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Free-agent reliever Jonathan Broxton will join the Kansas City Royals, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports.

Crasnick reports the Mets, Rangers and Rays also showed substantial interest in Broxton.

Broxton will receive $4 million, SI.com reported.

Ex-Met Jeff Francoeur took Broxton on a hunting trip to recruit him.

Jon Niese opposes Ubaldo Jimenez in Wednesday's matinee rubber game, and a makeshift lineup will be behind the Mets' southpaw. Despite Ike Davis being diagnosed with a left calf strain that forced the first baseman from Tuesday's 4-3 win against the Colorado Rockies, Terry Collins plans to proceed with giving David Wright off in the series finale. That means Justin Turner will start at third base, Daniel Murphy at first base and, likely, Willie Harris over Chin-lung Hu at second base in the rubber game.

Wednesday's news reports:

• Davis said he hoped to miss minimal time because of his injury, which resulted from a collision with Wright in the fourth inning, although a disabled-list trip cannot be ruled out. Read more about the injury and Tuesday's win against the Rockies in the Star-Ledger, Record, Times, Post, Daily News and Newsday.

• Sandy Alderson said he cannot foresee trading Jose Reyes before the July 31 deadline and re-signing him during the offseason. "I think that's unlikely," Alderson tells Brian Costa in The Wall Street Journal. "I think if you go back and look historically at similar cases, you'll probably find very few examples of that." ESPN's Mark Simon lists examples as Mike Bordick (2000), Sidney Ponson ('03), Geoff Blum ('05) and Austin Kearns ('10).

• Newsday's David Lennon offers one sign Wright's back/neck is bothering him. Wright usually protests getting a day off, but said about Collins' intention to rest him Wednesday: "With the two days in a row, I'll have a chance to knock this out." The Mets have an off-day Thursday before opening a series in Houston.

• Josh Thole decided to give up his Twitter account because what he hoped would be fun interaction with fans turned negative. Thole described some people badgering him as "ruthless." Read more in the Star-Ledger.

• Despite a sizzling start to his professional career, Tuesday's blemish with Class A St. Lucie aside, don't look for 2010 first-round pick Matt Harvey to appear at the major league level this season, even in September. Read vice president for player development Paul DePodesta's reasoning here.

• After Mike Pelfrey's second straight positive start with Ronny Paulino as his catcher, look for Collins to continue pairing them. Read more in Newsday.

• Dillon Gee slides into Chris Young's rotation spot, so the Times' David Waldstein notes the comparisons between Gee and ex-Met Rick Reed. Gee agrees he was unheralded, noting he could not even crack the rotation at Brooklyn after being drafted in the 21st round out of Texas-Arlington in 2007. He was prepared to follow his father's footsteps in firefighting had baseball not worked out. Writes Waldstein:

The comparison between Gee and Reed goes beyond the fact that both pitchers were low draft choices -- Reed was taken in the 26th round in 1986 -- and that Gee wears No. 35, as did Reed. It is more about their control and use of four good, but not necessarily outstanding, pitches. “He has four pitches that are all a tick above average,” the pitching coach Dan Warthen said of Gee. “But he commands them all with pinpoint control and he really knows what he’s doing.”

• Ex-Met Jeff Francoeur, visiting the Bronx with the Kansas City Royals, advises the Mets to bring in those Citi Field walls to help Wright and Jason Bay, among others. Read more in the Post.

BIRTHDAY: Walt Terrell turns 53. Terrell is the only pitcher in Mets history with a multi-homer game. He hit a pair against the Cubs and Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins on Aug. 6, 1983 at Wrigley Field. "It was a fluke," Terrell said when we interviewed him a few years ago. "The wind was blowing out, but I like to tell my kids it was blowing in at 40 mph." Funny story: the second homer was caught in the stands by one of Terrell's ex-teammates from Morehead State. Terrell, whose three homers that season are tied for the club record for a season by a pitcher with Tom Seaver, later played a valuable role for the Mets. He was traded to the Tigers for Howard Johnson before the 1985 season. -Mark Simon

Jeff Francoeur hasn’t played at Citi Field since last August, but he still feels plenty of pain for anyone who has to hit in the Mets' ballpark. David Wright, in particular.

“They’ve got to shorten the park a little bit. It’s huge,” Francoeur said from the Kansas City clubhouse before Tuesday night’s game against the Yankees. “I’m not saying to make a bandbox like Philadelphia. But, I mean, poor David hits the ball to right-center so well. And there it’s an out or it’s deep, and to me, that’s when you start trying to pull the ball. You start getting in habits. And I know it’s been frustrating for David playing in that park.”

