Isringhausen, 38, had been against the idea, but he told the Mets he would consider the possibility. He has said he will not pitch in Class AAA once the season starts.

The Mets have also discussed the idea of asking another right-handed reliever, Blaine Boyer, to accept a minor league assignment. He has an opt-out in his contract that would allow him to become a free agent if the Mets do not put him on the 25-man roster.

– David Waldstein, N.Y. Times.

Waldstein’s report seems to jive with something I wrote last week: Yes, Boyer has an opt-out, but if the team is confident he will accept an assignment to Triple-A instead of taking the out, the Mets are probably best served keeping Manny Acosta on the roster and stashing Boyer in Buffalo until they inevitably need a bullpen arm. Though Boyer has enjoyed an impressive spring, Acosta has been a more effective pitcher across his career. If the team can figure a way to keep both pitchers, it should.

Sure sounds from this report like the Mets are doing everything they can to keep as many viable Major League options in house as possible, a process that never seemed to go smoothly on Omar Minaya’s watch. If Isringhausen is willing to stick around in extended Spring Training, the Mets may yet be able to hold on to all the pitchers once competing for bullpen roles (except Oliver Perez, of course) while keeping Bobby Parnell in the big-league setup job he has rightfully earned.

But we shall see.