ORLANDO, Fla. — As long as it’s not Monopoly money.
Sandy Alderson made his entrance to the general managers meetings on Monday by trying to set realistic expectations for the Mets’ offseason spending, as the team attempts to plug holes at shortstop, in the outfield and pitching rotation heading to 2014.
“I was upstairs stacking our money, but don’t get excited — they were all fives,” the Mets general manager said jokingly, shortly after arriving at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes.
But Alderson was serious later in his chat with reporters when he said the Mets probably won’t add another $100 million player to their roster, a pronouncement that figures to keep the team from chasing Robinson Cano, Jacoby Ellsbury and maybe Shin-Soo Choo.
“We’ve been in that stratosphere once recently with David Wright, and I think those were special circumstances,” Alderson said referring to the eight-year, $138 million contract the Mets captain received last December.
“It would be difficult to duplicate that again — not from a financial standpoint, but just in terms of team building, it’s difficult to concentrate those kinds of resources in very few players. It’s not really the way you build a quality, sustainable, winning team, I don’t think.”
The Mets’ emphasis remains on players such as Jhonny Peralta and Curtis Granderson, the latter of which rejected a qualifying offer from the Yankees on Monday.
According to a club source, the Mets will speak with Granderson’s agent in the coming days in an attempt to lure the veteran outfielder to Flushing.
Alderson acknowledged the fact the Mets have a protected first-round draft pick for next season will make it easier for him to sign a player who received a qualifying offer.
“The fact we don’t have to give up a No. 1 draft pick, I think is a significant change and maybe a significant advantage from our standpoint,” Alderson said. “The fact that others have to give up a draft pick may cause them to think twice.
“The fact we only have to give up a second-round pick may give us a bit of an edge. If we have to give up a second-round draft pick or a third-round pick or fourth-round pick, I don’t think that will deter us. It will be a factor, it will be a consideration, but it won’t be a deterrent.”
The Mets had roughly $40 million come off the books after the season, but the industry is flush with cash in a shallow free-agent pool. It will leave the Mets in a position of perhaps having to overspend for the players they want.
“You have to deal with reality,” Alderson said, “and I’m not sure tonight, at this moment, we know exactly what the reality is, but I think we’ve always understood there is a time for patience and there’s a time to be aggressive, more aggressive.
“It’s a fine balance. We understand you can’t be patient forever — at some point you’ve got to pull the trigger. Who knows, maybe we’ll see the whites of their eyes in Florida.”
The Mets will not allow the loss of ace Matt Harvey to 2014 as he rehabs from Tommy John surgery to change the organization’s offseason philosphy, according to Alderson.
“The important thing is for it not to affect us or our players psychologically and we continue to march forward and I don’t think that’s happened,” he said. “There’s not a major shift in our thinking.”
The Mets have received about a “half-dozen” inquires from teams interested in trading for Ike Davis or Lucas Duda, according to a club source. Davis is expected to be traded, but Alderson said the Mets could base their decision on which player has the better trade value.
“To some extent [first base] will be an internal decision,” Alderson said. “To some extent it may be a function of the marketplace. We just have to see, but it’s early in the process.”