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	Kris Benson's stay in New York may only be one year, as the Mets are looking to shop the veteran. Elsa/Getty Images

A trade involving Kris Benson and Jorge Julio might suggest that the Mets are looking to replace Aaron Heilman with Julio in the bullpen, with Heilman then going back into the starting rotation or perhaps being offered in a trade for Boston's disgruntled slugger, Manny Ramirez.
-- New York Times

Orioles executive vice president Mike Flanagan confirmed that the club has spoken to the Mets about Kris Benson, but said no deal for him or anyone else was imminent. One published report in New York said the Orioles would trade 26-year-old reliever Jorge Julio to the Mets for Benson by as soon as next week's meetings.
-- Baltimore Sun

The Mets' talks with the Orioles about a Kris Benson trade have cooled, according to one American League team executive. But the Mets were still listening to clubs such as the Giants and Royals believed to be in the hunt, according to the executive.
-- New York Post

The Mets are not in any particular rush to trade Kris Benson. They may offer him in trade proposals at the winter meetings and hold out for a better deal, perhaps for the Diamondbacks' Javier Vazquez, who has requested a trade to a team on the East Coast and who played for Omar Minaya when he was the general manger in Montreal.
-- New York Times

Mets GM Omar Minaya is very much looking forward to his meeting with Red Sox officials next week in Dallas, and the Mets' GM is still hopeful he can put the ultimate flourish on an already sparkling offseason by working a trade for Manny Ramirez.
-- New York Daily News

Manny Ramirez to the Phillies? It sure sounds nice, but don't bet on it. The Phillies have kicked around Ramirez's name for some time -- they talked about him before the July 31 trade deadline and have continued to discuss him this fall -- but baseball sources indicated yesterday that there seemed to be little chance that they would trade Bobby Abreu for Ramirez.
-- Philadelphia Inquirer

It's a strategy the Yankees have used to great effectiveness, signing an injured pitcher and rehabbing him for as long as it takes to get healthy. And now the Mets, a team with the financial wherewithal to absorb the risk that comes with investing in an injured player -- appear to be considering a similar approach with right-handed reliever Octavio Dotel. Dotel told a newspaper in the Dominican Republic that the Mets are one of five teams who have expressed an interest in him even though he won't be able to pitch until at least midseason.
-- Newark Star-Ledger

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