PORT ST. LUCIE – Mike Cameron already has plenty to worry about, considering he’s still recovering from wrist surgery and being forced to learn a new position.
So it wasn’t too surprising that Cameron doesn’t plan to worry about his name coming up in trade discussions.
“All you can do is go with it,” Cameron said after arriving in Mets camp yesterday. “I can’t really be concerned with it. I’m here right now, so that’s all I can be concerned with.”
As The Post reported yesterday, the Mets have been engaged in trade discussions regarding Cameron, with one source saying he’ll be moved before the season starts in six weeks. The two most likely destinations are Seattle and Houston.
Cameron and Mets GM Omar Minaya had a conversation yesterday, and Minaya came away telling reporters that they should expect Cameron to be on the team. Keep in mind, though, that Minaya also has a nobody-is-untouchable policy and plenty of time before the season starts.
“I’m not even thinking about trading Mike Cameron. Mike Cameron is going to be our right fielder,” Minaya said before adding, “Now that being said, are teams going to call? That’s just part of the GM’s day-to-day. But those thoughts to me are kind of not there right now. I’m more saying that Mike Cameron’s going to be our right fielder, thinking that Mike Cameron’s going to be our right fielder.”
Cameron, who said a lot of encouraging things yesterday, said he would “go out and try to excel at [right field]” and plans to help the new center fielder, Carlos Beltran.
Asked whether he’d prefer to play right field for a contending team than center for a poor one, Cameron said he’d choose the former. Of course, despite the Mets’ offseason additions, they’ve finished in fifth place, fifth place and fourth place the last three years and are hardly sure things for 2005. Actually, Cameron’s suitors have had better track records recently.
Asked if he thinks he’s better defensively than Beltran (who has no Gold Gloves), Cameron, a two-time Gold Glover, replied, “I’m not going to go there.”
