PHILADELPHIA — Impatient with the team’s 39-39 start, Mets fans continue to push for a big trade that sounded unlikely to happen anytime soon from listening to GM Omar Minaya here today. On the plus side, Minaya said he has been given permission by management to add to the club’s NL-leading $143 million budget, even though doing so would push them close to the luxury-tax threshold that Fred Wilpon has said he wants to avoid.
That would make the Mets an attractive trading partner to the numerous teams around baseball experienced economic stress this summer.
“Yeah, I can take on payroll,” Minaya said.
But looking relaxed and anything but harried as the injury-ravaged Mets prepared to open a series with the rival Phillies, Minaya gave no shortage of reasons for his team’s continued lack of activity on the trade front.
Not the least of those reasons was that the Mets somehow found themselves just one game out of the NL East lead going into tonight’s game despite having nine players — including centerpieces Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado — on the disabled list.
The Mets are hoping all three of those stars will be back by the first week of August, mitigating the need for a big bat that would likely cost Minaya top prospects from a thin farm system.
“It’s fair to say that, if we’re looking for reinforcements right now, some of our DL guys are probably going to be the reinforcements,” Minaya said. “If we can get all our guys back healthy, our healthy guys, its going to be hard to make trades that are going to be better than Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado.”
Minaya also said it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for the Mets to pursue a major trade when their needs resulting from the injuries run much deeper than that.
“Our situation is one that, it’s not one player,” he said. “It’s not only that we need one guy. It’s a lot of different pieces that need to be filled. The question is, A, are those pieces available? B, at what prices are those pieces available? So all those things are things that you have to look at.”
At the same time, Minaya confirmed that he has been active in talking with his counterparts about possible acquisitions.
The Mets got serious with the Indians last month about Mark DeRosa before balking at Cleveland’s high asking price of reliever Bobby Parnell or Double-A pitching prospect Brad Holt. DeRosa ultimately was traded to the Cardinals for three minor-league pitchers.
Minaya also said the Mets spoke with the Pirates about Eric Hinske before passing because Minaya felt his club already had too many role players similar to Hinske, who ended up with the Yankees.
The problem, Minaya said, is that too many teams — especially in the NL — are still in contention. That limits the possibility of clubs moving star players or conducting fire sales.
That could change between now and the trade deadline at the end of this month, but it’s put a damper on the market for the time being, Minaya said.
“There might be [fewer] later on, but right now teams are in contention,” Minaya said. “When you’re in contention, it’s hard for you to move players. And it’s definitely going to be hard for you to move players if you’re being asked to take on money.”
It’s not just Mets fans who have been pushing for Minaya to make a deal. Jerry Manuel also said last week that he was close to asking his GM to bring in a bat, although Manuel later backed off that stance when he realized it had insulted the players he had left.
Minaya said he understood Manuel’s original position.
“I think it’s fair to say all managers would always [want help],” Minaya said. “But Jerry’s been great. He’s been around the game long enough to know. He knows that we’re definitely trying and were going to try to do the best we can.”