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PORT ST. LUCIE — Fred Wilpon is starting to talk like a potential big spender again.
The Mets’ principal owner arrived at spring training yesterday excited about 2013, but also said he could envision a bright future for the franchise that includes adding some bulk to a payroll that has diminished in recent years.
“I think if the market were such, yes, the payroll could go up,” Wilpon said at the team’s spring training complex. “But not just to have the payroll go up so you can write headlines.
“The payroll will be commensurate with anything we’ve ever done, because we can do it. People have to come to the ballpark. If we have a competitive team, they will. Everything that’s in the past, you guys saw the pain that we went through, is gone.”
The Mets had a payroll of about $93 million last year and are expected to fall within that range again this season. Adding to the team’s payroll flexibility next offseason will be the fact about $50 million is coming off the books with expiring contracts from Johan Santana, Jason Bay and Frank Francisco (though Bay will continue to receive deferred payments after a November buyout).
Wilpon’s pronouncement yesterday, added to the money coming off the books, could put the Mets in position to chase high-profile potential free agents such as Jacoby Ellsbury, Robinson Cano and Shin-Soo Choo next offseason. But all are represented by Scott Boras, with whom the Mets just finished negotiations that ended with Michael Bourn signing with the Indians.
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When general manager Sandy Alderson arrived before the 2011 season, the payroll was about $145 million. Since then, Wilpon and co-owner Saul Katz have received a favorable settlement in a clawback lawsuit by the trustee in the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme. The Mets also have repaid loans to Major League Baseball and seen increased television revenues.
“Ownership does not have a strong parameter on the payroll,” Wilpon said. “This is a different era. Sandy and his staff run the baseball department. They come to us and they say what they need. We extended that. He has that. But Sandy’s not a guy that’s just going to sign players. This is a different era.”
Wilpon said things have come together perfectly to bolster his family’s business empire.
“Sometimes luck is the residue of design,” Wilpon said. “Real estate has gone up. We have many apartment developments around the country and they are all rented, and SNY has done spectacularly, the stock market is up, so we benefited from all those things.
“There’s no one in family — there’s the Katz family, the Wilpon family, the kids — no one has any personal debt. Zero. Everything has been paid. We don’t owe a dollar to anybody. That’s what made us tight. We were still getting lots of revenues, but those revenues were going to pay off debt. That’s done.”
Wilpon said he was hopeful the team could break even financially in 2013, despite losing money the past two seasons.
“I always strive to break even,” Wilpon said. “I’m not looking to make any money. So if people don’t show up, that’s hard, so you have to balance it.”
Wilpon also praised the job Alderson has done.
“He’s done an excellent job,” Wilpon said. “I think it’s not only Sandy, it’s the whole group. That group is very independent thinkers.”
mpuma@nypost.com