FoxSports.com

According to MLB Trade Rumors, ESPN Radio in Chicago first mention this trade earlier today.

…i cannot tell you the number of rumors from the last few seasons that connected heilman to the Cubs… so, they clearly like him, and see potential… good luck, aaron – expect when you face the Mets…

The Mets traded Heilman to Seattle during the winter meetings as part of a three-team deal that sent J.J. Putz to New York.

Heilman, as quoted by Kelley:

“Playing in New York is the only existence I’ve known and I think you get used to it. You learn to accept the fact that you are dealing with a very passionate, very knowledgeable fan base.”

“New York’s one of those markets where unless you win the World Series, it’s not a good year. I certainly didn’t look at it as I really wanted to get out of New York. I was kind of looking forward to going back and showing that last season was an aberration and to get back to what I normally can do.”

…i’ve always said that i think the guy just needed a change of scenery and i’m look forward to seeing what he does with it on the left coast…i thought that he always looked upset on the mound, but after seeing the shot of him in the article, i guess he just always looks like that…maybe he was actually calm out there, who knows…

Heilman, as quoted by Noble:

“This is just the next chapter in the life of a baseball player. What do they say? ‘If you haven’t been traded, released, booed or aired out by your manager, you haven’t played long enough.’”

“I never wanted to leave because I got booed. I never had the feeling I wanted to leave New York. I loved playing there. I’m looking forward to the new opportunity, whatever it is.”

…any heilman post is usually received with bitterness, which is not entirely unjustified, but i know people who know aaron personally and he is truly a great guy who just wore out his welcome here in new york…a fresh start will do him good and i wish him the best…

According to Rosenthal, “Heilman has drawn interest from more than a dozen clubs.”

Rosenthal agrees with reports that suggest the Mets turned down trading Heilman to the Cubs for Jason Marquis.

“Street  has drawn interest from numerous clubs,” Rosenthal writes, however, “The Rockies have yet to receive a tempting offer.”

Rosenthal also blogs about John Smoltz’s future, the Yankees effort to re-build a pitching staff, the asking price for J.J. Putz and a team who is interested in Gary Sheffield.

Update, 6:10 PM:

In an on-air report for ESPN, Peter Gammons said Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd told him he is not inclined to trade Street right now.

According to Gammons, the Rockies may choose to keep Street, use him as a set-up man to Manny Corpas, then re-visit the trade market mid-season, if the Rockies are out of a pennant race.

“I think we’re going to have to continue (to improve the bullpen),” Mets GM Omar Minaya said yesterday, according to Newsday.

“I don’t feel we should just tell ourselves the only thing we need is one guy.”

In the Bergen Record, Bob Klapisch explains, “K-Rod didn’t enter a game before the ninth inning in 2008, and never pitched more than one inning during the regular season.”

In other words, Minaya still needs to acquire a set-up man.

The Mets are still working with the Rockies on a deal that could bring Huston Street to Queens, according to people connected to the team, as Omar Minaya works to find a set-up man for Francisco Rodriguez.

Though they have not have substantive talks in Vegas, the Rockies and Mets have been in talks for nearly a month, as the two sides continue to discuss Aaron Heilman.

Meanwhile, during his appearance on SNY’s Hot Stove show, SI.com’s Jon Heyman suggested the Mets could also show interest in free-agent Brandon Lyon and Juan Cruz, as well as D’Backs reliever Jon Rauch, who Minaya has had interest in before.

According to Heyman, Minaya would prefer not to trade prospects in his attempt to acquire a set-up man, and so he is more likely to deal in the free-agent market.

I believe the the Mets communicated to Trevor Hoffman the possibility of pitching in a set-up role, but he will first look to sign with another team, like the Angels or Tigers and be a closer.

Though they have not have substantive talks in Vegas, the Rockies and Mets have been in talks for nearly a month, as the two sides continue to discuss Aaron Heilman.

Meanwhile, during his appearance on SNY’s Hot Stove show, SI.com’s Jon Heyman suggested the Mets could also show interest in free-agent Brandon Lyon and Juan Cruz, as well as Jon Rauch, who Minaya has expressed interest in before.

According to Heyman, Minaya would prefer not to trade prospects in his attempt to acquire a set-up man, and so he is more likely to deal in the free-agent market.

I believe the the Mets communicated to Trevor Hoffman the possibility of pitching in a set-up role, but he will first look to sign with another team, like the Angels or Indians, and be a closer.

Meanwhile, according to Jayson Stark at ESPN.com, “The Mets and Cubs have discussed a trade that would send pitcher Jason Marquis to New York for Heilman.  But chances of that deal happening appeared slim Tuesday.”

On Sunday, three days ago in the Star-Ledger, Dan Graziano said the Mets passed on such a trade, ‘because they were trying to use Heilman in other deals.’

From what I can gather, teams are interested in Heilman.

However, so far, the word in Vegas suggests the Mets are asking too much in return.

In reality, the Mets are probably holding steady, positioning their chips, and will inevitably ship Heilman to a new city.

I believe their first choice is to trade Heilman to the Rockies for Street – but, from what I can gather, the two sides continue to haggle over additional players.

That said, from what I have been told, though the Mets and Rockies have not had substantive talks in Las Vegas, both sides are still aware of one another’s needs – though Sherman’s report could suggest otherwise.

Speaking of relief pitchers…

“The Indians appear to be close to signing closer Kerry Wood to a two-year contract,” reports MLB.com.

Last month, in a report for the New York Post, Joel Sherman said the Mets and Rays had been in talks regarding Sonnanstine and Jackson, since Tampa has shown interest in Aaron Heilman.

Speaking of outfielders…

“The Phillies, Mets and Cubs appear to have separated themselves from the pack of teams pursuing outfielder Raul Ibanez,” writes Jayson Stark at ESPN.com.

Stark also reports that Scott Boras met with the Dodgers yesterday to discuss bringing free-agent OF Manny Ramirez back to Los Angeles.  However, Stark says, ‘The Dodgers did not put their two-year, $45-million contract offer back on the table.’

…the buzz in Vegas seems to be that boras has every intention of making manny the last player to sign a contract this off-season, in an effort to focus a market for his services…

Accoridng to the Boston Globe, “Milton Bradley is in intense discussions with the Cubs.”

The Rockies considered it, explains Sherman, but when they turned to Minaya to accept the deal, the Mets changed their mind.

“Now it looks doubtful that the two sides will construct a trade,” writes Sherman, ‘because Heilman alone is of no interest to the Rockies.’

The Denver Post recently reported that the Rockies continue to seek a left-handed set-up man.

Sherman also blogs about Greg Maddux’s retirement, Brian Cashman’s meeting with CC Sabathia, and the closer market, as it pertains to teams other than the Mets.

Speaking of relievers, the Astros are not inclined to closer Jose Valverde, reports Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports.com, but they will consider trading SS-3B Miguel Tejada.

According to Dan Graziano, in the Star-Ledger, the Mets could have traded Aaron Heilman for Marquis, “But the Mets passed on the deal because they were trying to use Heilman in other deals (for bullpen help) and because they didn’t think Marquis was better than what they have in their projected 2009 rotation.”

…i actually think they’re playing this correctly, so far…from what i understand, the plan is to use heilman, marketed as a starting pitcher, in a deal to get a set-up man, like Huston Street, while retaining other prospects to use in a deal for a new starting pitcher, should the free-agent market dry up…

Graziano continues on to write about the team’s current starting rotation, and how they may go about adding to it for 2009.