Padilla's status

Matthew Cerrone at Mets Blog, gives an update on the status of reliever Juan Padilla:

...according to our friend Joel's conversations with scouts and executives during the Winter Meetings, Juan Padilla, who had Tommy John Surgery last spring, has been given a clean bill of health and should be ready for action by spring training...

...this is good news...last I had heard, dating back to late-October, padilla was not slated to re-join the team until early- to mid-summer...

The 29-year-old Padilla posted a 1.49 ERA for the Mets in 24 appearances during 2005.