MLB

Yankees possible spot for Mets’ Wright

WRIGHT MOVE: The Mets should look to trade David Wright for prospects as soon as they can, Post columnist Kevin Kernan says. (Neil Miller)

The future is not bright for the Mets, but it is glowing for David Wright.

Sure, this upcoming season is a year in baseball purgatory for Wright, if the Mets keep him the entire season. Perhaps, though, the Mets learned their lesson from misplaying the Jose Reyes situation and will trade Wright for prospects.

The Mets are in a prospects’ world right now, and the sooner they accept that and get the fans thinking of the future, 2014 and beyond, instead of the ugly present, the better off they will be in the long run.

Wright has many intriguing possibilities in front of him. If he is traded, he can void the $16 million club option on his contract for 2013 and become a free agent after this upcoming season.

Then, Wright, who turns 29 in 13 days, will be able to choose what situation is best for him. The Mets need to free David Wright and get some great prospects in return.

Wright might be able to get back to New York with the Yankees as a free agent. Alex Rodriguez will be 38 in 2013. That is a good time to move Rodriguez to a full-time designated hitter and make Wright the Yankees third baseman.

That would add insult to injury for Mets fans, but that’s life. At least Wright would not be in the Mets division like Reyes is with the Marlins or with the Phillies. Wright would be a great fit for the Yankees and is the class of free-agent third basemen in 2013. The Yankees would be getting a player who is geared for New York and would benefit hitting in the Yankees lineup and Yankee Stadium with that jet stream to right-center, like his old home run days at Shea. Wright would give the Yankees another much-needed right-handed bat.

As for Rodriguez, nearly every time he sees me he asks about Wright. He thinks the world of Wright, and it wouldn’t bruise his ego to turn third base over to a younger player he admires.

All of this makes too much sense for the Yankees not to explore. Wright would be on a pennant contender and would fit perfectly into manager Joe Girardi’s clubhouse — exactly the type of player and person Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman like to bring to the Yankees.

If not the Yankees, the Red Sox could be looking for a third baseman at that time.

If the Mets come to their senses and put Wright on the block as soon as possible, the first call they should make is to Boston, which desperately needs a right-handed bat in their lineup. The pitching was the big reason the Red Sox staggered to a historic collapse in September, but the lack of a right-handed bat really killed the Red Sox offensively.

Once Kevin Youkilis (the Red Sox have a $13 million option on him for 2013) went down again with an injury, that weakness was exposed. Dangle Wright to the Red Sox and the Red Sox may be able to work out a deal that will keep Wright in Boston and away from the Yankees.

The Red Sox’s talent evaluators might think they have their future third baseman in prospect Will Middlebrooks, but Wright is a sure thing.

“Nearly everyone is looking for a third baseman,’’ one scout said yesterday. “Third base is getting to be a rare commodity. David Wright is going to have a lot of options.’’

Certainly, the Cubs would have an interest in Wright. Nearly all of the big market teams would have an interest. Wright was supposed to be the Mets third basemen for his entire career, but circumstances have changed. Wright needs to cut ties with the team of his youthful dreams as quickly as possible, and the Mets need to stop the charade that they could be this magical, mystery tour playoff team this season.

Get prospects and make it as bright a future as possible for the Mets — and David Wright.