There was surprise in the major league landscape. Not that the Mets had traded Francisco Rodriguez, but that they did so while ostensibly in a pennant race and yet the uproar was, at best, tame from the New York fans and media.
“I was waiting for some screaming that never came,” an NL assistant general manager said. “It probably speaks to the stature that Sandy [Alderson, Mets GM] brings to the job that there was not much backlash. Or maybe it has to do with the sophistication of the fan base or the media to understand that was a trade that had to happen.”
You probably could add that K-Rod was not exactly a beloved figure around here. The same probably could be said of Carlos Beltran, who lost a swath of the fan base by taking a called third strike against St. Louis’ Adam Wainwright to close Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS.
Still, Alderson should not expect such a delicate response if — probably more likely when — he deals Beltran. A Beltran trade would signal a white-flag surrender of this season in a much stronger way than moving K-Rod did. Mets officials certainly were sensitive to the fan reaction, insisting their tactics with Beltran revolved around how the team performed out of the All-Star break.
Several executives with interest in Beltran said going into the weekend, the Mets were taking calls on Beltran but not showing any urgency to get very specific on players or offering to eat a portion of the $6 million-plus Beltran has left on his contract.
Nevertheless, it is hard to find an executive who does not think the Mets should and probably will deal Beltran before 4 p.m. July 31 because:
1. They are not good enough to catch Atlanta or Philadelphia to make the playoffs. Thus, failing to maximize chips to gain either prospects or financial relief for the future would be front-office malfeasance. Remember that contractually, the Mets are not allowed to offer Beltran arbitration, so they cannot even consider keeping him to get draft-pick compensation when he signs elsewhere as a free agent this offseason.
2. “No one in the sport can hit, especially in the National League,” an NL executive said. “So I think they can get a return for him because pretty much every contender would be improved with him.” Beltran currently projects as the best hitter who could be traded by the end of the month. And the Mets almost certainly could improve the return on Beltran by paying a significant portion of his remaining contract.
“There are not a lot of teams that can afford to take on $6 million in July and, if someone does, that team is probably not going to give you good prospects, too,” an AL assistant GM said. “So the Mets have to decide: Do they want salary relief or do they want to open up the field of interested teams by eating a lot of dollars, and get a better return?”
Right now, there are a lot of outfielders — such as Colorado’s Ryan Spilborghs and Kansas City’s Jeff Francoeur — drawing interest, mainly because they don’t cost a lot of money.
Beltran clearly is a better alternative since he can hit in the middle of any team’s lineup. But when outside executives were asked if they saw any teams willing to take on most to all of what is left on Beltran’s contract, the only two named consistently were the Giants and Tigers. But, again, the Mets could not then expect a significant prospect return.
Conversely, if they were willing to eat a large amount of dollars, then suddenly even payroll-challenged teams such as the Indians, Diamondbacks and Pirates would be in play. The big-payroll Red Sox, who desperately want a right-handed-hitting right fielder, are insisting they cannot spend significant dollars to get one. But if Beltran were paid down by the Mets, then Boston also enters the field. Also, if Beltran’s contract were paid down, the Phillies and Braves — who both have deep farm systems — almost certainly would be interested.
Executives who know Alderson well insist he would have no qualms trading within the division if that would yield the best return. But if you want to talk about outrage, imagine how Mets fans would react if their team was paying Beltran to, say, be a Phillie?
“I don’t think the Mets live in that world,” an AL executive said. “I can’t see the Wilpons saying yes to that.”
Over the next two weeks, we will see if the Mets say yes to any kind of Beltran trade.
joel.sherman@nypost.com