June 14, 200818 yr http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/basebal...0,2933400.story Mets acquire Trot Nixon from Diamondbacks By DAVE SKRETTA | AP Sports Writer 1:16 AM EDT, June 14, 2008 NEW YORK - The New York Mets bolstered their injury-depleted outfield Friday night, acquiring Trot Nixon from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 34-year-old Nixon, known for his gritty playing style, hit .309 with 10 homers and 31 RBIs in 58 games with Triple-A Tucson after failing to make the Diamondbacks' big league roster out of spring training. Arizona gets cash or a player to be named in the deal. Nixon is expected to fill the void left by Moises Alou, who went back on the disabled list Friday with a lingering calf strain. The Mets also are without right fielder Ryan Church, who is on the 15-day disabled list with post-concussion syndrome, and reserve outfielder Angel Pagan, who is sidelined with a shoulder injury. "With Alou down, it's a left-handed bat," said Mets general manager Omar Minaya, who expects Nixon to join the team for Saturday's game against Texas. "I checked around with a lot of guys who played with him and they all speak highly of him." One of them is Mets starter Pedro Martinez, who was teammates with Nixon from 1998-04 and together helped the Red Sox win the 2004 World Series. "He looks like a grouch all the time," Martinez said, suppressing a laugh. "But he's a good guy. You'll see." Nixon hit .251 with three homers and 31 RBIs in 99 games last season with Cleveland, but was at his best in the playoffs. He was 5-for-11 with a homer and three RBIs against the New York Yankees and the Red Sox. Nixon had an option in his contract that would have made him a free agent June 2, a deadline that he and Arizona extended earlier this month. "In the business of signing players who have had such illustrious careers, staying to be a protection guy had to be a collaborative effort," Diamondbacks general manager Josh Byrnes said. "He's not going to spend the whole year in Triple-A when there was opportunity elsewhere." Nixon has a .275 batting average in 11 big league seasons, 10 with the Red Sox. He had his best year in 2003, when he batted .306 with a career-high 28 homers and 87 RBIs. "Everything I've heard about the guy, the guy is a gamer," Minaya said. "I've had this in the back of my mind for a while."
June 15, 200818 yr Aguila's up for a while, the Mets are seriously threadbare in the outfield -- Pagan, Church, and Alou are all DL'ed.
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