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Mets still seeking relief(Newsday (Melville, NY) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) While the Mets won't find a replacement for injured closer Billy Wagner, that hasn't stopped them from trying to solve the problem by simply adding more bargain-rate relievers. Three days after acquiring Luis Ayala from the Nationals, the Mets on Wednesday signed Al Reyes, the former Rays closer, to a minor-league contract and sent him to Double-A Binghamton. Reyes, 38, was 2-2 with a 4.37 ERA in 26 games for the Rays this season before he was designated for assignment on Aug. 9. He also spent two stints on the disabled list with shoulder problems. Reyes had 26 saves in 2007, and the Mets are hoping he can recapture some of that glory. "I told you guys we were going to look for guys not having their best years and looking for a change of scenery," general manager Omar Minaya said. "He had a major-league deal somewhere else, but he chose to take a minor-league deal with us." Maybe that means Reyes will find some new motivation, which could be the case with Ayala as well. Ayala was impressive Tuesday in his Mets debut, getting two outs to strand two runners in the seventh inning. He knocked down Omar Infante with his first pitch _ a 93-mph fastball. If Ayala keeps it up, he could eventually get a shot at the closer's role. As for Reyes, Minaya is unsure of where he fits at the moment. The Mets are likely to wait on him until the rosters expand on Sept. 1. "I feel comfortable the guys we have here will get the job done," Minaya said. Rehab recap Ryan Church moved a little closer to Shea when he relocated to Double-A Binghamton. With Triple-A New Orleans on the road, the Mets wanted Church nearby, and there is an outside chance he could rejoin the team this weekend. And when Church does return, the plan is to give him plenty of days off. "We don't have to rely on him playing every single day," manager Jerry Manuel said. "Depends on how he feels. It's almost like he's coming out of spring training." As for Luis Castillo, the Mets keep trying to push him farther away. Castillo reached his limit of rehab games last night with Double-A Binghamton, but Minaya said he could be sent to Port St. Lucie until "his swing feels better." With Manuel in no hurry to break up his Damion Easley-Argenis Reyes combo at second, Castillo likely won't be promoted until rosters expand. ___ (c) 2008, Newsday. Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com/ Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. Copyright ? 2008 Newsday |