Though some people waited for Sandy Alderson to do more at the Winter Meetings than acquire players who likely will serve as role players for the Mets this season, his old boss was not surprised by the new general manager’s relative lack of activity this week in Florida.
“That’s his nature — to not make any rash moves or do something just for show,” said Roy Eisenhardt, who was the president of the A’s when Alderson began putting that team together in the 1980s. “That’s the point of his philosophy. We were very cautious, and I expected him to be the same way now.”
Eisenhardt credited Alderson with reshaping much of Oakland’s roster to pave the way to their three straight AL pennants from 1988-90. He admitted it was difficult to wait to see the team improve, but Alderson’s patience paid off.
“It’s hard — and you do get a little more time in Oakland than in a major market — but Sandy will do things right,” Eisenhardt said. “I would draw no conclusions from what happened at the Winter Meetings. … You can’t build a house from the roof down.”
So while the Yankees chase Cliff Lee, Alderson and the Mets have stayed on the sidelines. Alderson said after he took over that the Mets will be active in free agency in the future and a current lack of payroll flexibility added to his reluctance to make a flashy move. Eisenhardt never thought Alderson would do differently.
“You have to do things piece-by-piece,” said Eisenhardt, now the president of the San Francisco Art Institute. “That’s the way a solid foundation is put together. It has to work that way. How many successful teams are built by making a big move right away?”
* The Mets are closing in on filling out their coaching staff and are expected to make an official announcement early next week. Dave Hudgens has emerged as the leading candidate to take over as hitting coach, after Andy Van Slyke and Don Long also interviewed.
Mookie Wilson is expected to become first-base coach and Ken Oberkfell to be bumped up from the organization’s Triple-A manager to become manager Terry Collins’ bench coach.
dan.martin@nypost.com