Ramon

Ramirez

He threw four innings of work, giving up just two hits a run and a walk while he struck out five. Ramirez, with a 2.90 ERA, is yet another Rockies pitcher who is proving to be a worthy NL-only asset and he’s even starting to see movement in very deep mixed leagues.

Mets’ manager Terry Collins believes he will only have to miss one game. It’s not clear where he would go in a potential save situation Monday, but Ramon Ramirez would appear to be the best alternative after Jon Rauch labored by throwing 22 pitches on Sunday.

The current plan is to use Ramon Ramirez more frequently against left-handed hitters. Ramirez, who was acquired as part of the Angel Pagan deal this offseason, has a 3.93 ERA in 15 appearances with the Mets.

Francisco was scheduled for an MRI after having his left knee drained on Sunday. Mets manager Terry Collins was told by the training staff that they initially thought he was dealing with patella tendinitis. Opening Day isn’t in danger right now, but Jon Rauch, Ramon Ramirez and Bobby Parnell could be in the mix for saves if he needs a stint on the disabled list.

One could argue that Ramon Ramirez, Bobby Parnell and Manny Acosta are all superior alternatives, but Collins apparently prefers Batista’s experience. Since he only figures to get a chance here or there, this situation doesn’t figure to be of much interest to anyone outside of NL-only leagues.

The Giants intend to keep Jeremy Affeldt, according to Knobler. Torres hit an underwhelming .221/.312/.330 this season after posting an .823 OPS in 2010. Keppinger registered an anemic .618 OPS for the Giants after coming over via trade from the Astros in July. He doesn’t make for a bad utility guy, though, as he can be used all over the infield. Ramirez should draw plenty of interest. He posted a superb 2.62 ERA and 1.16 WHIP for the Giants this past year and holds career marks of 3.16 and 1.24, respectively.

The Giants have a ton of money tied up in their bullpen right now, so they are looking to clear payroll space in order to upgrade in other areas. Affeldt’s $5 million club option was picked up in October while Ramirez stands to make a little over $2 million in his final year of arbitration. The 30-year-old Ramirez is coming off a career-best season and would likely be easier to move.

Ramirez gets a nice raise from the $1.65 million salary that he earned in 2011 with the Giants while posting a 2.62 ERA and 66/26 K/BB ratio across 68 2/3 innings. He’ll function as a setup man this year for New York.

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reported the possible deal earlier as a “change of scenery” type trade but didn’t list the names involved. Pagan and Torres would qualify for that description, and the Mets are said to be looking for more relief help, so the deal would make sense. It sounds like it could be completed at some point Tuesday night.

The trade has been confirmed by various other outlets. The Giants will get an upgrade in center field, while the Mets will get a replacement for Pagan and much-needed relief help, so it sounds like a pretty good deal for both sides. All three players are arbitration-eligible, so the Giants will probably save a little bit of money in the deal.