LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Sandy Alderson may have arrived at the Winter Meetings in the Disney complex a little Bashful, Grumpy and Sleepy, but appeared Happy as he departed Thursday.
Of all the moves made by teams at the meetings, none ranked higher on the surprise meter than the Mets agreeing to terms with Bartolo Colon on a two-year contract worth $20 million. The deal, still pending a physical, gave the Mets a top-of-the-rotation starter and allowed team officials to eliminate “starting pitcher” from their shopping list.
“We’re happy with the way the four days went,” Alderson said. “We made some progress on the trade front and talked to a lot of free agents, and so from that standpoint we’re very happy and I think we’re positioned to do some other stuff later on.”
Alderson’s agenda now includes bolstering the bullpen, trading a first baseman — most likely Ike Davis — and considering further possibilities at shortstop.
In the relief market, John Axford, Kevin Gregg and Mitchell Boggs are among the names the Mets have discussed. The Mets’ bullpen core presently consists of Bobby Parnell, Vic Black and Jeurys Familia.
“The bullpen is still something we want to consider,” Alderson said. “We think we’ve got a lot of good, young arms, but we don’t have a lot of experience, so that is an area we still need to take a hard look at.”
On the first-base front, the Brewers, Rays and Pirates all have a need and held discussions with the Mets about Davis.
But with free agent James Loney still talking to clubs and Texas’ Mitch Moreland still available in a trade, the Mets may have to wait for a game of musical chairs to conclude before they can garner a fair return for Davis.
The Mets also spoke to teams about Daniel Murphy, but are expected to keep the second baseman, according to a source.
The top free-agent shortstop available, Stephen Drew, probably remains beyond the Mets’ grasp. Drew, who is seeking a three-year deal, could be headed back to the Red Sox.
“It’s more likely if we come up with a high-end shortstop or someone we like, it’s more likely to come in a trade,” said Alderson, who has indicated the Mets could begin the season with Ruben Tejada as the shortstop.
It’s a winter in which the Mets have committed $87.25 million to new contracts with the additions of Curtis Granderson, Chris Young and Colon.
“We feel a lot better about our team than we did two weeks ago,” Alderson said. “But the winter is not over, so this is a constant reassessment of where we are. There is a long time between now and the start of spring training.”