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Pedro Martinez November 29, 2006 Glavine yet to receive Braves offer; Mets return likely Tom Glavine hasn't received a contract offer from the Atlanta Braves as he nears a decision on where he wants to play next season, a development that has increased the likelihood he will return to the New York Mets. ESPN Story >>> Pedro: Shoulder rehab going better than expected Pedro Martinez said he is making strides in his rehab, but doesn't expect to return the New York Mets' rotation until midseason. ESPN Story >>> November 28, 2006 Pen collection: O's to add Williamson, Bradford Adding another pair of relievers, the Baltimore Orioles reached preliminary agreements with Chad Bradford and Scott Williamson on Tuesday and also neared a deal to re-sign first baseman Kevin Millar and add backup catcher Paul Bako. ESPN Story >>> Nov. 22, 2006 Mets rename stadium again after a poor hot stove outing Met officials believe their recent difficulties acquiring young free agents think the problem is the name of the new ballpark. We have had to give it a second thought and decided to stick with a name that sums the the Fred Wilpon ERA owning the Mets. Click Here For New Artist Rendering >>> What's making Glavine's decision so difficult? While the Mets still believe Tom Glavine's coming back, the fact that he's moving so slowly has forced them to contemplate Plan B. ESPN Story >>> Nov. 21, 2006 Officials might rename subway stations near CitiField Transit officials hope to profit from the record-breaking sale of naming rights for the Mets' new ballpark by offering to change the names of nearby stations. ESPN Story >>> Nov. 20, 2006 Three Mets in Top 10 in MVP voting Following a memorable season that ended just shy of a World Series berth, the Mets fared well in NL MVP Award voting, as center fielder Carlos Beltran (fourth), shortstop Jose Reyes (seventh) and third baseman David Wright (ninth) finished in the Top 10.æ MLB Story >>> Mets finalize Alou's 1-year deal, decline Glavine's option Moises Alou finalized an $8.5 million, one-year contract on Monday with the NL East champions, who also declined their $14 million option on left-hander Tom Glavine and swapped young pitchers with the Florida Marlins in a four-player trade. Yahoo Sports Story >>> Mets claim RHP Standridge off waivers New York Mets on Monday claimed righthander Jason Standridge off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds. Standridge, 28, went 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA in 21 relief appearances last season with the Reds. He is 3-8 with a 5.64 ERA in 76 career games - nine starts - with Cincinnati, Texas and Tampa Bay. The club also completed a trade with the Florida Marlins, acquiring lefthander Jason Vargas and righthander Adam Bostick for minor-league pitchers Matt Lindstrom and Henry Owens. Nov. 17, 2006 Will Barry Zito End up A Met Eight executives were queried as they departed the GM Meetings yesterday on where they thought free agent Barry Zito would end up, and five predicted the Mets.    New York Post Story >>> Glavine '50-50' All-Star left-hander Tom Glavine, who isn't signed yet and who has said he'll pitch for the Mets or Atlanta, told The Post yesterday he is not leaning toward Shea Stadium or Turner Field. "I would say right now it's a pretty solid 50-50," Glavine said in a phone interview.    New York Post Story >>> Nov. 16, 2006 Mets, Easley agree to deal Backup infielder Damion Easley and the New York Mets agreed Thursday to an $850,000, one-year contract. Easley hit .233 with nine homers and 28 RBIs in 189 at-bats last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, playing 27 games at shortstop, 20 at third base, nine at second base, three at first base and one in right field. "He really feels the Mets are one of the best teams in baseball," said Easley's agent, Paul Cohen. "He's originally from New York and Willie Randolph was one of his heroes growing up." Easley, who turned 37 last Saturday, came up to the major leagues in 1992 with the California Angels and also has played for Detroit, Tampa Bay and Florida. He was an All-Star in 1998, when he had 27 homers and 100 RBIs for the Tigers. "He's played a lot of years, but never been to the playoffs," Cohen said. Mets general manager Omar Minaya was traveling home from the GM meetings and was not available for comment. Nov. 15, 2006 Mets deal pen to get OF Johnson from Padres The New York Mets on Wednesday acquired outfielder Ben Johnson and right-hander Jon Adkins from the San Diego Padres for right-hander Heath Bell and left-hander Royce Ring. Nov. 14, 2006 Mets keep El Duque with two-year, $12M deal The Mets agreed with Cuban right-hander Orlando Hernandez on a two-year contract worth $12 million. Nov. 13, 2006 Champion Cards to host Mets in '07 MLB opener The World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals will host the New York Mets in the 2007 major-league opener on Sunday night, April 1. The game, a rematch of this year's NL Championship Series, will be televised nationally by ESPN2 starting at 8:05 p.m. ET, the Cardinals said Monday. After an off day on April 2, the series concludes with games April 3 and 4. Jose Valentin Mets hold groundbreaking ceremony for CitiField The New York Mets and leaders from around the state held a groundbreaking ceremony Monday to celebrate the 45,000-seat ballpark that will replace Shea Stadium at the start of the 2009 season. Yahoo Story >>> Reports: Mets, IF Valentin agree to one-year contract Jose Valentin was a pleasant surprise for the New York Mets at second base in 2006, and the team appears ready to reward the 37-year-old veteran. Multiple reports out of New York