Alderson believes he is done dealing

Sandy Alderson saved $2 million and netted a top-flight prospect in Zack Wheeler by trading Carlos Beltran to the Giants. Not a bad swap, especially with the general manager handcuffed by Beltran's veto power over any deal.

It was a trade that Alderson, with an eye on the future, had to make, as was the deal that sent Francisco Rodriguez to the Brewers only 15 days earlier. But with Sunday's non-waiver trade deadline looming, Alderson suggested that he was through gutting the Mets, who rallied this week for a four-game road sweep of the Reds for the first time in franchise history.

"By trading Carlos, we've made it a little tougher on our remaining players and the Mets club," Alderson said Thursday in a conference call with reporters. "I'd be very reluctant to make it any tougher on them. I really have some confidence -- real confidence -- that this group is going to respond to this change as they have to other situations earlier in the year.

"I really believe that this group still has the kind of persistence and tenacity that could lead them to some positive things this year. Unless something extraordinary was to come up -- I wouldn't rule it out -- but for me personally, I'm reluctant to make many other changes. I like the group that we have."

Alderson also is a big fan of Wheeler, who was the Giants' first-round pick (sixth overall) in the 2009 first-year player draft. After an extensive scouting effort that Alderson said blanketed the minor-league organizations of a half-dozen teams, the GM found a match with the Giants on Wheeler, a 6-4, 185-pound righthander who was ranked by Baseball America as the 35th-best overall prospect in its midseason report.

"What made Zack stand out to us was just his overall potential," Alderson said. "We were looking for big upside. We could have gotten a package of three players from a number of clubs, but the overall potential of those players would not have equaled Zack's. In large part, you don't get access to these players very often, so we're very pleased."

In Alderson's estimation, Wheeler, 21, is likely to be part of the Mets' rotation in 2013, an arrival date that could put him in the majors alongside Matt Harvey, the team's first-round pick (seventh overall) in the 2010 draft.

"With his stature, he's tall, lanky -- sort of a perfect pitcher's build -- he's got great velocity, a great arm," Alderson said. "For what we have learned, he's got great aptitude, a great demeanor. People will say there's some command issues, but that's not unusual for somebody with a power arm early in his career."

As much as Alderson liked Wheeler, it was just as important that the Giants were the perfect match for Beltran, who wanted to be dealt to a National League contender with an elite pitching staff, thereby maximizing his shot at getting deep into the playoffs.

While Alderson thanked both Beltran and his agent, Scott Boras, for their cooperation in getting a deal done, he admitted to not having much flexibility because of the no-trade factors. Despite the Rangers' involvement in talks for Beltran, Alderson made it sound as if his AL options were strictly fallback positions.

"I said some latitude -- I didn't say latitude," Alderson said. "I always felt that there was a possibility he would go to an American League club. But I always thought as well that there needed to be a strong case for it, and that strong case had at least two components. One, what the options were with the National League clubs and had we totally exhausted those possibilities, and secondly how Carlos was going to be used by the American League club."

Alderson had to immediately dismiss any teams that possibly could use him as a DH. He also needed clubs that were willing to give up a high-quality prospect, and the Giants agreed to do so as long as the Mets paid $4 million of the remaining $6 million on Beltran's contract.

With the Mets saving roughly $5.5 million on the trades of Beltran and K-Rod, Alderson expected that to be reinvested in some fashion. The GM still has a ways to go with his Keep Jose Reyes Fund, but every little bit helps, along with the goodwill of not trading him.

"I don't know -- $5 million is not going to get him signed," Alderson said. "But at the same time, the fact that I expect him to be with us the rest of the season and that we hope to engage with him in the offseason, again I think is a good sign for the organization."