Alderson worked Beltran deal perfectly

It was a festive mood at Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse late Tuesday night, according to one guest, as Carlos Beltran treated a huge party of Mets -- 25 to 30 people -- to what amounted to a farewell dinner.

Beltran knew his time with the Mets was coming to an end, yet he wasn't sure where he'd go. He smiled as he said of Sandy Alderson and company, "They're trying to work the teams against each other."

Beltran nailed the commentary, and the Mets nailed the trade, successfully dealing Beltran (and $4 million) to San Francisco in return for highly regarded minor-league pitcher Zack Wheeler. The deal will be officially announced today.

The tense relationship between Beltran and the Mets -- can't wait until the conversations start on what logo should be on Beltran's Hall of Fame plaque -- at least concluded on a note that left everyone happy. And left people around baseball impressed with Alderson's negotiating through a difficult path in which he held limited leverage.

Beltran held the upper hand, because he had to approve of any trade, and the acquiring team couldn't offer Beltran arbitration after the season, so there would be no compensatory draft picks on the back end. This was a straight rental.

You know the primary teams involved: Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Texas. Beltran probably, ultimately would've gone to any club on that list. He also was hoping the Yankees got involved; they didn't. He had no interest in going to Cleveland, which expressed interest recently.

Yet the idea of staying in the National League appealed greatly to Beltran. He didn't like the idea of adjusting to a new group of pitchers and ballparks, and he especially was opposed to serving as a designated hitter.

The Rangers, always aggressive under general manager Jon Daniels, pursued Beltran heavily, and they also boast of an excellent, deep farm system. While it's not clear which young players Texas offered, what is clear is that the Mets shopped the package around, hoping to top it.

And San Francisco bit, which was perfect for both sides. The Giants stood atop or near the top of Beltran's list, and the Mets could send Beltran to San Francisco knowing that they wouldn't have to welcome him back to Citi Field this year.

The Giants have been far more conservative about trading prospects than they once were, yet they went for it this time. Knowing that their organization is replete with pitching, and that they possess a knack for developing it, and that they wanted to go all-in on winning a second straight World Series.

Perhaps the Giants fans and ownership, in this brief fling, will develop the sort of appreciation for Beltran that so many Mets fans and the Wilpons didn't. No, Beltran wasn't the warm and fuzzy type, but in his six-and-two-thirds years, he contributed about four seasons of elite baseball. He was really, really good.

Maybe Wheeler, just 21, can be somewhere close to as good. He could team with Matt Harvey to give the Mets a homegrown, high-end front of the starting rotation.

He's a Met because Alderson worked every angle for this deal, overcoming the odds against him. Because, let's not forget, Beltran surprised us all by re-emerging as such an impactful player this season.

From Opening Day to the official announcement Thursday, Beltran's final year with the Mets couldn't have gone any more smoothly. The Mets executives, in celebration, should treat themselves to their own steak dinner.