Minaya in no hurry to go outside for rotation help

General manager Omar Minaya spoke yesterday with the agent for Claudio Vargas, but the Mets appear to be willing to wait before going outside the organization for rotation help in the wake of Pedro Martinez's hamstring injury.

Bean Stringfellow, the agent for Vargas, indicated that Minaya was not prepared to offer the righthander a starting job in the immediate future. The Mets won't need a fifth starter until April 12 and Orlando Hernandez is eligible to come off the disabled list the following day. Hernandez made the first of what he hopes will be three rehab starts for Class A St. Lucie last night, allowing two runs and three hits in five innings against Vero Beach. He struck out six, walked one and threw 64 pitches. Continue