The New York Mets on Wednesday
acquired outfielder Ben Johnson and right-hander Jon Adkins from
the San Diego Padres for right-hander Heath Bell and left-hander
Royce Ring.
Johnson, 25, batted .250 with four home runs and 12 RBI in 58
games with the Padres last season. He is a career .236 hitter
with seven homers and 25 RBI in two seasons with San Diego.
"Ben Johnson is a versatile outfielder who can play all three
spots, has speed and shown some power," Mets general manager
Omar Minaya said. "He is just 25 years old, and we feel he has
yet to reach his potential."
Adkins, 29, went 2-1 with a 3.98 ERA in 55 relief appearances
with the Padres in 2006. He is 4-5 with a 4.63 ERA in
three-plus seasons with San Diego and the Chicago White Sox.
"Jon Adkins has had success on the major-league level and can
pitch multiple innings," Minaya said. "He's another quality arm
to add to our bullpen staff."
Bell, 29, posted a 5.11 ERA in 22 games with the defending
National League East Division champion Mets. The hard-throwing
right-hander is 1-5 with a 4.92 ERA in three seasons with New
York.
Ring, 25, pitched to a 2.13 ERA in 11 relief appearances with
the Mets last season.
"In Bell and Ring, we are getting two pitchers with solid
major-league experience," Padres general manager Kevin Towers
said. "We think that Bell, with his size and power, has
tremendous upside as a potential setup guy with a good fastball
and plus slider.
"Situational lefties are hard to come by, and Ring is someone
who has been dominant against lefties his entire career."