"Kelly Shoppach said he doesn't know how his name got linked to the matter, but yesterday he denied involvement with authoring a text message to Red Sox management last month that aired grievances about Boston manager Bobby Valentine.

A published report put Shoppach squarely in the middle of the chaos, but the backup catcher, whom the Mets acquired last week in a waiver deal with the Red Sox, said the text message (which was sent from first baseman Adrian Gonzalez's phone) wasn't his handiwork.

Red Sox players later met with team brass to voice concerns about Valentine."