Free agency has barely begun, but David Wright has already started his second job.
The Mets third baseman said he has been talking to players who might be interested in coming to Queens and knows he has some convincing to do, but it’s not about the team’s finances.
“I don’t think players are concerned about the financial situation,” Wright said by phone Saturday. “From their perspective, they want to know if we have a chance to win. We haven’t really given ourselves a chance the last few years.”
Though the Mets haven’t been players in recent offseasons, Wright is confident that will change after talking to general manager Sandy Alderson, who has acknowledged the team has more spending flexibility than at any point during his tenure.
With players such as Shin-Soo Choo, Jhonny Peralta, Bronson Arroyo among those available, the Mets finally could become players in the market again.
“It seems like there’s been more action, even just in the last week,” Wright said. “I’ve talked to a few players, but I expect I’ll do more of it as we have a better idea of who we’re going after. Players have called me. Sandy’s probably tired of hearing from me, but I told him he can lean on me to do whatever he needs.”
It won’t be easy, since the Mets haven’t finished above .500 since 2008.
“Some players question what the plan is and say, ‘Why should I come to the New York Mets?’ ” Wright said. “Our track record isn’t exactly great lately.”
Then there’s Matt Harvey, who went from No. 1 starter to sidelined for 2014 after Tommy John surgery.
“Guys ask about what the injury means, but they also want to know about Zack Wheeler,” Wright said. “And I tell them about guys like Noah Syndergaard and all of our young pitching that could either help us soon or be used in a trade. A lot of them don’t know about anyone besides Wheeler and Harvey.”
Still, those are no sure things, as Harvey proved this past season when he injured his elbow.
That’s why Wright knows how vital the next few months figure to be for the organization after ridding itself of the bloated contracts of Johan Santana and Jason Bay.
“We have a lot of holes that need to be filled and it’s going to be tough to fill them all in one offseason,” Wright said. “You can’t just go out and sign everybody. So the burden is going to fall on the guys we have here. Boston showed last year you don’t need to sign top-tiered guys to win.”
No, but you do need talent and Wright would like to be in a different position a year from now.
“We need to start making an impact and show we’re a contender,” Wright said. “That would be better than anything I could tell them.”