MLB

Agent defends Beltran against Mets owner

After Fred Wilpon was quoted calling the Mets “sh—y” in an article in The New Yorker, and made critical comments about stars Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and David Wright, the team said: “We’re dealing with this internally.”

Scott Boras, Beltran’s agent, said he believes that’s what the Mets owner should have done in the first place.

“These statements are not indicative of the Fred Wilpon I know,” Boras said yesterday.

Wilpon called himself a “schmuck” for signing Beltran to a $119 million deal after one great playoff series with the Astros in 2004 and said the right fielder is “65 to 70 percent of what he was.”

Boras pointed to Beltran’s current stats to dispute that opinion and added he didn’t think it was a good idea for Wilpon to knock his own players. This season, Beltran is leading the Mets with eight home runs and 25 RBIs (tied with Ike Davis).

“If you’re a member of a team or an organization and respect one another, any evaluation or internal opinion of players currently on the team should stay there,” Boras said. “If you want success and optimal performance, it’s best to keep those in-house.”

It’s too late for that and it remains to be seen how Wilpon’s comments will impact Beltran’s future with the team.

“He’s back to being Carlos Beltran,” Boras said. “Any owner who had Carlos Beltran playing like this would be very happy.”

Wilpon didn’t sound pleased with his investment in the article and Boras was unsure what might happen down the road.

“Carlos enjoys being a Met and is excited by how well he’s doing,” Boras said. “I have always had a good relationship with Jeff and Fred. It’s up to the individual player to look at the context of the statements discussed and come up with their own opinion.”

Boras defended Beltran, who battled knee injuries before shifting from center field to right field this season.

“Any elite major-league player that plays with determination, pride and commitment is gonna get hurt,” Boras said. “The fact of the matter is the character, the will and the skill of the player is not an issue when you get hurt.”