DALLAS — While the Red Sox have been casting a wide net in their explorations of the pitching market, it does not appear that the team will be a match with the Mets on 25-year-old left-hander Jonathon Niese. The Mets, according to a major league source, are not shopping Niese, and remain happy to retain him. However, as they generally do on all their players, the Mets have been listening to proposals from interested teams. There does not, however, to be a match with the Red Sox, as the Mets do not believe that Boston has the kind of players whom they would seek in a haul for a cost-effective young starter.

Niese went 11-11 with a 4.40 ERA for the Mets in 27 games (26 starts) in 2011 with 7.9 strikeouts and 2.5 walks per nine innings. He has just two-plus years of service time, meaning that he will not be arbitration-eligible until after the 2012 season, and won’t be eligible for free agency until after 2016.

The Red Sox made an offer for Carlos Beltran, according to a source, but the Mets preferred a Giants prospect. (AP)

According to sources familiar with the talks, the Red Sox were engaged with the Mets regarding the potential acquisition of outfielder Carlos Beltran, to the point where Boston made what was characterized as a “solid offer” to the Mets for the All-Star right fielder. However, the Red Sox held the line on certain prospects in talks with New York, and regardless, the Mets liked Giants prospect Zach Wheeler — a 21-year-old right-hander who was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2009 draft — more than they did the prospects whom they discussed with Boston.

Of course, the Giants were also more motivated than the Sox to deal for the 34-year-old, who is hitting .289 with a .391 OBP, .513 slugging mark, .904 OPS, 15 homers and an NL-leading 66 RBI. The Giants entered today having scored 3.60 runs per game, a mark that ranks 28th among the 30 major league teams (and 15th among 16 NL squads). The Sox, meanwhile, have far and away the best offense in the majors, having scored 5.50 runs per game.

That fact, along with the recent emergence of 24-year-old Josh Reddick (hitting .362/.403/.619/1.022 in 119 plate appearances), left the Sox in a position of relative comfort with regards to the outfield market. Even as some Sox officials acknowledged that Reddick doesn’t have the proven track record of a Beltran, and that some return to earth is likely, his performance made it difficult for the team to justify giving up a significant prospect haul in exchange for a two-month rental of Beltran, who will be a free agent after the season and who cannot be offered salary arbitration, meaning that he could not be used to acquire draft picks.

In the Sox clubhouse, there was likewise a level of comfort that the Sox didn’t need to acquire Beltran (widely viewed as the best bat on the market) given the performance of Reddick.

“That kid right there, I would throw up against anybody,” Ortiz said of Reddick in an interview with WEEI.com on Tuesday. “What he’s doing right now for us is big-time.

“When I watch him play he just looks like one of those old-school guys who plays the game hard. It doesn’t matter who’s pitching, he’s going to give you 120 percent when he’s playing. That kid right there, that’s how he is. His confidence is unbelievable, he’s hungry and he wants to play. I’ll take my chances with him.”

The Sox also looked into the availability of outfielder Colby Rasmus, but felt that the 24-year-old was someone who would make more sense for them as a potential offseason acquisition from St. Louis. They didn’t have the pieces to match up with the Cardinals, since St. Louis required starting pitching and relief help for the center fielder, who is hitting .246 with a .332 OBP, .420 slugging mark and .752 OPS and 11 homers for the Cardinals. Instead, it was the Blue Jays who were able to acquire Rasmus (a 2005 first-rounder) as part of a three-team, eight-player deal that resulted in starter Edwin Jackson and relievers Marc Rzepczynski and Octavio Dotel going to St. Louis.

Carlos Beltran

While no deal has been made for Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted Monday that sources have said the delay is due to the Mets still needing to finish their prospect evaluations for other teams. Here’s the full text of the tweet:

Sources: Mets expected to finish evaluation of rival farm systems in next day or two, as they prepare for Beltran deal.

If Olney’s tweet and sources are accurate, it would seem the Mets must be preparing to trade someone on the team. With the Mets having already said they won’t trade shortstop Jose Reyes, Beltran seems the most likely option.

Carlos Beltran

BALTIMORE — According to a major league source, contrary to a report earlier Wednesday, Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran has not agreed officially to waive his no-trade clause to the Red Sox or any other team because he has not yet been traded. He did express an interest in going to the Sox at the All-Star game, suggesting that it would be “a no-brainer” for him to accept a trade to Boston given the team’s place in the standings, but that has not been codified.

