Enquirer news services

NEW YORK - The Yankees want to cut payroll. The Mets want to rid themselves of headache players with headache contracts. And now the two might have found a way to help each other accomplish those goals.

Several baseball sources confirmed to the New York Daily News on Friday that the Mets and Yankees are considering a three-way deal with the Colorado Rockies that would allow each franchise to declare itself a winner.

The linchpin in the deal is Rockies left-hander Denny Neagle, who has struggled in Colorado and has at least three seasons left on a contract that will pay him at least $37 million. Each of the teams involved would pay a share of that contract and in return unload some of its own burdens.

"It's a pretty creative idea," one baseball source said.

In the proposed deal, Neagle would be sent to the Mets, who would make him their No.3 or No.4 starter. The Yankees would send outfielders Raul Mondesi and Rondell White to the Rockies and receive no players in return. The Mets would send either Rey Ordonez or Jeromy Burnitz - probably the latter - to Colorado.

The Yankees and Mets would each contribute $10 million to pay Neagle's contract - $3.3 million annually for three years - with the Rockies picking up the rest, including his buyout.

Here's what would be accomplished:

The Yankees would reduce their payroll by about $9 million for next season (replacing the $12 million owed Mondesi and White with the $3.3 million toward Neagle), significantly reducing their payout toward revenue sharing and the new luxury tax. Over the three years of Neagle's deal, the savings would be about $2 million.

Colorado would pay Mondesi the $7 million for the final year of his contract and White the $5 million for the last year of his. The Yankees could use the savings in their pursuit of Japanese outfielder Hideki Matsui.

The Mets would, regardless of which player the Rockies take, rid themselves of a 2003 salary they don't want, Burnitz's $11.5 million or Ordonez's $6.25 million, and would fill one of the two holes in their pitching rotation at only $3 million per year.

If Burnitz is dealt, the Mets would save a total of about $1.5 million over three seasons. More importantly, they would cut more than $8 million from next season's budget, which could then be used to sign free-agent outfielder Cliff Floyd, a considerable upgrade.

The Rockies would rid themselves of long-term debt in exchange for short-term debt. They would take on the contracts of White, Mondesi and Burnitz (though they would in turn trade one or two of them) for next season, but would free a great deal of cash for 2004 and 2005.

The sources said each of the three general managers - Brian Cashman of the Yankees, Steve Phillips of the Mets and Dan O'Dowd of the Rockies - had been involved in phone conversations on Friday about the deal. None of the GMs could be reached Friday night for comment.

The Yankees have expressed the strongest reservations, stemming from their desire to reap a bigger savings on Mondesi and White. Two potential deals for Mondesi - one with the San Francisco Giants - were said to have fallen through in the last couple days.

ASTROS: Outfielder Richard Hidalgo was recovering at home in Venezuela after he was shot in the left forearm during a carjacking.

"Fortunately, no bones are broken and the ligaments don't appear to be damaged," friend Endy Chavez, an outfielder with the Montreal Expos, told the Associated Press.

Hidalgo bats and throws right-handed. He was released from the hospital Thursday.

"Thank God it was his left arm," Chavez said.

Hidalgo will meet with Houston's training staff on Monday, Astros spokesman Warren Miller said.

"It seems pretty positive, what we know, but we don't know a whole lot yet," Miller said Saturday. "We'll know something Monday when he comes in and sees the medical team."

The 27-year-old right fielder was shot Thursday during an attempted carjacking at an intersection near his home in Valencia, 90 miles from Caracas.