MLB

Mets, Wright both taking chances with mega-deal

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As the Mets and David Wright moved toward their historic agreement, Sandy Alderson met with the team’s owners to make sure everyone was on the same page.

Ever the pragmatist, the Mets’ general manager stressed to his bosses that, if they were to commit eight years and $138 million to Wright, they’d be overpaying for what will almost certainly be Wright’s decline phase in the contract’s final seasons. Even after Wright conceded this likelihood by agreeing to a salary structure (as first reported by The Post) in which he’ll make low amounts on the front and back ends of the deal and high amounts in the middle.

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This situation worked out because both sides were willing to take on considerable risk. Wright put his future on the Mets becoming relevant once more, while the Mets are crossing their fingers that Wright’s contract won’t become an albatross, a la Alex Rodriguez’s monstrosity with the Yankees, down the line.

“He, and both of us, didn’t want the contract to be $25 million [in 2020] and he’s coming off a year where he might not have the same production he has in the middle. We are realists on that,” Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said yesterday at the Winter Meetings, at a news conference to announce Wright’s extension. “In the end, we wanted to have it be a reasonable number because if he wants to play a ninth year, we’re coming off from not $25 million.”

That’s smart planning, but let’s face it: The odds are slim that a 37-year-old Wright will be worth anywhere approaching the $12 million he’ll get in 2020. Even factoring for inflation and the game’s continued, expected growth.

The Mets signed off on that reality because of who Wright is and what he represents. He is the face of the franchise who, by sticking around, gives beleaguered Mets ownership much needed credibility after four trying seasons.

If Wright can see the light — and the dollars, of course — then the Mets hope many of their fans can envision the same.

“There’s 100 different factors that went into this decision,” Wright said, “but before any of them could be taken into consideration, number one had to be that commitment to winning. And I got the answers I wanted to hear, and that kind of kicked things off.”

The two sides danced for a couple of months, both anticipating where the talks would wind up. Once the Mets got to the $120 million neighborhood — that’s on top of the $16 million they already owed him for 2013 — an agreement was inevitable. The Mets benefited from Evan Longoria’s six-year, $100-million deal with Tampa Bay setting a lower parameter, and Wright could set his eye on exceeding the total $137.5 million that Johan Santana received from the Mets back in February 2008.

Wright’s little blow-up last week, in which he and his agent, Seth Levinson, protested to the website MLB Trade Rumors that the deal wasn’t as far along as projected, turned out to be much ado about nothing. Wright just didn’t like the details getting out. What are you going to do? It’s hard to control every component of such a process.

The back and forth concluded early on the morning of Dec. 7, and that got us to yesterday’s coronation — and temporarily distracted our attention from the R.A. Dickey saga. The Mets insisted within the industry that they wouldn’t budge from their extension offer, believed to be two years for about $20 million, to the knuckleballer, and teams in touch with them have complained the Mets’ asking price on a Dickey trade is way too high.

One team insider referred to Dickey’s $5 million salary for 2013 as “found money,” given how much the right-hander has given already for such little pay, so the Mets could forward to Dickey’s walk year without certainty. Manager Terry Collins said he isn’t worried about Dickey’s situation creating a distraction.

Every decision inherently comes with risks and rewards. The Mets went into the Wright contract with their eyes wide open on the risks. The rewards, they feel, make it worthwhile, and hey: For the first time in a long time, folks aren’t questioning the Mets’ financial viability.