Minaya to speak with Delgado
Photo credit: John Dunn | Carlos Delgado batted .267 with 104 home runs and 339 RBIs during his four-year stint with the Mets. (July 11, 2009)
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Omar Minaya will have a chance to talk face to face with Carlos Delgado on Saturday as part of a Mets contingent headed to Puerto Rico for a fundraiser to benefit Carlos Beltran's baseball academy.
Minaya already has said he plans to speak with Delgado about a possible return for next season. But the Mets' general manager needs to see him on the field first. That probably won't occur until mid-December, when Delgado will play winter league ball in Puerto Rico.
With plenty of holes to fill, Minaya can wait on first base, especially with the top power bats - Matt Holliday and Jason Bay - expected to let the market develop during the winter meetings, which take place Dec. 7-10 in Indianapolis. Minaya also could find a righthanded-hitting first baseman to platoon with Daniel Murphy, but those choices are limited (Xavier Nady?). That plan could depend on the other positions at which Minaya can find more offense - such as Bengie Molina behind the plate.
With Holliday in the hunt for a $180-million contract and Bay already turning down a $60-million offer from the Red Sox, the Mets are content to see if the prices come down during the next month or so.
A person familiar with the club's thinking said this week that the Mets will get involved in the trade talks for the Blue Jays' Roy Halladay. But it seems more likely that the Mets will opt for the free-agent route to improve their pitching staff. John Lackey is at the top of that list, followed by the second-tier choices of Joel Piñeiro, Jason Marquis and Randy Wolf.
