Mike

Cameron

He’s expected to catch up with the team today, although he may remain out of the lineup tonight.

Cameron has missed six games with the illness.

Cameron should be in good shape for spring training.

Cameron is a better center fielder than Beltran, but Beltran isn’t going to sign with a team that would want to put him anywhere other center. The Mets are longshots in the competition for the year’s top free agent,

The Mets will use Cameron in right field if they keep him. The Diamondbacks would like to make him their center fielder ahead of Luis Terrero. If the A’s acquire him, they’d shift Mark Kotsay to right field and trade Eric Byrnes, most likely to Arizona.

Cameron, originally expected to miss at least the first 2-4 weeks of the season, now seems questionable for Opening Day following December wrist surgery.

Cameron is worth more than the $6.25 million he’s set to make in each of the next two years, but that’s still more than the Pirates want to pay, in part because they probably don’t realize just how good he is.

Cameron said he hurt himself chasing down a fly ball. Expect him to miss a couple days. Randy Winn will likely shift to center field with Mark McLemore in left while Cameron recovers.

It looks like A’s GM Billy Beane really doesn’t have the money to fit Cameron onto his squad. This would work out better for Oakland and Houston than the Mets, so Omar Minaya was right to pass.

''I’d say Cammy’s available if we really, really need him,’' manager Bob Melvin said. ''But we have a day off (Monday), and I’d really like to give him these three days off plus Monday to heal up.’'