Wright has never called for ownership to bring in the fences, but he’s acknowledged that the spacious dimensions at Citi Field have hampered him in the past.

Wright had just five home runs at Citi Field in 2009. He hit 12 at home in 2010. For comparison’s sake, the third baseman hit 21 long balls at Shea Stadium in 2008.

Francoeur, who played 299 games with the Mets between 2009 and 2010, also said that deep dimensions in Citi have affected Jason Bay.

Bay has just seven home runs in 110 games as a Met after hitting 36 with the Red Sox in 2009. Bay has been hampered by injuries, most recently a strained oblique that has kept him sidelined for all but 16 games this season. Bay has four homers in 219 career at-bats at Citi Field.

“How can it not [affect Bay]?” Francoeur said. “It wears on you.”

The wall at the Mets’ home park is 383 feet away from the plate in right-center. It’s 379 feet away from the plate in left-center field but there is a 15-foot, eight-inch wall.

“You hit some balls to right-center and it’s an out or it’s off the wall [and] it’s pretty devastating to a player. It is. Especially when you turn on ESPN at night and you see someone flipping one [at Yankee Stadium] 320 [feet] in the first row and it’s a home run,” Francoeur said. “It’s tough man, it really is.”

Francoeur hit five homers in 61 games at Citi Field last season and four homers in 39 games there in 2009. He has eight homers in 33 games with the Royals this season.

Jeff Francoeur has been cut loose by the Texas Rangers, in a move that hardly comes as a surprise. Francoeur was arbitration-eligible and made $5 million this past season -- so Texas, just like the Mets would have -- had to let the right fielder go.

Francoeur batted .340 (18-for-53) with two homers and 11 RBIs in 15 games for the Rangers after the Aug. 31 trade for Joaquin Arias (who has been claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Royals). He then went 3-for-24 in the postseason.

The early speculation is that Francoeur could wind up with the Kansas City Royals, where GM Dayton Moore has an affinity for Francoeur.

Read ESPNDallas.com's take on Francoeur here.

Joaquin Arias, the infielder acquired by the Mets in the Aug. 31 trade for Jeff Francoeur, has been claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Royals.

The Mets had intended to nontender Francoeur this winter anyway because he made $5 million this season and was arbitration-eligible. The trade with the Rangers did not net the Mets any salary relief, though.

For anyone looking for ex-Met Jeff Francoeur to have a significant impact on this World Series, the matchups say not to count on it.

Francoeur, likely to start in right field in Game 3 and Game 4 against Giants lefties Jonathan Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner might be best served by not facing anyone else.

Here's why:

Francoeur went 1-for-21 against the Giants this season (all for the Mets). That is the worst single-season batting average any Met has EVER had against the Giants (minimum 20 at-bats). Francoeur broke the Mets futility record previously set by Choo Choo Coleman, who hit .074 against the Giants in 1963.

There are no matchups favorable to Francoeur with any of the Giants pitchers. He's 0-for-14 against Matt Cain, 0-for-8 against Brian Wilson and 3-for-16 against Tim Lincecum. He's even bad against left-handers Sanchez (2-for-14) and Jeremy Affeldt (0-for-5).

Moreover, AT&T Park is not a friendly venue for Francoeur. In 2006 he was 1-for-17 there. In 2009, 1-for-12. This year, he's 0-for-8. His .176 batting average at AT&;T Park ranks fourth-worst among active position players with at least 50 plate appearances there. The worst name on the list -- also familiar to Mets fans-- Rod Barajas, whose career batting average there is just .127.

Jeff Francoeur reacts late Tuesday to his trade to the Texas Rangers.

There's at least a chance Jeff Francoeur could be spending his last day as a New York Met.

Two MLB sources told ESPNNewYork.com that the Texas Rangers are looking for a right-handed-hitting outfielder for the bench and are considering Francoeur.

"His name has definitely been talked about," one source said.

The deal would need to be completed today for Frenchy to be eligible for the postseason roster.

Jeff Francoeur believes Jason Bay will return to the Mets at some point this season.

Bay has been sidelined since July 26 with a concussion. He visited with teammates in the clubhouse before Friday’s game. He did not speak to reporters, but teammate Jeff Francoeur told scribes that Bay was “feeling good.”

On Saturday, the Mets right-fielder said he thinks Bay will be back in Flushing this year.

“Yeah, I think so,” said Francoeur, who visited with Bay on Friday. “I don’t see why not. He’s got to see how it feels. Jason’s the type of guy, he’s not just going to try to sit out the rest of the year. When he’s ready, I promise you, he’ll be back.”

