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.

Considering the landscape of this free agent market, this year could be the biggest off-season of trades in quite some time.

Johan Santana, Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis, Scott Rolen, and Miguel Tejada are among those who could be seeing a change in scenery this winter.

In terms of Santana, Jayson Stark on ESPN writes that the Mets might be the team most willing to give up the prospects needed to get him.

One NL executive says: Watch out for the Mets, given the pressure on GM Omar Minaya to win now.

“Omar seems determined to make a huge splash,” the exec says. “And I think that’s the guy they’ve had earmarked all along.”

The Dodgers, Angels, Yankees, and Mets would appear to be the top teams in the running for Santana.

The Yankees don’t appear willing to deal Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy, or Phillip Hughes, which would likely put they out of the running for Santana.

The Dodgers would need to make a choice on who to use their prospects on, Cabrera or Santana. Buster Olney on ESPN cites a NL source who said that the Dodgers and Marlins are ‘pretty far apart’ on Cabrera. Olney writes that ‘there is growing expectation around the game is that the Angels will land Cabrera’.

However Rosenthal believes the Angels no longer are the front-runners for Cabrera.

Rosenthal cites major-league sources who say, if the Dodgers are willing to part with outfielder Matt Kemp along with third baseman Andy LaRoche and Class AA left-hander Clayton Kershaw, they would likely be able to land the Marlins All-Star third baseman.

If the Dodgers fail to land Cabrera, they are rumored to have interest in Scott Rolen as well.

Jayson Stark believes it will take two young players to get Dontrelle Willis. The Mets, Mariners and Diamondbacks are believed to have interest.

The Orioles want to get rid of the $26 million left on Miguel Tejada’s contract which does not leave many suitors. The Dodgers and Angels may use Tejada as plan B if they lose out on Cabrera. The O’s are also rumored to be shopping Erik Bedard.

The Reds may make Ryan Freel or Scott Hamilton available due to the emergence of minor league player of the year Jay Bruce.

The Pirates could offer 26-year old Ian Snell who has more quality starts (22) than Santana or Roy Oswalt and a better strikeout rate (7.66 per 9 innings) than Carlos Zambrano or Ben Sheets.

The Phillies are looking at Randy Wolf, Matt Clement, Kris Benson, Mike Wood, and Japanese free agent Hiroki Kuroda.