1) The first base VIP entrance will be named after Gil Hodges; third Base VIP will honor Tom Seaver; left Field VIP will be named after Casey Stengel; and the outfield bridge will be named Shea Bridge.

2) The Mets Hall of Fame & Museum will be located adjacent to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda and accessible from both inside and outside the ballpark.  According to the team press release, “A re-formed Mets Hall of Fame Committee will evaluate potential inductees, and is comprised of a combination of media members with a long-standing connection to the club and Mets front office staff,” including Marty Noble, Gary Cohen, and Howie Rose.  The Mets will announce further details about the Hall of Fame & Museum in the coming weeks.

3) The release also reads, “Next season, fans will be greeted by Mets colors as they approach Citi Field with full-color banners of Mets players on Mets Plaza in front of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda.”  The team’s logo will be added on entry points to the parking areas and on the light poles in the parking lots; the staircases will be painted blue and orange; while blue and orange flowers will be planted at the gardens in Mets Plaza in front of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda.

…i still can’t believe the Mets are needing to issue a press release telling people they’re making their ballpark reflect the Mets… nevertheless, i like all of this, though Shea Bridge is a bit goofy, just because i can’t imagine any one actually saying that out loud… nevertheless, i like the references to players, i like the blue and orange and, though i’d still like to see a retired number from my generation of players, i am excited to know i will be able to walk around the museum and tell my some-day kids about the team’s history…

Blue Jays President Paul Beeston told King:

“We would like to sign him, he is an original Blue Jay and we have never had a pitcher as good as him…but he is not inclined to sign with us.”

…if this is the case, then i expect he will be dealt this winter, and i expect the Mets to get heavily involved if they haven’t done so already…

…i am weary of bringing in Halladay although i wouldn’t complain if the Mets had a 1-2 punch of Johan Santana and Doc for the next few years…the back end of the contract extension he would want worries me…

King says if the Blue Jays intend to trade Halladay, that it will be a slow moving process, and says that just a handful of teams have the ability to take on Halladay’s next contract.

Meanwhile, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com says Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos would be willing to trade Halladay to a team in the American League East.

…i expect the Yankees and Red Sox to be in heavy pursuit of Doc no matter what, but i figure that any team in the mix, including the Mets, has the financial ability to sign him to an extension, so it becomes a competition of which club has better prospects as far as a trade is concerned and i wonder where the Mets stack up on that front…

…i believe the Mets have the prospects to get a deal done, and i think they would be willing to commit financially as well, but if Doc wants to win now, i have to wonder, given the Mets lost 92 games this past season, whether or not he would be interested in joining the Mets…

For more on Halladay and the Blue Jays, check out the New York Post here.

Edes says the market for Bay is impacted by Matt Holliday and considering that Scott Boras is his agent, he won’t be in any rush to sign.

Among those he believes will be big players for Bay are the Angels but wouldn’t rule out the Giants as a possible landing spot.

…Bay has indicated that he will sign anywhere, which means it’s all about te mighty dollar for him, like it is for mostly anyone else…I think Holliday will be signed by Christmas, so I wonder how soon after that Bay will be signed…

…I think he will ultimately get a little less than what Holliday signs for and probably fewer years, given his age…

For more on Bay, check out Edes post here.

Greg from Faith and Fear in Flushing offers a medley to salute the 1999 Mets.

Meanwhile, Matt from New York Baseball Digest thinks that Josh Johnson could be cheaper in terms of dealing prospects than signing John Lackey to a free agent deal.

Joe Janish from Mets Today lists ten free agent fears for Mets fans.

Finally, Adam Salazar, the Brooklyn Met Fan, has joined Twitter, and you can follow him here.

On Friday’s, beginning at 9:05 am, I hold a Photo of the Week poll, asking you to vote on your favorite photo from the week.

To see my Photo of the Day, every day, follow me on Twitter here.

You can also see my Photo of the Day on Facebook here.

According to Crasnick, Boggs said:

“There wasn’t any kind of negotiating or exchanging of numbers or anything like that. I’m sure we’re going to keep the dialogue open, but nothing is imminent at this point. The way we’re looking at it, Adrian is a Padre until something happens . And they’re the ones who are really in control of the situation.”

While Crasnick says that San Diego is under no immediate pressure to deal Gonzalez, he expects the Red Sox, who made an unsuccessful bid to acquire him this past summer, will be in the mix.

…the winter meetings should prove interesting in the Gonzalez saga…he will probably cost too much for San Diego to retain him over the long term, but he is still under their control through 2011 but like Roy Halladay, should they not be able to secure him, it will be harder for them to maximize their return on Gonzalez the longer it goes…i personally don’t think he will get dealt right now, but July is another story…

For more on Gonzalez, check out ESPN.com here.

In addition, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com says that the Blue Jays have also contacted the Cubs about Halladay, but also says the Cubs would be unable to take on Halladay’s $15.75 million salary for 2010 and the Cubs don’t want to part with top prospect Starlin Castro.

