"For years, John Smoltz was a linchpin of the pitching staff of one of the Mets' biggest rivals. Now the righty is among the pitchers the Mets are considering among a group of free agents, according to a baseball official familiar with their thinking.

Smoltz, who spent 20 years with the Braves before pitching for both Boston and St. Louis last year, is "in the pool" the Mets are mulling, the official said. Smoltz, who turns 43 in May, was 2-5 with a 8.32 ERA when he was released by the Red Sox last year and went 1-3 with a 4.26 ERA for the Cardinals over the final six weeks of the season.

Other free-agent pitching possibilities for the Mets include lefthander Doug Davis and righties Jon Garland and Joel Pineiro. The Mets are also still negotiating with free agent catcher Bengie Molina, though that seems to be a slow process."