And while the Red Sox have certainly been kicking the tires in the Beltran derby, their conversations with the Mets about the All-Star have not advanced beyond preliminary discussions that would place them “in the mix.” According to a major league source, the Mets have received interest from 8-10 teams on the outfielder, with the Sox being characterized as one of the six most interested teams. For their part, the Sox haven’t zeroed in on Beltran or any other single player, as they continue to engage in a broad examination of the market at a time when they are determining the degree to which internal upgrades will address areas of need.

The price for the 34-year-old — who is enjoying a tremendous year, hitting .293 with a .389 OBP, .523 slugging mark and .911 OPS, along with 14 homers and an NL-leading 30 doubles — will be high in terms of prospects. The Mets, who had budgeted for all of Beltran’s salary, and have already received some payroll relief thanks to the trade of Francisco Rodriguez, are less concerned about how much of Beltran’s contract they will assume than they are about the caliber of prospects they would receive in return. (That said, some teams have shown a willingness to assume some of the remainder of Beltran’s $18.5 million salary while also offering the Mets prospects.)

The Mets are aiming high in terms of the prospects whom they would want back in dealing for the outfielder, given that he has emerged as the best bat in a weak market for hitters this summer (particularly given that the Mets are viewed, according to sources, as unlikely to trade Jose Reyes).

With the Sox having parted with three of their best prospects in the deal for Adrian Gonzalez, the Mets would be seeking to draw further from the top of the Sox’ farm system, looking at players with a chance to be impact regulars. From the Sox system, that would mean using a player like third baseman Will Middlebrooks — viewed as an above-average offensive and defensive third baseman who projects as a big league regular — as the type of player who might be considered. (Mets special assistant to the GM J.P. Ricciardi was reportedly in Portland the last two nights, at a time when the Mets’ Double-A affiliate was playing the Sox’ Double-A Sea Dogs team.)

In short, the Mets are in a position to shoot high on a player who will be strictly a rental. And while it would be a mistake to rule out the Sox in any conversations about elite players who might move before the trade deadline, the team will remain mindful of not just its 2011 potential but also future seasons.

The Red Sox reportedly have contacted the Mets regarding Carlos Beltran, but ESPN’s Buster Olney writes that “New York is insisting on a Grade A prospect in return.” Olney speculates that the Red Sox might decide to settle for one of the second-tier outfield options such as Kansas City’s Jeff Francoeur, Oakland’s Josh Willingham or San Diego’s Ryan Ludwick.

With all three starting Red Sox outfielders and backup Josh Reddick batting lefty, there has been talk that the switch-hitting 34-year-old Beltran has been on Boston’s watch list. Beltran is a career .291 hitter against lefties, with a higher OPS (.886) when he bats righty against lefties than the reverse (.844).

Beltran has played the majority of his career in center field but has spent time in right field, making him a platoon option with J.D. Drew.

Signed for $18.5 million this season, Beltran has about $6 million left on his contract.

The Brewers announced on Tuesday that they have acquired reliever Francisco Rodriguez and cash from the Mets in exchange for two players to be named.

The 29-year-old has a 3.16 ERA and 23 saves this year, along with 46 strikeouts and 16 walks in 42 2/3 innings pitched. He is in the final year of a three-year, $37 million deal that he signed with the Mets following a 2008 campaign in which he recorded a big-league record 62 saves for the Angels.

However, Rodriguez also has a $17.5 million team option that would vest as a guaranteed year with 55 games finished. Rodriguez has finished 34 games thus far this year for the Mets.

However, the Brewers had a need for a bullpen upgrade, as their 3.92 relief ERA ranks 20th in the majors.

“Francisco has been one of the best relievers in the game for many years,” Brewers GM Bob Melvin said in a statement. “He is a high-quality arm who will be a tremendous asset to our bullpen as we prepare for the final months of the regular season and playoffs.”

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told ESPN’s Adam Rubin on Thursday that it was “very unlikely” the team would trade Jose Reyes during the season.

Rubin’s tweet backs up a New York Post story on Monday by Joel Sherman in which Alderson said that not only would the team not trade Reyes, but the Mets would try to sign Reyes to a long-term contract in the offseason.

Reyes leads the NL with a .354 batting average and has a career-best OBP of .398.