MET NOTES

MONTREAL – The Mets will certainly work this offseason on strengthening their set-up relief core.

But one unheralded Met who’s already making a bid to be considered part of the core is Tyler Yates.

After his failed attempt at being a starting pitcher, Yates has begun to find himself as a short reliever. In his last six outings (stretching from Sept. 4), Yates has been dominant, firing six scoreless frames, allowing just two hits and posting a 7-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Yates said he’s simply gone back to what made him successful in Triple-A – “just throwing sinkers in, keeping the ball down, challenging people and being aggressive.”

Said manager Art Howe: “He’s recognizing what pitches are effective for him. His pitch selection is improved, and his control has been good.”

While the Mets will certainly try to add to their bullpen via the offseason market, they’ve also long been high on the Hawaiian-born Yates, who owns a power right arm and is still just 27 years old.

When you factor in that both current right-handed set-up men (Mike DeJean and Ricky Bottalico) are free agents, Yates’ September outings could be an important audition for next year.

“That’s exactly what it is,” Yates said, “an audition for a bullpen job next year and showing I can pitch up here.”

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DeJean, who’s been on the DL with leg tendinitis, flew back to New York to undergo another MRI.

Mike Cameron is in an 0-for-13 slump . . . Richard Hidalgo is batting just .131 (8-for-61) in September . . . Craig Brazell has four hits in his last four at-bats and could see time at first base in the Expos series.

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According to a report in the Denver Post, former Met Jeromy Burnitz is contemplating retiring at the end of the year. His family would be the main reason.

“That would be the reason, to concentrate on being a father and husband,” the 35-year-old Burnitz said.