Luis Hernandez, who is out of options and appears boxed out of the backup middle infield job by Chin-lung Hu's presence, is drawing interest from other teams in trade talks.

There's a limit to what the Mets could receive in return, but Hernandez is valued because of the lack of quality backup middle infielders.

Hernandez would be unlikely to clear waivers.

He had a dramatic final at-bat with the Mets last season. He fouled a ball off his foot and broke it, but continued the plate appearance and homered on the next pitch off Atlanta's Tim Hudson. After laboring around the bases, Hernandez required surgery to fix a fractured metatarsal.

The Padres would likely have interest, according to a San Diego-based report by Corey Brock. Paul DePodesta and Sandy Alderson have ties to that club, so it seems a natural landing spot.