The Mets have also placed OF Angel Pagan on the 15-day disabled list with a injured shoulder.

In their place the Mets have recalled RHP Claudio Vargas, RHP Matt Wise and OF/IF Fernando Tatis.

…good to see the Mets make the correct moves and field their best possible 25-man roster…i’m also happy to see Joe Smith stay with the major league club, he has pitched well and didn’t deserve a demotion…

Once Wise is promoted, a current pitcher from the team’s pitching staff will be displaced.

…it does not appear the Mets will carry the extra pitcher, and play short on the bench, seeing as how they are seemingly always playing short on the bench to begin with…as such, the future’s of Joe Smith, Jorge Sosa and Nelson Figueroa all seem to be in question…for Matt Wise…matt who…exactly…

…my bet is that the Mets drag their feet on this decision up to the absolute last minute…

…i have no idea how or what they’re going to do…what i fear is that this team will cater towards contract issues, and not just put the best possible team on the field…and that’s so frustrating…

Meanwhile, Pedro Martinez threw a side session in St. Lucie yesterday; Orlando Hernandez is still wearing a boot; and Ramon Castro remains on target for a possible weekend return.

According to Minaya, the decision regarding his team’s fifth starter will likely come down to the weekend, and be between Orlando Hernandez, Mike Pelfrey, Jorge Sosa and Nelson Figueroa.

By the way, Hernandez and Pelfrey will both pitch in tomorrow’s exhibition game against the Orioles.

Minaya is excited to see Joe Smith throwing the ball well and being aggressive, looking like the young pitcher did in the early part of last season.  Whether or not Smith makes the team, explained Minaya, may have a lot to do with whether Sosa is used as a starting pitcher.

Regarding the bench, Minaya sees Fernando Tatis as a ‘utility guy,’ who can play first, second, third and outfield.

Meanwhile, Minaya described Brady Clark as, ‘a pinch hitter who can play the corners.’

In the end, Minaya says that he values versatility on his bench, and puts additional value on any batter who hits right-handed.

In addition to considering several reasons why the team is looking to move the two relief picthers, while projecting what the pitching staff will look like if they do, Rubin writes:

“I wonder, too, if the Mets might relent and actually put El Duque in the bullpen.  They’ve adamantly said no, and Hernandez has said he doesn’t intend to be there, but maybe his foot will only allow him to pitch shorter spurts.”

…i had been saying something similar all winter, in that putting el duque in the pen makes it easier to throttle his cartoonish health situation…plus, he can always return to being a starter…

……at any rate, as for actually moving show and sosa, i am very interested to see if any team bites…and if they do, why…

Here is a rundown of how each player performed this winter.

• OF Endy Chavez, .476 (10-for-21), 2 RBI, 1 3B, 2 SB in six games
• 2B Ruben Gotay, .261, 12 RBI, 6 2B in 115 at-bats
• 2B Anderson Hernandez, .174, 12 RBI, 4 2B, 4 SB in 126 at-bats
• RHP Jorge Sosa, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 8 K, 1 BB in 7.2 innings pitched
• LHP Willie Collazo, 3-3, 3.20 ERA, 30 K, 14 BB in 59.0 innings pitched

Non-Roster Invitees:

• SS Anderson Machado, .077 (2-for-26), 0 RBI in 16 games
• C Gustavo Molina, .261, 12 RBI, 6 2B in 115 at-bats
• 3B Fernando Tatis, .229, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 6 2B, 1 3B, 5 SB in 140 at-bats
• C Raul Casanova, .286, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 3 2B in 98 at-bats
• RHP Joselo Diaz, 4-2, 2.75 ERA, 50 K, 19 BB in 55.2 innings pitched
• LHP Ryan Cullen, 0-1, 5.87, 3 K, 2 BB in 7.2 innings pitched

For a full statistical breakdown of each player, check out MLB.com’s Caribbean baseball coverage.

Sosa, 30, had sought $2.75 million, while the Mets had offered $1.7 million. He was 9-8 with a 4.47 ERA in 112 innings pitched last season.

“When is Aaron Heilman a free agent?  How about Endy Chavez, Ryan Church and the team’s other young players.”

Heilman, Chavez, Church, Pedro Feliciano, Oliver Perez and Jorge Sosa are all eligible for salary arbitration this off-season. 

In fact, all six filed for arbitration yesterday.

…however, in standard Mets fashion, i expect all six to settle outside of a hearing, and agree to new one-year contracts…

Heilman, Feliciano, Church and Duaner Sanchez are eligible for free agency after 2010, while Perez and Chavez can become free agents after this coming season.

John Maine isn’t eligible for arbitration until after this coming season, meaning he will not be a free agent until after 2011.

…first, this suggests that the team will offer arbitration to sosa…second, yes, i am sure hernandez is considered a starting pitcher today, but, from what i understand, the team has discussed whether he could be more effective from the bullpen, and they are not against the idea of him being bumped from the rotation should other, more viable options be acquired between now and spring training…but, sure, as of now, they have no choice, el duque is a starter…

Lastly, according to Minaya, RHP Duaner Sanchez has been throwing 88–90 mph from a mound in Port St. Lucie.

…added to by Chris Mazzone…

…i’d love for hernandez and sanchez to be healthy for an entire season and perform at the level we’ve seen from them in the past, but i don’t want to go into the season relying on both of them in order to be successful…i suspect minaya feels similarly and is just trying to seem less desperate about the state of the team’s pitching…

MLB teams have until December 12 to make these decisions regarding these specific type of players. 

For the Mets, they must decide on the futures of Endy Chavez, Pedro Feliciano, Aaron Heilman, Oliver Perez, Duaner Sanchez and Jorge Sosa.

…though i am not totally sure of how they’ll handle sosa, i think it’s a pretty safe bet they’ll offer contracts to the other five…

If a player agrees to arbitration, it means he will be on the team the following season - all that is in question is how much money he will receive. 

The player is not eligible to be a free agent unless he is non-tendered, or plays through his sixth season.

For instance, through the first three seasons of his career, Heilman received the league minimum.  He is eligible for salary arbitration for the first time during this off season.  So, since the Mets will not cut him and make him a free agent, they will likely offer him a one-year salary, which he can either accept or decline, opting to have a court determine his salary instead.  This process will repeat the following off season, and the one after that, making Heilman a free agent after 2010 - unless of course the Mets reach a long-term agreement that will keep him under contract before that.