The Mets have announced that they have sent Claudio Vargas down to Triple-A and have called up right-hander Carlos Muniz.

Muniz will head to New York for his third stint with the major league team this season. He has a 5.14 ERA in 7.0 innings pitched for the team.

Vargas was 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA prior to tonight’s game. He gave up four earned runs in 2.0 innings of relief tonight.

In last night’s game between the Brooklyn Cyclones and Staten Island Yankees, Pat Venditte, who is a switch pitcher, caused an interesting fiasco with one out left in the game.

According to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, the Mets as well as the other four National League East teams have had interest in Cincinnati Reds infield/outfielder Ryan Freel. One executive within the MLB has stated that Freel is on every team’s radar.

Freel, 32, is batting .298 with no homers and 10 RBIs in 131 at-bats so far this season. He is also 6 for 10 in stolen base attempts. Freel signed a two-year, $7 million deal on April 16th and is due $3 million this year and $4 million in 2009.

Despite what Reds general manager Walt Jocketty stated regarding the team not in housecleaning mode, a report from the New York Post stated that the team could be also considering trading Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr., and Bronson Arroyo.

The most intriguing thing about Freel is that he is capable of playing almost anywhere on the field outside of pitcher and catcher. You know how the Mets are with versatility. Personally, I’m sick of these quick fixes in hopes of turning this thing around. By the time the trading deadline roles around, the Mets will know if they are in or out of the playoff hunt. Unless getting Freel is going to make a significant impact on this team, I see no reason in getting him.

In an article on Inside Bay Area, the word out of San Francisco is that a high-ranking official within the Giants organization believes the team should reach out to the recently fired Rick Peterson in an advisory role to help Barry Zito get back on track. The official declined to comment because Peterson is still under contract with the Mets.

Giants general manager Brian Sabean stated that he would not address anybody else’s business when asked about any interest from the team in Peterson.

When asked about a possible reunion with Peterson, Zito stated that, “If anything did happen, it would be completely out of my hands.”

Since signing a seven-year, $126 million deal prior to the start of the 2007 season, Zito is 13-23 with a 4.90 ERA. He is 2-10 with a 5.88 ERA so far in 2008. Under the tutelage of Peterson, Zito was 47-17 with a 3.04 ERA in three season in Oakland, with a Cy Young Award in 2002.

As the anticipation mounts into the afternoon hours in New York City as to whether or not Willie Randolph will stay on as manager of the Mets or not, Hot Foot sent a mole out to LAX to see if Willie was on the trip to Los Angeles with the rest of the team, and this is what was seen through the binoculars from a bush on the south runway.