Mets Make Another Deal

Just hours after getting Mike Bordick, the New York Mets completed a four-player trade with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Friday night, getting reliever Rick White and outfielder Bubba Trammell for outfielder Jason Tyner and pitcher Paul Wilson.

The trades addressed two of the Mets needs as they head into the final two months of the season. They were looking for a shortstop to replace injured Rey Ordonez and needed help for an overworked bullpen.

"This is the time for us to make our move," Mets general manager Steve Phillips said.

White, 31, is 3-6 with a 3.41 ERA in 44 games. He moves into a bullpen which had four relievers on a pace to pitch in 80 games this season. Phillips said he might try to add another reliever before Monday's non-waiver trade deadline.

"White was near the top of our list," Phillips said. "We had a number of alternatives. As we weighed them, the level of players and the price of others was pretty significant."

Trammell, 28, is hitting .275 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs in 66 games for the Devil Rays.

"Trammell is a right-handed power hitter," Phillips said. "We were able to do a deal that helps us in the short term."

The Mets had recalled Tyner earlier Friday to fill one of the roster spots created by the trade of Melvin Mora and Mike Kinkade to Baltimore for Bordick. Tyner had spent three weeks with the Mets in June and batted .195. He was hitting .321 at Triple A Norfolk.

Wilson, coming back from arm surgery, was 5-5 with a 4.23 ERA in 15 games at Norfolk. He had given 85 hits in 80 innings.

"I can't tell you a whole lot now until I sit down and look at it," Devil Rays manager Larry Rothschild said. "With Tyner, I'm going to try to get him some at-bats in different situations. Paul Wilson, I'd like to see him pitch a little bit before I start him."

Wilson had been one of three young arms the Mets had hoped would become mainstays of their staff. Injuries short-circuited the careers of all three and they were traded away with Bill Pulsipher dealt first to Milwaukee, then reacquired and traded again to Arizona, and Jason Isringhausen dealt to Oakland, where he became an All-Star closer for the A's.

Bordick, White and Trammell wil all report on Saturday.

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