Minaya Hard At Work

David Lennon at Newsday, writes about Omar Minaya and how he already might be looking to make a trade:

Minaya is not as desperate now as he was a year ago, even with Hernandez on the disabled list. But that could change if El Duque's absence extends longer than the initial prognosis of two weeks, and Minaya said some GMs around the league already have been chatting about potential trades.

The Athletics considered dealing Rich Harden during the winter, and it appears the oft-injured righthander could be on the trading block again once he comes off the disabled list with shoulder irritation. The Mets listened to Billy Beane's pitch then but the price was too exorbitant, especially for someone with Harden's medical history.

"I'm always trying to look at what's in the marketplace," Minaya said. "Usually right now, it will be a situation where a pitcher's not doing well and you're willing to take a chance on a guy. That's what it boils down to. If a guy is doing decent, teams can't give up on them yet because it sends a bad message to the fan base."