MLB

Niese sees David as Wright for Mets

Count Jon Niese among those who would be stunned if David Wright doesn’t return to the Mets next season with a new long-term contract extension.

In Niese’s mind, “Wright” and “Mets leader” are synonymous.

“He’s a guy that leads by example, kind of like Chipper [Jones] did with Atlanta, and I know he wants to be what Chipper was with Atlanta,” the Mets lefty said yesterday. “He is the face of the franchise, and he wants to be a part of it throughout his whole Mets career and you have to respect a guy like that.

“I know the love [Wright] has for the city and how he wants to be with the Mets organization his whole career and I would definitely be surprised if he doesn’t.”

The next move is Wright’s, as he mulls an eight-year offer from the Mets worth roughly $140 million that would give him the largest deal in franchise history. A chunk of that money would be deferred, lowering the present-day value of the contract, and that has created a point of contention between the two sides as they attempt to finalize a deal.

Wright’s new deal would include 2013, for which the Mets recently picked up the third baseman’s option, valued at $16 million.

Wright’s extension would surpass the six-year, $137.5 million contract Johan Santana signed with the Mets before the 2008 season. As a point of comparison, Santana agreed to have $5 million deferred annually from his deal (payable seven years from the season in which the salary was earned) reducing the present-day value of his contract to $123.1 million. It remains unclear how much of Wright’s money the Mets want to defer.

Though Wright’s agent Seth Levinson said this week no deal is imminent, the Mets, according to sources, are still hopeful an agreement can be reached before next week’s Winter Meetings conclude.

The Mets would like to reach a resolution on Wright before moving forward with R.A. Dickey, who still is waiting to hear back from general manager Sandy Alderson after making a recent counter-proposal on the team’s offer for an extension.

“I would certainly love to have them back on the team,” Niese said in Long Beach, where he worked with volunteers in the cleanup after Hurricane Sandy. “They are two great talents, but we have to wait and see.”

➤ Niese plans to undergo a medical procedure before Christmas that would correct an irregular heartbeat. He said he would receive treatment as an outpatient and need about three days of recovery.

mpuma@nypost.com