The Mets' manager search, Carlos Beltran and the Yankees' desire for a lefty reliever

I put some of this on Twitter earlier today, but as much as I love the world of 140 or fewer characters - I consider my home away from home - it doesn't allow you to expound on issues as much as one might like.

So, just some Hot Stove stuff...

--From speaking to industry folks, here's what I expect the Mets' second round of managerial candidates to look like: Terry Collins, Clint Hurdle and Bob Melvin for sure, and possibly Chip Hale.

Hale, unlike the other three on that list, doesn't have big-league managing experience, and the Mets clearly are leaning toward someone who has done this before. But Hale performed very well in his first interview, and he's virtually a slam dunk to be part of the next manager's staff.

Wally Backman? If he does get a second interview, I think it would be more out of respect to the Wilpons than for any other reason. Backman may not want to hear this, at age 51, but he simply has to spend more time re-establishing himself. The best bet for him is to be managing full-season Class A St. Lucie next year, which would be a step up from his short-season Class A Brooklyn gig this past year.

Of the three veteran managers most likely to get the job, we already know how highly the Mets - both ownership and the new front-office folks - think of Collins. Melvin seems to be a strong fit, too, into how Sandy Alderson envisions a manager functioning.

Hurdle? On the surface, he doesn't seem to be a great fit with Alderson. He's more of a "gut feel" guy. But he has managed in a World Series - his Rockies swept Melvin's Diamondbacks in the 2007 NLCS - and his hiring would likely generate more excitement among the fan base than the other two.

Double-A Binghamton manager Tim Teufel will probably interview for the job in the next few days, as well.

--Carlos Beltran, in a conference call with reporters, said that he is open to being traded and less open to playing rightfield. This is going to require some smooth operating from Alderson. Because Beltran concluded the season with the health of his right knee again in question, and because it took him a while to get going after his July return, Beltran won't have much trade value. His and the Mets' best bet might be to come back, in 2011 start in rightfield and play well and - if the Mets are out of contention - get traded in July.

Remember, the Mets can't offer Beltran arbitration, so they can't get any draft compensation for losing him. So if the Mets are on the contention bubble, as they were this past season, it might behoove them to trade Beltran, anyway.

 --The Yankees want to add a left-hander to their bullpen, but don't expect them to pony up the dough for Toronto's Scott Downs. As a Type A free agent, Downs will require a signing team to give up a top draft pick to the Blue Jays.

I've heard that the Red Sox want Downs badly, and that would make more sense since Boston could have draft picks coming back from whichever teams sign Adrian Beltre and Victor Martinez, if either or both leave the Sawx. The Red Sox could essentially give up picks for signing Downs and Jayson Werth or Carl Crawford, then get them back for Beltre and Martinez.

--The Phillies hired former player Juan Samuel as their new third-base coach.

--Have a great night.