MLB

Mets GM Alderson surprised by Peralta contract

The Mets held an introductory conference call on Tuesday, but it wasn’t with a player many Mets fans had on their wish lists.

Instead of Jhonny Peralta on his way to Queens to play shortstop, it was outfielder Chris Young, coming off an awful season in Oakland.

General manager Sandy Alderson said Young would compete with Juan Lagares in spring training for the starting spot in center, but the bigger question remains: How much are the Mets going to spend this winter?

“It’s been very lucrative for players who have signed so far,” Alderson said of the offseason. “Whether that continues or not remains to be seen.”
Alderson said he, like many other people within baseball, underestimated how much Peralta would get.

“I don’t know if anybody was terribly surprised by the McCann contract,” Alderson said of Brian McCann signing with the Yankees for five years and $85 million, with a vesting option for a sixth year. “I think people have been surprised about the Peralta contract.”

The four-year, $53 million deal St. Louis gave Peralta greatly increased the odds Ruben Tejada would remain at shortstop next season, although Alderson wouldn’t rule out a trade.

Alderson also said the money being spent so far has forced the Mets to adjust how much they will look at the market going forward as they continue to search for another starting outfielder, as well as starting pitchers and other holes that need to be filled.

It’s unclear what role Young will play.

On Tuesday, Young made it clear he would prefer to play center and repeatedly said his lack of production in each of the past two years was largely the result of a lack of regular playing time, first in Arizona and then with Oakland.

According to Alderson, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Lagares in center for the first exhibition game, with Young in one of the corner spots.

Despite the lack of certainty about where he will play in the field, Young said he also was swayed by conversations he had with David Wright, Eric Young Jr., as well as LaTroy Hawkins, who recently left for the Rockies. And Alderson and manager Terry Collins told him more moves were on the way.

“It was made clear they would try to do some things to strengthen the team and be able to compete in a tough division,” Young said. “I like the fact it’s a young team.”
And, no doubt, that he was able to get $7.25 million off a down year.

The Mets also will rely on Tejada bouncing back if they are unable to replace him, with Alderson adding Tejada’s conditioning program in Michigan was over and he was back in Panama. He is cleared for full activity after recovering from a fractured leg.

“Is it conceivable that Ruben Tejada or someone within the organization is playing shortstop for us on Opening Day? I think the short answer is ‘Yes,’ ” Alderson said. “This is a process of improving the team, not improving a position.”