…i think that no matter where Doc lands, Toronto is going to get the short end of the stick in the deal they get much like what happened with the Twins and Johan Santana…Doc is phenomenal, and would be an instant positive impact for any team, but the combination of his age today, his age and the money he would earn in the second half of a deal plus the fact he is entering the final year of the contract now are big risks, so any team that’s interested wouldn’t likely want to part with a ton of prospects for a mid 30’s pitcher, despite how good he is today…

…eventually, Doc will get traded, but the longer this goes, the less he is going to cost in terms of prospects which makes any big market team a candidate…i think the prospect of winning is important to him, but it will come down to the contract extension he wants and whether he and his destination can agree…

…i think with each of the names that have been mentioned so far, the Mets aren’t just looking towards improving and contending for 2010…

Matthews says the Mets are “creating the illusion of being competitive without actually being competitive at all” by intending to spend on free agents this winter, and considering this winter’s free agent class is not that strong, the believes the Mets should change their course by “sitting this winter out” and not over-spending on sub-par free agents.

…i agree that they should not over spend on certain players, but that doesn’t they can or should stand pat…

…that said, any move that is made should be made to improve the team for the future, and the same goes for moves the team doesn’t make…i think there are better long-term opportunities on the trade market, but i don’t think acquiring a free agent like Matt Holliday or John Lackey are moves that hijack the organization’s future because they allow them to keep their top prospects in the minors and it helps to reinforce the foundation that they have with David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, and Johan Santana…these are four of the premier talents in baseball, and they are all on one team and each of them, when healthy, can make an immediate and positive impact, so by adding to that talent base with the key free agents that are available this year will only help this organization to succeed in 2010 and in future years…

…i know the Mets haven’t had a pretty three years, and there are no guarantees for next year but one thing that seems to be forgotten is that the Mets don’t need to make a splash and they don’t just need to spend money to give themselves credibility no matter what year it is, and that is where i agree with Mathews…the Mets are really in a transitional period right now in that they need to move on from certain players while looking to bring in some fresh faces and the goal should not just be to win in 2010 but to build a strong organization that is capable of winning for the next ten years…so, the first thing i think they need to do is ensure their current crop of players is healthy and back in shape, followed by ensuring that every member of the organization has one vision in mind, which is winning at all costs, and then adding players that share the same vision whether they are high priced or not…

For more on this, check out Newsday here.

…i’m not sure sure i was keen on bringing in Millwood to begin with…outside of 2009, Millwood hasn’t exactly been stellar in the past four years despite winning 48 games…i think getting him out of Texas would be beneficial for him but i don’t think taking on that contract at his age is a wise move anyway…

In addition, Hubbuch says the Mets are not expected to make any major moves until the Winter Meetings and the Mets top priority is a left fielder but are keeping contact with the agents for John Lackey, Joel Pineiro, and Randy Wolf as possible additions to the rotation.

…i understand that they feel a need for offense, and while they need to improve the lineup i can’t help but worry that the Mets will be on an all out pursuit for offense, and somehow forget that there is a great need to improve the pitching staff…

Hubbuch also says that the Mets are considering bringing back Carlos Delgado if he proves to be healthy during winter ball, and David Lennon of Newsday says that Omar Minaya will be speaking with Delgado this week when he visits Puerto Rico about a possible return.

…i’m still iffy on bringing back Delgado, although i have always liked him…i think the team should be looking to move on from Delgado, although it would be hard to argue with bringing him back if all other possibilities fall through…

For more on this, check out the New York Post here, and Newsday here.

Crasnick quotes Johnson’s agent, Matt Sosnick, as saying, “There’s no chance of doing a long-term deal with the Marlins…We made it clear that it was going to be this year or it wasn’t going to happen.  It was now or never.  And the Marlins agreed.”

Johnson is eligible for arbitration each of the next two seasons, after which he can become a free agent following 2011.

…johnson is quickly becoming one of the premier pitchers in baseball, and at his age i don’t know why Florida wouldn’t go beyond three years in a deal, because they would likely lose him anyway to free agency when he is 28 and just entering the prime of his career… there isn’t any indication the Marlins are going to make him available right now, but the longer they can’t come together on an agreement, the more likely he will be dealt sooner rather than later, especially with his value so high, which would command greater value in return…

…i think johnson is great… what’s not to like… he is young, a hard thrower, he can shut down big time offenses and he was dominant against the Mets in 2009…

…if the Mets are interested in dealing prospects for pitching as they seem to be with Roy Halladay, i feel they should at least see if this kid is available, although i find it hard to believe that these two teams would make a trade given their recent history on the field…

Added to by Matthew Cerrone:

…i think he’s exactly the type of pitcher they’re trying to acquire… the thing is, i bet the Marlins do not look to trade him until at least the middle of next season, depending on where they are in the standings… there is a good chance they contend for the division next year, if not more… it’s not their style to cut bait just yet… sadly, we all know how they operate, and i think they’re more likely to make 2010 the year to push for a ring, then look to trade him following the season, win or lose…