indicate that the Mets and Valentin have agreed on a one-year contract believed to be worth at least $3 million. Valentin signed a one-year deal worth $912,500 with the Mets before the 2006 season and batted .271 with 18 home runs and 62 RBI after taking over the starting second baseman duties from Kaz Matsui in May. Nov. 11, 2006 Out with the old: Mets new park to be named CitiField The Mets and Citigroup Inc. have agreed on a 20-year sponsorship deal for the team's new ballpark that is worth more than an average of $20 million annually and includes stadium naming rights, a baseball official said Saturday. November 10, 2006 Glavine declines $7.5 million option; Mets to do same New York Mets pitcher Tom Glavine declined his $7.5 million option Friday, and New York is expected to turn down its $14 million option before the Nov. 20 deadline. November 9, 2006 Stay or go? Mets pitcher Glavine files for free agency Mets pitcher Tom Glavine filed provisionally for free agency Thursday, still uncertain whether he wants to stay in New York or try to go back to the Atlanta Braves. November 8, 2006 Mets coach Acta interviews with Nats for top job New York Mets' third-base coach Manny Acta said he met with the Nationals about their vacant managerial position. Reyes walk-off HR completes MLB sweep of Japan Jose Reyes hit a walkoff, two-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning Wednesday to give the MLB All-Stars a 5-3 victory over the Japan stars and a sweep of the five-game series. Nov. 7, 2006 Carlos Delgado Delgado won't file trade demand Carlos Delgado is so happy with the Mets that he doesn't want to leave New York. Delgado decided against filing a trade demand, the Mets said Monday, preferring to stick with the team that took him to the playoffs for the first time in his big league career. As a veteran traded during a multiyear contract, Delgado can file for a trade demand through Saturday. Yahoo Story >>> Nov. 4, 2006 Pedro would consider retirement The Mets continue to expect that Pedro Martinez will be back on the mound at some point in 2007. But should Martinez's recovery from a torn right rotator cuff not go as planned, the right-hander would consider retirement, he said Friday. Martinez told The Associated Press on Friday that his rehabilitation is going well, but also hinted that he does not want to return if he cannot be at full strength. "It's getting better, and progress is above all what is hoped for," Martinez said. "To go back, I have to recover. I have to be healthy. But if God doesn't want that, then I would have to think about giving it all up." Martinez, 35, is currently in the Dominican Republic after having rotator cuff surgery in New York on Oct. 5. Martinez needs two strikeouts to reach 3,000. The Mets owe him $14 million next year and $11.5 million in 2008, the last two years of a four-year contract signed in December 2004. Nov. 3, 2006 Carlos Beltran Beltran takes home first Gold Glove Carlos Beltran has often been named as one of baseball's top defensive outfielders. The next time he patrols the Shea Stadium outfield, he'll have some serious hardware to back up that reputation. The 29-year-old center fielder was rewarded Friday for his excellent efforts with a 2006 Rawlings Gold Glove Award, an honor bestowed among the top defensive players at each position in the American and National Leagues. The award is the first Gold Glove of Beltran's Major League career. He joins fellow honorees Mike Cameron of the San Diego Padres and Andruw Jones of the Atlanta Braves in the National League outfield. Nov. 2, 2006 Keeping Glavine a top priority General manager Omar Minaya is comfortable that the Mets have a solid idea of how to move forward with their winter plans, and a major piece of those blueprints involves left-hander Tom Glavine. Contrary to a published report, Minaya said on Thursday in a conference call with reporters that there has been only a minimal amount of contact between the club and Glavine's representatives. "Right now, I think we're taking care of focusing on our guys," Minaya said. "Glavine is one of the top priorities." Minaya said he expects progress will be made as soon as Glavine -- who has a mutual contract option with the Mets for the 2007 season -- is able to discuss his situation further with his family. MLB Story >>> Mota handed 50-game suspension Free agent reliever Guillermo Mota, most recently of the New York Mets, became the first Major League player to be suspended for 50 games under the league's revamped drug program after testing positive for the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association made the announcement on Wednesday that Mota was suspended, but there was no indication which of the myriad drugs on the banned list had set off the positive test. MLB Story >>> Nov. 1, 2006 Tom Glavine Glavine Likes Mets' Pitch Not only does Tom Glavine appear poised to remain a Met, he apparently intends to pitch in Flushing through the 2008 season. Glavine and the Mets are deep in discussions about a two-year, $25 million contract that should be completed shortly, a source told the Daily News. Glavine is 48-48 with a 3.85 ERA in four seasons as a Met. He went 15-7 with a 3.82 ERA in 198 innings this past season. He also contributed 13 scoreless innings over his first two postseason starts, against the Dodgers and Cardinals. Daily News Story >>> Lefty reliever Darren Oliver filed for free agency. That makes 12 Mets have filed. Chad Bradford, rhp; Cliff Floyd, of; Orlando Hernandez, rhp; Roberto Hernandez, rhp; cx-Yusaku Iriki, rhp; Ricky Ledee, of; Guillermo Mota, rhp; Darren Oliver, lhp; Steve Trachsel, rhp; Michael Tucker, rf; Jose Valentin, 2b; Chris Woodward, ss.