MLB

Mets, Young agree to deal

Sandy Alderson has made no secret of his interest in Chris Young. Now, after months of flirtation, the Mets finally appear to be closing in on the right-hander.

According to a source, the two sides have agreed to a contract, pending a physical for the oft-injured pitcher — so the deal isn’t expected to be finalized until later in the week.

“Things are moving forward” with the 6-foot-10 free agent, according to a team official.

The Mets have been talking to the 31-year-old since shortly after Alderson took over as the team’s general manager, as both he and VP Paul DePodesta were executives in San Diego when Young — who has had trouble staying healthy since coming up with the Rangers in 2004 — pitched for the Padres.

He appeared in four games with San Diego a year ago — including three in September — after recovering from shoulder surgery.

If Young is able to stay on the field, he’ll likely join Mike Pelfrey, R.A. Dickey and Jon Niese in the rotation, with Johan Santana out until at least June.

Newly-signed Chris Capuano — like Young, coming off injuries — also figures to battle for a starting spot.

The Mets had looked at free agent Jeff Francis, who signed with the Royals last week, as well as the possibility of trading for Tom Gorzelanny, but the Cubs shipped him to the Nationals yesterday.

As for Young’s arm, he pitched well in his late-season stint in San Diego and his former coach at Princeton, ex-Yankee catcher Scott Bradley, said he talked to Young a week and a half ago, and the pitcher told him he felt better than he had in the last three or four years.

Young hasn’t pitched in 30 games in a season since 2007, when he made the All-Star team. He was out most of last year with a shoulder strain after undergoing surgery in 2009.

He also fits the relatively low-cost mold of what Alderson has been looking for heading into the season, as he doesn’t have much room to expand the payroll.

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The Mets officially signed Willie Harris yesterday to a minor league deal with an invitation to major league spring training. Harris made a name for himself with game-saving catches against the Mets, but hit just .183 a year ago in Washington, with 10 homers and 32 RBIs for the Nationals. The 32-year-old will compete to be the team’s fourth outfielder. The team will also exchange salary numbers with Dickey, Pelfrey and Angel Pagan today, after they filed for arbitration last week. If the sides don’t settle, they will go to arbitration next month.

dan.martin@nypost.com