Will the Mets Go Shopping in the Trade Market?

As the countdown towards the MLB trade deadline on July 31 continues, teams are looking to find the player(s) that could allow them to go deep into October.

The New York Mets and its general manager Omar Minaya are no exception. Despite an NL-best 55-43 record, Minaya is expected to be aggressive in his pursuit to improve the roster. With potential holes at second base, the outfield, starting rotation and bullpen, there are plenty of options for Minaya.

So far this season, the Mets' rotation has exceeded all expectations. Minaya would love to add a top level starting pitcher. Unfortunately for him, that type of pitcher does not appear to be available.

The top pitchers that are believed to be available are Jose Contreras of the White Sox and Matt Morris of the Giants. However, with the way both pitchers have struggled in recent weeks, they might not provide much of an improvement over current No. 5 starter Jorge Sosa.

Most likely, the only addition to the New York rotation will be the return of injured ace Pedro Martinez. When healthy, Martinez has been one of baseball's elite pitchers. Despite his past accomplishments, expecting Martinez to lead the rotation less than a year after shoulder surgery might be unrealistic.

A more likely scenario is that Minaya addresses the bullpen. New York has been plagued with some inconsistency in the bullpen in front of closer Billy Wagner, but it's a problem that just about every team in baseball has.

Two relievers that the Mets have been connected with are Washington's Chad Corderro and Jon Rauch. When he was the general manager of the Montreal Expos, Minaya drafted Corderro and traded for Rauch. Both pitchers are young and are a few years away from free agency. Right now the asking price of Washington general manager Jim Bowden is sky high. Bowden reportedly wanted Lastings Milledge in a trade for Corderro.

Two of Bowden's top assistants were seen scouting the most recent start of New York's Kevin Mulvey, a pitching prospect in AA.

Other relievers that are believed to be on the Mets radar screen include Kansas City's Octavio Dotel and Houston's Chad Qualls and Dan Wheeler. Of this group, Dotel, a former Met, has the best track record, but can become a free agent at the end of the season.

There had been talk over the past few weeks about the Mets possibly acquiring a seoncd baseman. After starting second baseman Jose Valentin suffered a fractured right tibia last week, the talk grew significantly louder.

Houston's Mark Loretta is hitting .305 and is a guy that the Mets were reportedly interested in during the offseason. Loretta's ability to play all four positions make him a possibility as a possible addition to the bench if the Mets feel content with Ruben Gotay at second.

Gotay has been very impressive thus far this season, hitting .336 with four homers and 16 RBIs in 107 at-bats. There are questions about his defense at second and it is unlikely he'll continue to hit this well for the remainder of the season. If Gotay continues to hit over the next week, the Mets might take their chances with him rather than trading for a guy such as Loretta or Kansas City's Mark Grudzielanek.

All-stars Brian Roberts of Baltimore and Orlando Hudson of Arizona would represent a significant upgrade at the position, but are unlikely to be available.

Earlier in the month the Mets were reportedly interest in acquiring Jermaine Dye of the Chicago White Sox. Those rumors have quieted in recent weeks. A reason for this could be the return of Milledge from a foot injury and the impending return of Moises Alou.

Alou, the team's opening day left fielder, was hitting .318 in 30 games before going down with a quadriceps injury. Health has always been an issue for the 40-year-old Alou, but when healthy, he is still a very dangerous hitter.

It seems more likely that any outfielder that is added will be with the intent of upgrading the bench. Cincinnati's Jeff Conine, Baltimore's Jay Payton and Texas' Sammy Sosa have been rumored to be possible targets.

Right now the trade market in general has not been very active. There are some decent players out there, but right now the prices are sky high.

It is important to remember that it is not impossible to make a trade after the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. Last year, New York added Shawn Green and Guillermo Mota in August.

Even if the Mets do not end up making a significant trade between now and July 31, you know Minaya and the front office will be busy burning the phone lines in search of a potential deal.