Bay has not done any baseball activity since being placed on the disabled list on July 30. He is hitting .259 with six homers and 47 RBI in the first year of a four-year, $66 million contract.

TEJADA STRUGGLING: Ruben Tejada is hitless in 16 at-bats since being called up from Triple-A Buffalo on Aug. 7. He’s 0 for his last 22 and is hitting just .183 in 40 games with the Mets.

Jerry Manuel was asked before Saturday night’s game against the Phillies if he was concerned that Tejada’s struggles will affect the 20-year-old’s future development.

"He’s in a situation where he is a young player (and) he’s facing some tough pitching at the major league level,” Manuel said. “You don’t want a guy to get too down.”

The Mets have opted to start Tejada at second over veteran Luis Castillo. Castillo told the New York Post on Friday that he wants to be moved next season. Castillo has one year left (at $6 million) on a four-year, $25 million deal.

Manuel said he would continue to try to find playing time for Castillo, who is hitting .241 with no home runs and 15 RBI.

“If Ruben continues to struggle offensively then we as a staff have to make a decision to pinch-hit him earlier rather than later,” Manuel said. “So that means (Castillo) is going to have still be able to play that type of roll. And also (Tejada) will need a day off here and there.”

Jeff Francoeur met with Jerry Manuel again on Sunday, this time for 15 minutes in the visiting manager's office at Citizens Bank Park. Francoeur suggested afterward he merely asked for opportunities during the upcoming week. And perhaps Francoeur had some persuasive powers. Afterward, Manuel suggested Fernando Martinez and Francoeur would not be involved in a straight platoon -- that Francoeur would face some right-handed pitchers, too, when matchups were favorable.

Manuel suggested that was not a deviation from what he said the previous day, although on Saturday the manager seemed to say it would be a straight lefty-righty platoon.

After Francoeur accounted for the lone run in a 1-0 victory over Philadelphia with a homer off left-hander Cole Hamels on Saturday, Manuel said he considered starting Francoeur on Sunday if he had a favorable history against Roy Halladay. However, Francoeur is 1-for-6 lifetime against the Phillies' ace, so Manuel did not use Francoeur.

Manuel doesn't seem sold on Martinez just yet. The 21-year-old outfielder hit .176 with one homer and eight RBIs in 91 at-bats last season with the Mets. The manager said Martinez needs to have better pitch-recognition skills than last season, when he swung at pitches out of the strike zone.

Manuel considered resting Carlos Beltran on Sunday, but the veteran center fielder wanted to play in the important game. Beltran is hitting .407 with one homer and seven RBIs in 27 career at-bats against Halladay.

As for the corner outfield alignment, Manuel said he thinks Pagan is a better right fielder than left fielder. Talking specifics, Manuel said Pagan appears better suited to pursuing balls on his glove side. Pagan also gets better reads in right field, according to the manager. While Martinez has played more right field than left field this season with Triple-A Buffalo, last year it was the opposite (23 games in left field, 14 in right field).

Jeff Francoeur discusses what he described as a rough day Saturday. The right fielder awoke to news that friend Alex Cora was being released. He also learned Fernando Martinez was being promoted.

During a subsequent meeting with Jerry Manuel, Francoeur was informed he would now only be starting against left-handed pitchers. Francoeur had a similar meeeting with Manuel upon Carlos Beltran's return from the disabled list as the Mets prepared to disperse for the All-Star break, but this one stung more, Francoeuer indicated, because he felt like he has been hitting well. (The last time, Jason Bay then suffered a concussion shortly afterward and playing time reopened.)

On Saturday, Francoeur had a text message offering congratulations for the homer waiting for him from Cora when he returned to his locker after the 1-0 victory.

Jeff Francoeur snaps a 1-for-23 skid with a ninth-inning homer off Billy Wagner on Tuesday that lifts the Mets to a 3-2 win at Turner Field.

The Mets first game of August, a 14-1 loss to the Diamondbacks, belonged in July, a 9-17 debacle that marked the worst July the Mets have had since going 9-18 in 2003.

It was a month that was ugly in many respects, one reminiscent of 2009, and the scary thing is that as bad as the Mets were in these 31 days, they had three calendar months last season that were worse.

If June was a month in which the Mets established themselves as consistent contenders, July was one in which they often looked despondent and done. August may seal their fate. We’ll know more after these next six games against the Braves and Phillies.

For now, we review some frustrations that were here, there and everywhere throughout the month:

Mike Pelfrey pitched like Randy Jones

I was seven in 1982, my first full year as an intense baseball fan, and one of the players who stood out most to me that Mets season was a lefty starter named Randy Jones.

