Agbayani staying put
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
Benny Agbayani's fans can relax now. The Hawai'i resident will not part ways with the New York Mets.
"Tell everyone in Hawai'i, 'Don't worry,' " he told The Advertiser last night.
The former St. Louis School and Hawai'i Pacific University athlete returned to the starting lineup last night in the Mets' 3-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. He sat out Saturday's and Sunday's games after waivers were requested by the Mets on Friday. He went 0-for-4 last night before being lifted in the top of the eighth inning as part of a double switch.
"I met with our general manager (Steve Phillips) and he said he has no intention of doing anything to me," Agbayani said.
Agbayani said he wasn't worried about the waiver process, which is common in baseball after the July 31 trading deadline. Had no team claimed Agbayani, he would have been free to be traded. But the San Francisco Giants placed a claim.
The Mets could have worked out a trade with the Giants, let the Giants have him or rescind the waiver request. By rescinding the request, Agbayani said he cannot be waived again until after the season.
(There were reports that Agbayani could be waived again in September. A message to his agent, Danny Horwits, was not immediately returned for clarification.)
"Everything was blown out of proportion," Agbayani said. "It seemed that I was being singled out."
The Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger reported last week that Agbayani, Todd Zeile, Robin Ventura, Edgardo Alfonzo and Mike Piazza had waivers requested on them. The waiver wire is supposedly confidential, but leaks to the media are common.
The Star-Ledger then reported yesterday that only Agbayani was claimed. It added that the Giants wanted Agbayani, but a deal could not be arranged.
What made Agbayani attractive on the waiver wire was his salary ($260,000). Also, Agbayani was a clutch player for the Mets during their postseason run last year. He had a game-winning home run to beat the Giants in the National League Divisional Series and drove in the go-ahead run in Game 3 of the World Series.
Through yesterday, Agbayani was batting .280 with five home runs and 24 RBIs. He has batted .359 in the past 12 games.
Except for the waiver controversy, all is well, Agbayani said. He got to see his half-brother, Lanny Agbayani, a former 'Aiea High quarterback, who is in the New York area attending classes.
Next week, Agbayani will be reunited with his wife, Niela, and newborn daughter, Aleia, when the Mets travel to San Diego. They will remain together for the rest of the season.
