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Sandy Alderson hasn’t exactly been “Mr. December” with the Mets in his first two seasons.
The Mets general manager is still searching for his first significant catch at the Winter Meetings, after last year noxiously trading Angel Pagan to the Giants for Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez. The rest of the haul included signing relievers Frank Francisco and Jon Rauch.
In his first Winter Meetings as Mets GM, Alderson gave reliever D.J. Carrasco a two-year contract and signed disappointing catcher Ronny Paulino.
Enough said.
Alderson is due. But he also won’t have much spending power — perhaps $10 million toward the 2013 payroll — when he arrives tomorrow in Nashville, Tenn., for this year’s meetings, so creativity counts.
A look at the Mets’ priorities:
1. Fix the outfield. Alderson wasn’t kidding last month when he quipped, “What outfield?” in response to a question about his outfielders. The Mets desperately need two major league outfielders, preferably right-handed bats, to join projected starter Lucas Duda.
The Mets are expected to at least explore the possibility of Cody Ross, but the veteran might be beyond the team’s grasp financially after having a breakout year with the Red Sox. Pagan and Shane Victorino are veterans who could stabilize center field, but price is again the issue. Look for the Mets to try and get creative and perhaps dangle Jon Niese as trade bait for a legitimate starting outfielder.
2. Get a catcher. Toronto’s J.P. Arencibia and Boston’s Jarrod Saltalamacchia are among the potential trade targets. The free-agent crop isn’t impressive, with Miguel Olivo and Kelly Shoppach among the lower-priced options the Mets could pursue.
In an ideal scenario, the Mets would trade a starting pitcher and receive a quality catcher and outfielder in return. But that deal might not be easy to find.
3. Resolve R.A. Dickey’s status. David Wright is locked up, now it’s time to push for a resolution with Dickey, who could serve as the catalyst for making a deal to improve the lineup. Alderson should not be allowed to leave the Winter Meetings unless Dickey has either been traded or signed to an extension, and, according to ESPN.com, the Mets have increased their offer to the knuckleballer. The Royals have already called to ask about Dickey, and those conversations could resume if Kansas City shows an inclination to include major-league ready players in a deal.
4. Look for bullpen help. One more veteran arm — preferably one with at least some closing experience — would make the Mets feel better about a bullpen that could feature plenty of youth (Jeurys Familia, Jenrry Mejia, Josh Edgin and Robert Carson). Joakim Soria, coming off Tommy John surgery, would be worth a look if there’s any money left after addressing the outfield and catcher.
5. Major league depth. Scott Hairston probably won’t be back, severely crippling the team’s depth. Jordany Valdespin appears capable of becoming the team’s No. 1 bat off the bench, but there isn’t much behind him. If there’s been a recurring theme over the last four years for the Mets, it’s lack of major league-caliber depth.
mpuma@nypost.com