Within my rudimentary understanding of baseball, I was able to grasp that Jones was at first, really, really good, and then he was really, really bad, and then he was really gone (translation: he retired).

On May 23 of that season, Jones, a former Cy Young Award winner for the Padres, beat the Astros, improving his mark to 6-2 with a 2.74 ERA.

From that point on, Jones pitched in 17 more games, making nine starts. He won once. He lost eight times. And the Mets lost the other eight games he pitched. That June, Jones went 0-4 with an 11.93 ERA.
I invoke Jones' name in relation to Mike Pelfrey, who joined Jones as two of the four pitchers in Mets history to make five starts in a month and finish with a double-digit ERA.

Pelfrey and Jones also share the common thread of first-inning issues (Jones had two starts in which he didn’t get a batter out, but I believe he had injuries as an excuse).

Pelfrey wasn’t quite as bad as Jones was, but he was in the same ballpark (actually he was in Citi Field, Jones was in Shea, but you get the point). He finished 0-3 in five starts with a 10.02 ERA. Opponents hit .429 against him. As good as Pelfrey was in April, he matched that for mediocrity in July.

Ruben Tejada hit like Don Zimmer

Because of Ruben Tejada’s fine ability at turning the double play, we were advocates of keeping him up in the majors when Luis Castillo returned, but the Mets sent him back to Triple-A. The reasoning being seasoning-- Tejada’s bat made Castillo look like Mike Piazza by comparison.
Tejada hit .108 for the month, without managing an extra-base hit. His .108 slugging percentage in July was the worst by a Met in a calendar month (minimum 40 plate appearances) in 38 years.

We invoked the name Don Zimmer in here, and he’s someone who couldn’t hit either during his rather brief Mets career during the team’s inaugural season, as the accompanying chart shows.

But he once said something smart that we found online, which Tejada should take to heart as he works his way back to the major leagues:

"What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle and giving 110 percent all the time."

Wise words.

R.A. Dickey Had A Lot of Bad Luck

R.A. Dickey deserved a better fate than that which befell him in July. This was a case where a pitchers win-loss record was very misleading.

Dickey was 1-3 with a 1.51 ERA for July, the first time a Mets starter lost at least three games in a month in which he had an ERA below two (Jae Seo was the last, with a 1.71 ERA in September, 2003)


Dickey might be the poster-boy for how to properly pitch in Citi Field. His ERA in the ballpark is 1.53 in five starts there, and the win-loss record of 4-1 rings a little bit more on the deserving side.

You may recall that we gave the Cy Young Award (or at least Pitcher of the Month) to Santana for July with one start remaining for him in the month. Our declarations were premature.

We're recalling that awarding, thanks to the struggles Santana had against the Cardinals, and giving it to Dickey instead.

Speed went into a slump

With the offense as inept as it was on the 11-game road trip, the Mets forced the issue on the bases and paid the price.
They entered the road trip having stolen bases successfully on 81.6 percent of their attempts (including 50 steals in 57 attempts at home), but were caught stealing seven times in 13 attempts in the 11-game, 2-9 disaster.

It’s little things like that which would explain why the Mets went 2-8 in one-run games for the month. In fact, all six of the games that the Mets lost in July, in which they had a caught stealing, were one or two-run games.

The only player immune from the stealing struggles was Angel Pagan. By far the Mets best offensive player in July, Pagan was 9-for-10 in stealing bases. The rest of the team was 7-for-15.

Most shocking: Jose Reyes stole one base in four tries. It was the first time Reyes was successful in stealing bases less than half the time in a calendar month. The other: June, 2003 –- his first month in the major leagues.

'Frenchy' to the 'Benchy' didn't work

The return of Carlos Beltran clearly made Jeff Francoeur a little anxious, and his hitting since the All-Star Break epitmoizes the Mets angst-ridden state of mind.

Jason Bay's injury put Francoeur back into the lineup, but it hasn't mattered where Francoeur has been. Every at-bat seems like a race to be finished.

In 38 turns from the All-Star Break to the end of the month, Francoeur saw a total of 132 pitches. He swung at a whopping 61 percent of them, and according to our Inside Edge video review data, he chased nearly half of the balls thrown outside the strike zone.


Francoeur basically went up to the plate with a strategy of hack till you drop. Of the 34 turns that didn't end on the first pitch (the four that did were outs), Francoeur was left in an 0-1 count on 26 occasions.

Advantage: Pitcher. Gargantuan advantage: Pitcher. Though it didn't really matter. On 0-1 counts, Francoeur was bad. On any other count he was just as bad.

