BASEBALL TRADES N.Y. Mets' Armando Benitez headed across town to rivals

The reliever, unpopular with New York Mets fans, is now a Yankee.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK -- If Armando Benitez thinks Mets' fans were tough, wait until he blows a save and has to deal with George Steinbrenner.
Benitez, the Mets' closer since 1999 and the team's only All-Star this year, was dealt across town Wednesday and will become the setup man for Mariano Rivera.
The Yankees will pay the remainder of Benitez's $6.75 million salary this year, which comes to $2,729,508, plus $456,434 in additional luxury tax. The Mets get right-handed pitchers Jason Anderson, Anderson Garcia and Ryan Bicondoa.
Fan-unfriendly
Benitez became the target of boos at Shea Stadium, blamed for his central role in the team's collapse.
"I know in this town some failures get magnified and talked about," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "I think a change of scenery will do him good. ... Armando has the opportunity to show the New York scene he can be successful in tough spots, like he has been most of the time with the Mets. Armando has a fresh start to prove here, in the same city, that some of this stuff might be more overblown than it is."
The 30-year-old right-hander, eligible for free agency after the season, is 3-3 with a 3.10 ERA in 45 games this season, blowing seven of his 28 save chances. Benitez, who has 197 career saves with Baltimore and the Mets, told Cashman he's willing to become a setup man.
While pitching for Baltimore on May 19, 1998, Benitez triggered one of the most vicious fights ever at Yankee Stadium when he hit Tino Martinez in the back right after giving up a three-run homer to Bernie Williams. Benitez dropped his glove, motioning for Darryl Strawberry to fight, and Strawberry landed a flying hook to Benitez's head before falling into the third-base dugout.
The Mets, whose 40-53 record leaves them at the bottom of the NL East, dealt second baseman Roberto Alomar to the Chicago White Sox on July 1 and outfielder Jeromy Burnitz to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday.
"I don't think we should try to pretend and kid ourselves that we have a chance, a legitimate chance anyway, to get a wild-card spot," Mets interim GM Jim Duquette said. "We're going to have some growing pains, no question about it, in the second half."
The trade is the 12th between the teams, the first since the Yankees acquired third baseman Robin Ventura for outfielder David Justice on Dec. 7, 2001.
Jays-Twins
MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota acquired outfielder Shannon Stewart and a player to be named for outfielder Bobby Kielty.
"It's time we start shaking this ballclub up to see if we can get it going in the right direction," Twins general manager Terry Ryan said.
Minnesota has lost 22 of 28 games and dropped to third place in the AL Central -- 7 1/2 games behind Kansas City.
The Blue Jays will pick up the remainder of Stewart's $6.2 million salary, and the Twins will play the rest of Kielty's $325,000 contract.
"I had heard some things that maybe I would be traded but you don't really ever expect it, but when it happens you're in shock," Kielty said. "I won't really know until I put on a different uniform."
Stewart was hitting .294 with 47 runs, seven homers and 35 RBIs as Toronto's leadoff hitter and left fielder. He missed almost a month earlier this season with a strained hamstring.
Stewart, whom the Twins tried to acquire in 2001, stole 51 bases for the Blue Jays in 1998. His best season was 2000 when he batted .319 with 21 homers, 107 runs, 20 steals and 69 RBIs.
Kielty, a switch-hitter who turns 27 in August, has a .252 average with nine homers and 32 RBIs in 238 at-bats. His .370 on-base percentage is attractive, though, especially to Toronto, and he can play all three outfield positions.