job. “Fascinating”, being a polite way of saying their pitchers will want to kill themselves.
No press conference announcing the hiring of a new Dodger manager would be complete without Tommy Lasorda undermining the whole thing.