Not surprisingly, Francoeur's batting average to start the second half -- a rather dreadful .114. That's how you wind up with months like the Mets just completed.

Mark Simon is a researcher for Baseball Tonight. Follow him on Twitter at @msimonespn

Mets pitchers allowed four home and 14 hits on Sunday against the Diamondbacks. But the worst sign for the Mets' staff on a very bad day at the office happened in the eighth inning, when Oliver Perez took the mound.

Perez, who has been persona-non-grata at Citi Field since he refused to accept a minor-league assignment in May, sets foot on the mound only when the Mets are out of pitchers or getting blown out.

The latter was the case on Sunday. Perez entered the game in the eighth with the Mets down, 10-1.

Perez allowed four earned runs on five hits in two innings to end a miserable afternoon for the Mets. He walked one and threw one wild pitch. He threw 28 of his 47 pitches for strikes. After the appearance, Perez insisted that he wears the Mets uniform "with honor" -- a comment that is sure to draw the ire of the Flushing faithful.

Jerry Manuel said the lefty reliever -- in the second year of a three-year, $36 million contract -- is in a "tough situation."

"Well it’s tough, he’s in a tough spot not getting the reps that (are) needed to gain confidence to compete," Manuel said. "He did go out and throw strikes for the most part (on Sunday) but right now he’s just in a tough, tough situation."

Perez, who was booed lustily after allowing an RBI single to Mark Reynolds in the eighth, said that he would continue to try and pitch through his problems. He added that he didn't want to pitch for another organization.

"I have to keep working. Keep working and I’m (not going to) give up. I think this is (baseball). Sometimes it’s tough and you have to be a real man and get better," Perez said. "... I’m here and trying to do everything to win. That’s why I’m here.

"... For me, when I wear this uniform I play with honor. I try to do the best."

ROTATION SPINNING: Prior to Sunday's game, Manuel said that Jon Niese would start on Friday night in Philadelphia if he pitched well against the Diamondbacks. That move would allow Hisanori Takahashi to pitch out of the bullpen for the Mets' three-game road series in Atlanta and Philadelphia this week.

Niese then proceeded to allow two three-run homers to Adam LaRoche in the fourth and fifth innings, leaving the Mets in a 6-1 hole. In all, Niese (7-5, 3.78 ERA) allowed seven runs (six earned) on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings against Arizona. It was the left-hander's first loss since a July 16th defeat at San Francisco, a game the Mets lost, 1-0.

Manuel wasn't ready to pronounce Niese as Friday night's starter after his rough start against the Diamondbacks.

"We’ll have to sit down and talk with (pitching coach Dan Warthen) and talk with (bullpen coach Randy Niemann) … and then make a decision," Manuel said.

Niese made it clear that he didn't want to be skipped.

"Obviously I want to be out there every five days," he said. "I feel good, and if I feel good I want to be out there."

BEL TOILS: Manuel spent a few minutes talking to Carlos Beltran about hitting before Sunday's game. Beltran was batting just .204 entering the series finale against Arizona. He raised his averge to .218 (12-for-55) with a pinch-hit single through the right side in the ninth inning.

"I know he's not confident, I know he's not seeing the ball well," Manuel said before Beltran's pinch-hit, adding that the Mets center fielder had "fundamental flaws" in his swing.

Beltran, who hit the game-winning sacrifice fly in the ninth inning of the Mets' 5-4 win on Saturday, didn't want to use the fact that he missed three months recovering from athroscopic knee surgery as an excuse for his slow start through 16 games.

"I’m not here to put any excuses on saying I’m not ready," Beltran said after Saturday's game. "No, no. I’m here because I’m ready."

BAY HEADACHES 'PERSISTENT': Manuel said he hasn't talked to Jason Bay since the left fielder went on the disabled list on July 26 with what the team is calling a "mild concussion." Manuel said trainer Ray Ramirez told him that Bay's "headaches are still persistent." The manager said Bay would be re-evaluated in the coming days ... Manuel also said reliever Sean Green would have to have back-to-back strong outings at Triple-A Bufallo before the Mets would consider calling him back to the big leagues. Green allowed one run on two hits in a one-inning relief appearance on Saturday night. The right-hander has been on the disabled list since April 8 with a strained muscle on his right side.

No deal was considered imminent with the Kansas City Royals, but dialogue continued between the clubs, major league sources told ESPNNewYork.com.

Royals GM Dayton Moore used to be an executive with the Atlanta Braves, and wouldn't mind reacquiring Jeff Francoeur under the right terms. An AL executive suggested the Mets are interested in reliever Kyle Farnsworth (3-0, 2.38 ERA in 34 relief appearances).