Ken Rosenthal reports on FoxSports.com that the Mets have traded relievers Heath Bell and Royce Ring to the Padres for outfielder Ben Johnson and pitcher Jon Adkins

Johnson hit .250 with 4 HR and 12 RBI in 120 at-bats for the
Padres in 2006 and he's a right handed bat, which the Mets sorely need.

Johnson was named the Padres Minor League Player of the Year in 2005
after batting .312 (129-414) with 79 runs scored, 27 doubles, 25 home
runs and 83 RBI in 107 games with Portland. He hit .341 (15-44) away from PETCO Park last season.

Omar Minaya had the following to say about the players he acquired

“Ben Johnson is a versatile outfielder who can play all three spots,
has speed and shown some power. He is just 25-years-old and we feel he
has yet to reach his potential,” said Mets General Manager Omar Minaya.
“Jon Adkins has had success on the major league level and can pitch
multiple innings. He’s another quality arm to add to our bullpen staff.”

Adkins was 2–1 with a 3.98 ERA in 55 relief-appearances.

Check out Its Outta Here for a profile on Ben Johnson.

The Pod fans on the ESPN message boards do not seem happy about this deal.

Bell and Ring had their chance to shine here and their performance was more often than not, disappointing. Omar gets back an outfielder who according to Baseball America is an exceptional athlete and another arm to add to his pen to replace Ring and Bell. Omar has a pretty good track record on these seemingly minor deals that seem to pay significant dividends down the line. It will be interesting to see how this one pans out as well.

This could also be a precursor to a deal to shop Lastings Milledge in a trade, as Johnson seems to have a pretty impressive pedigree in the minor leagues himself.

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