ORLANDO, Fla. — The next step is to actually add a new player or two.
Mets general manager Sandy Alderson departed the owners’ and GM’s meetings on Thursday without any new talent stuffed inside his suitcase, but with a guarded sense of optimism his conversations from this week will bare fruit.
Team executives met with free-agent Jhonny Peralta on Tuesday at a site near the meetings, according to sources, and Alderson held discussions with various agents throughout the week.
Alderson’s checklist included Adam Katz, the representative for Nelson Cruz, and Matt Brown, the agent for Curtis Granderson. Brown was not present at the meetings, but had a phone conversation with Alderson, according to a source.
“We met with some clubs, met with some agents and laid some groundwork — had some phone calls with agents that didn’t attend these meetings — so [we] made some progress,” Alderson said.
On the trade front, the Mets began gauging interest in first basemen Ike Davis and Lucas Duda. Davis remains the more likely of the two to be traded — with teams such as the Rockies, Brewers and Orioles showing some level of interest — but the Mets aren’t in a hurry to make a deal.
One club official painted a scenario under which the Mets will tender the arbitration-eligible Davis a new contract and then look to deal him during or after next month’s winter meetings, when teams might be more desperate for power after the initial wave of sluggers are signed or traded.
The Mets have held discussions with the agent for veteran reliever Alfredo Aceves — who has pitched for the Yankees and Red Sox — and continue to court LaTroy Hawkins, whom they are hoping to re-sign. But there is some thought Hawkins, who came to the club on a minor league deal last winter, might command upwards of $4 million for next season, pricing out the Mets.
Though Bronson Arroyo’s name has been linked to the Mets, the club has not yet contacted the veteran right-hander’s agent.
Alderson declined to estimate the number of free agents in which the Mets have some level of interest at this point.
“We’re looking to improve the team, there are a number of holes, so there is a variety of combinations that might work for us,” Alderson said. “There are lots of free agents we would consider in the right combinations. It’s going to be hard to narrow it down too much at this point.”
If the Mets don’t get what they want in free agency, the trade market might fill their needs.
“I think it’s possible that a number of factors will lead to more trades,” Alderson said. “The inflation on the free-agent market — or the potential for inflation — as well as draft-choice compensation and those kind of things.
“If we’re going to see an uptick in trade activity, it will probably be a little bit later, unless clubs conclude as early as now the free-agent market isn’t attractive or is too expensive.”