After breaking off contract negotiations with Yorvit Torrealba over the weekend, Mets general manager Omar Minaya finally found his catcher in 31 year-old Johnny Estrada.

Acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers for ineffective reliever Guillermo Mota, Estrada fills the hole in the lineup vacated by Paul Lo Duca and completes the Mets starting nine for next season.

“Johnny adds depth to our catching situation,” said Minaya in a statement released by the Mets. “He’s a former All-Star who switch-hits and has hit over .300 three times in his career.”

Estrada, a switch hitter, batted .278 last season with 40 runs scored, 25 doubles, 10 home runs and 54 RBI in 120 games. He also hit .313 against the National League East and knows the division spending time there with the Phillies and Braves.

There were some concerns about Estrada, since he did clash with manager Ned Yost in Milwaukee and despite being an All-Star, he will now be with five teams in seven seasons.

Also he is coming off arthroscopic surgery to remove cartilage in his left knee and a bone spur in his right elbow. He is expected, though, to be ready for Spring Training.

Teamed with the re-signed Ramon Castro, Estrada gives the Mets a good mix behind the plate and with Luis Castillo signed completes the starting lineup, since Minaya said Monday he will go with a young outfielder in right, such as Carlos Gomez or Lastings Milledge.

One of those two may go in a trade though, since Minaya is now looking for a front line starting pitcher to replace Tom Glavine and said will go on the trade market for players such as the Twins Johan Santana, Brewers Ben Sheets or the Marlins Dontrelle Willis. He expects to be active at the Winter Meetings starting on Dec. 3 looking for that missing piece.

The Mets will also look for some bullpen help, as it was one of the causes of the collapse last season.

As for Mota, it ends a controversial run with the Mets. Pitching great after being acquired in Aug. 2006 off waivers, the righthander tested positive for an illegal substance and missed the first 50 games of 2007. When he came back, he went 2-2 with a 5.76 ERA in 52 games and was the poster boy for the Mets bullpen failures.

“It means a lot,” Lo Duca said. “I am only 3,000 away from Pete [Rose]. It’s neat. Grinding away for seven or eight years, it’s an accomplishment.”

Given the ball after the game, the 34 year-old catcher said he will put it in a trophy room at home and hopes to play long enough “to get 1,000 more.”

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The loss dropped Tom Glavine’s mark to 5-3, which may be because this year he’s in the No. 1 slot in the rotation and a number of times facing the opponents ace.

But Glavine isn’t using it as an excuse.

“From my standpoint, it doesn’t really matter who I face,” said Glavine, who is still five wins away from 300. “Sure, I ran up against some really good pitchers and some guys pitched real well. I don’t worry about that side of it, but my side of it, which is getting the guys a chance to win.”

Coupled with his record is a nice 3.44 ERA.

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Guillermo Mota made his first appearance of the year after serving a fifty game suspension. He pitched two innings and gave up one hit.

“I know what I did,” Mota said. “I was sitting and watching and thinking that I don’t want to do it again. It’s something you just learn from it.”

When Mota entered the game, there were no boos and really no cheers either, which was maybe due to Barry Zito’s performance, which took the crowd out of the game.

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Willie Randolph reported Jose Valentin played a game in extended Spring Training and looked good, finishing 3-5 with a walk. The second baseman, who is rehabbing his knee, played three innings at second and then DHed for the rest of the game.