The Mets have dealt 26-year old righty swinging outfielder Jeff Francoeur to the Rangers for 25-year old right swinging infielder Joaquin Arias. Francoeur played in 123 games for the Mets this year and he was 94 of 398 (.236 avg, .663 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 11 homers, 53 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. He played in 198 games in his two years with the Mets and he was 184 of 687 (.268 avg, .735 OPS) with 83 runs scored, 21 homers, 94 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Joaquin Arias will immediately help out the Mets’ bench as he can handle 2B, SS and 3B defensively. Arias played in 50 games for the Rangers this year and he was 27 of 98 (.276 avg, .637 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 9 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 91 games over parts of four years in the majors and he is 65 of 227 (.276 avg, .637 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 19 RBIs and 5 stolen bases.

31-year old lefty starting pitcher Johan Santana continues to be the ace the Mets’ front office thought he would be when they traded for him three years ago. He has started 27 games for the Mets this year and he is 10-8 with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Santana has now pitched in 86 games (all starts) in his three years with the Mets and he is 39-24 with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Santana’s record would even be better with more run support but at least he’s doing his part.

UPDATE: (9/10/2010) - Johan Santana is done for the season due to the fact that he needs surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder. Santana finishes up the 2010 season with 29 starts for the Mets in which he was 11-9 with a 2.98 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP.

The Mets have signed 30-year old righty reliever Yhency Brazoban to a minor league deal. He pitched in 52 games (0 starts) in the Mexican League this year and he was 4-3 with 8 saves, a 2.22 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Brazoban whiffed 81 batters in only 73 innings in Mexico this year. He last pitched in the majors in 2008 with the Dodgers. He has pitched in 116 games (0 starts) in his major league career to date and he is 10-12 with 21 saves, a 4.70 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. Brazoban has already pitched in 4 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball for the Mets and he is 0-0 with 1 save, a 2.70 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. If he pitches well the next couple of weeks the Mets will likely call him up when rosters expand on September 1st.

The Mets have lost 34-year old righty swinging catcher Rod Barajas on waivers to the Dodgers. Barajas played in 74 games for the Mets this year and he was 56 of 249 (.225 avg, .677 OPS) with 30 runs scored, 12 homers and 34 RBIs. The Mets get relief from Barajas’ salary by letting him go like this plus it will give them an extended look at 23-year old lefty swinging Josh Thole as the starting catcher. Thole has played in 40 games for the Mets this year and he is 28 of 97 (.289 avg, .712 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 1 homer, 9 RBIs and 1 stolen base.

34-year old switch hitting 2B Luis Castillo said last week that there is no way he sees himself wearing a Mets’ uniform in 2010. That is probably quite allright for the Mets as Castillo looks like his career is nearing an end. Castillo has played in 66 games for the Mets this year and he is 49 of 204 (.240 avg, .617 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 0 homers, 15 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. In his four years with the Mets, Castillo has played in 345 games in which he is 328 of 1,187 (.276 avg, .696 OPS) with 180 runs scored, 5 homers, 103 RBIs and 54 stolen bases.