SAN FRANCISCO — Hisanori Takahashi is the Mets’ scheduled starter for Thursday, but manager Jerry Manuel added some intrigue to the equation today by mentioning “Blah, Blah, Blah” as a potential candidate.

It comes at a time general manager Omar Minaya is monitoring the trade market for potential help within the rotation.

One thing is certain: Oliver Perez won’t get the ball in Takahashi’s place. Perez made his fourth minor-league rehab start on Saturday and no determination has been made about his next step.

But Manuel said Perez’s immediate future with the Mets is in the bullpen.

“As a reliever I believe he can offer us something,” Manuel said. “We can benefit from some situations or put him in situations where he has a chance to have success.”

Barring a physical setback, the Mets will have to put Perez on the roster by the end of this month.

In saying Takahashi is his Thursday starter for now, Manuel was willing to brush aside the fact the lefty is 1-3 with a 10.90 ERA over his past four starts.

“He has struggled lately, but he has pitched some big games for us,” Manuel said. “I don’t think we’re ready to pull that yet unless it’s a different starter.”