Curtis Granderson has gone from eating salmon with the Mets to talking turkey.
According to an industry source, discussions between general manager Sandy Alderson and the free-agent outfielder have intensified since Sunday, when the two convened for a dinner meeting in San Diego.
But as of Wednesday night, Granderson and his agent still were in talks with other teams. The Mariners and White Sox were believed to be in the mix, and the Red Sox could be a dark horse following Jacoby Ellsbury’s defection to the Yankees on Tuesday.
As The Post reported earlier this week, the 32-year-old Granderson has sought a four-year contract. But the Mets, according to the source, are hesitant to go beyond three years, with perhaps an option for 2017.
If Granderson, a Chicago-area native, were to receive a three-year offer from the White Sox, the thinking is the Mets almost certainly would have to add a fourth guaranteed year to the contract.
If the Mets whiff in their pursuit of Granderson? A source with connections to the club predicted the Mets then would turn attention to Nelson Cruz, a less preferable option because Granderson is viewed as a more complete package.
The Mets also like Granderson — who hit 43 home runs for the Yankees in 2012 — because he would bring a lefty power presence to a lineup that has become more right-handed with the addition of free-agent outfielder Chris Young.
Only bolstering Granderson’s resume, from the Mets’ perspective, is the fact he has experience playing on the New York stage and has thrived.
The Cubs and Astros are among the other teams that have been linked to Granderson, who declined a qualifying offer from the Yankees after an injury-shortened 2013 season in which he hit .229 with seven homers and 15 RBIs.
Because the Mets’ first-round draft pick (10th overall) is protected, the club would lose a second-rounder next year by signing Granderson.
The Mets already missed in their top shortstop target of the offseason, Jhonny Peralta — who last week signed a four-year contract with the Cardinals worth $53 million.
Young, who signed a one-year deal with the Mets worth $7.25 million, represents the only money spent by the club this winter. Alderson has said about $40 million came off the books after last season, though the general manager has declined to pinpoint how much of that money will be reinvested toward 2014.
But the general manager has said next year’s payroll won’t dip below the 2013 figure of $87 million.