Agbayani playing waiting game

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By the manager's choice, Benny Agbayani was out of the New York Mets' lineup yesterday at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix. Whether he's gone for good could be decided in the next few days.

The decision on whether to move Agbayani belongs to general manager Steve Phillips. But Phillips is angry that there's been a leak in the private business of waiver transactions, an offense that carries a $250,000 fine by Major League Baseball.

"Clearly, there's a breach somewhere," Mets assistant GM Jim Duquette said before the Mets-Diamondbacks game. "We're very surprised at how much attention this has received."

Agbayani, a former St. Louis School and Hawai'i Pacific standout, is said to have been claimed on waivers by at least one club, and the Mets could pull him back or make a deal with the claiming team with the lowest standing, believed to be the San Diego Padres.

Agbayani knows that Jim Woodward, the scout who signed him for the Mets in 1993, currently works for the Padres.

Phillips was to phone Agbayani's agent this weekend, clarifying the Mets' position. Agbayani said he'd hear from his agent tomorrow, when notification would come on a waiver claim. The Mets would then have 48 hours to pull him back or make a trade.

"I don't care what's going on. It's not my decision what they're going to do," Agbayani said. "That's Steve Phillips' job."

Agbayani said he understands that virtually all players are subjected to waivers at this time, and knows those players can be pulled back if claimed.

But he can count, too. Since making the deal for Matt Lawton, the Mets have six outfielders.

Because of that darkening cloud above Agbayani's psyche, manager Bobby Valentine said he benched the left fielder yesterday against the Diamondbacks "to let it settle."

Agbayani is batting .383 (18-for-47) in his last 15 games. He's batted .500 on this road trip, raising his average to .285.