MET NOTES

PORT ST. LUCIE – Even after signing Orel Hershiser, the Mets are still looking for pitching, particularly a lefty. The club is hot for Mariner southpaw Jeff Fassero, but a poor outing by Masato Yoshii may have scuttled the potential for a deal. The Mets have been scouting Fassero for a while this spring and have liked what they have seen, but the Mariners want a lot more than Yoshii.

The Mets would trade Yoshii and a top pitching prospect in order to get Fassero, a team source said, but the Japanese right-hander didn’t help matters by having a rough outing against the Orioles Wednesday night, allowing four runs on 10 hits in only 31/3 innings.

Although the Mariners need pitching, they are apparently willing to trade Fassero because he and Jamie Moyer will be free agents at the end of the season, and Seattle can’t sign both. Word is, Moyer will be the one the Mariners try to sign and Fassero, who makes $4.75 million, will be dealt.

The Mariners want young pitchers like Jason Isringhausen and Octavio Dotel who are ready for the majors. But the Mets would be hard-pressed to give up those bullets in case they can use them later this summer to get a real ace like Curt Schilling.

Fassero was 13-12 last year with a 3.97 ERA.

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There is apparently a difference of opinion in Hideo Nomo’s camp about what he will do. Nomo must decide by 5:30 p.m. tomorrow if he will report to Triple-A Norfolk and be paid his $2.925 million, or refuse to go and give up the money to become a free agent. Even if he does that, the Mets can still release him and owe him only one-fourth of his salary.

A source familiar with the process said that Nomo wants to refuse the assignment and try to sign with another team, perhaps even in Japan. But his agent, Don Nomura, wants Nomo to go to Norfolk and get whatever money he can and then hopefully hook on with another team.