With little money to spend and their focus on David Wright’s and R.A. Dickey’s contract situations, the Mets barely noticed yesterday’s arrival of free agency.
At some point the Mets might get interested. But that may hinge largely on what unfolds with Wright and Dickey, who are signed for next year — their respective options were picked up last week — but could be traded this offseason in the absence of contract extensions.
The Mets have a glaring need for outfield help, and multiple baseball officials yesterday pointed to Cody Ross as a possible free-agent target for the team.
Ross, who turns 32 next month, jump-started his career in 2012 by hitting .267 with 22 homers and 81 RBIs in 476 at-bats for the Red Sox (he missed a month with a broken foot).
Ross earned $3 million last season and stands to receive a substantial raise.
Ross would be considered an upgrade to Scott Hairston, who still is viewed within the organization as mostly a platoon player, despite his 20 homers and 57 RBIs in 398 at-bats last season.
Hairston, a free agent, earned $1.1 million last season and figures to receive a big raise and multi-year deal — both of which figure to preclude the Mets from becoming serious suitors.
The Mets likely would receive competition from the deep-pocketed Red Sox and Phillies, among others, if they pursue Ross. And Mets general manager Sandy Alderson is committed to keeping the payroll around $100 million, leaving him with little wiggle room as the team is presently constructed.
The Mets’ best chance to make a competitive bid for Ross, one official speculated, would be to pool their savings if Hairston ($1.1 million), Andres Torres ($2.7 million) and Jon Rauch ($3.5 million) aren’t retained, as expected.
Ross was on the Mets’ radar last offseason before signing with the Red Sox less than a month before the start of spring training. Ross spent 2011 with the Giants after helping the team win the World Series a year earlier by hitting five homers in the postseason.
As it stands, the Mets outfield is a mess. The team is hoping Lucas Duda can develop into a consistent force, probably in left field, but Torres was a disappointment in center and the Mets concluded the season using a combo of Hairston and Mike Baxter in right.
The Mets owe Jason Bay $19 million, including his buyout, and as The Post reported in September, won’t dump the underachieving outfielder before the start of next season.
If the Mets were to sign Ross to play right field, they still would have a need in center. Torres hit .230 with three homers and 35 RBIs after arriving last offseason in the trade that sent Angel Pagan to the Giants and likely will be non-tendered. But a club source recently said the team was “up in the air” on Torres’ status.
Internally, the Mets have Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Matt den Dekker. But Nieuwenhuis struggled after initial success with the Mets last season and was demoted to Triple-A Buffalo. And den Dekker hit just .220 in 77 games last season at Buffalo.