Alderson ready to begin pursuit of Reyes

Shortly after Wednesday's season finale, when the Mets had nothing left on their minds but cardboard boxes and packing tape, there was one other thing gnawing at their subconscious.

Where is Jose Reyes going to sign?

Almost 24 hours later, in the nearly empty clubhouse, Sandy Alderson eased into a leather sofa Thursday and addressed that same topic, the No. 1 priority facing the Mets as they plunge into what promises to be another hectic offseason.

"Jose is obviously the biggest decision that we have to make," the Mets general manager said. "Once that's resolved, or as it's moving toward a resolution, we have to be flexible to see what else, what our other possibilities are."

Alderson plans to speak with Reyes' agent, Peter Greenberg, in "the next day or two" as the Mets begin their period of exclusive negotiating rights with the shortstop. Players are able to file for free agency five days after the end of the World Series, so Alderson has a bit of a head start, even if he doesn't expect that to make much of a difference.

When Alderson approached Greenberg about an extension in June, he was politely told thanks, but no thanks -- that Reyes preferred to wait until the end of the season. Given that exchange, Alderson didn't sound optimistic about getting something done before Reyes hits the open market.

"If history is any guide, most players who get to this point don't see any reason to make a decision within the next 30 days -- they're that close to free agency,'' Alderson said. "I wouldn't want people to expect that something is going to happen. It certainly could, but we just have to wait and see how it develops."

Alderson hopes to fit Reyes in next year's payroll, which he estimated to be in the $110 million range, a significant reduction from the $140 million the Mets had at the start of this season. As drastic as that sounds, Alderson is shedding significant contracts -- $18 million alone in Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo -- so he's beginning with roughly $70 million already committed to 2012.

That seemingly leaves plenty of room for Reyes. But a sticking point will be the length of the contract, and Alderson often has stressed financial flexibility as one of his primary goals in trying to rebuild the Mets.

If Alderson is unable to re-sign Reyes, and he does not anticipate that the process will be a quick one, he left the door open to pursuing another big-ticket free agent. But when asked if he can "imagine" going after Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder or even C.J. Wilson, Alderson didn't seem to be penciling in that group as a realistic Plan B.

"I can imagine it," Alderson said. "I'm not ruling it out. But at the same time, I think that we will try to be as creative as we possibly can and look at what's available across the board. We could get into a free-agency negotiation beyond Jose if for example the market is different than we anticipate or we trade somebody. There are a variety of different things that could happen."

Alderson admitted that when he began trying to improve the Mets a year ago, he was handcuffed by a restricted budget and his limited experience with the organization. Now that he's logged 11 months on the job, Alderson is confident that his front office is better equipped to strengthen the club.

The GM targets a number of obvious areas for improvement, with the bullpen and outfield at the top of that list. As for Reyes, Alderson wouldn't speculate on how much that could end up costing him along the way.

"I think it's possible that we would know early in the process," Alderson said. "But I think it's also possible this thing will go on for a long time. It's hard to know where things will end up over a period of time. We're talking about several weeks here. As I've said, clubs' intentions ebb and flow; so will ours."