GM: Wright could stay even if Mets falter
The Mets' David Wright goes hitless against Philadelphia. (Sept. 25, 2011) Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- A year ago, with Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran heading into the final season of their contracts, Sandy Alderson was besieged by questions regarding the future of both players.
Now, with Reyes in Miami and Beltran in St. Louis, the Mets' general manager will face the same type of spring training interrogation about David Wright, but the circumstances are significantly different this time around.
While Wright is beginning the last season of his six-year, $55-million contract, the Mets do hold a $16-million option for 2013. Wright can void that option if he is traded, however, so that could negatively affect his trade value during the season.
Another caveat: With the new collective-bargaining agreement, teams cannot offer arbitration to players they have acquired at midseason, wiping out draft-pick compensation. So if the Mets were to trade Wright, he arguably could fetch more talent in return next winter.
The more pressing concern is what happens to Wright if the Mets fall out of contention before the July 31 trade deadline. Does that mean the third baseman will be shipped elsewhere, just as Beltran was traded to the Giants last year for Zack Wheeler?
"If I go back and try to look at that scenario and how things developed," Alderson said Saturday, "I think it was presumed going into the season that depending on what we did and how well Carlos performed, and given the fact that he was in the last year of his contract, that he might be traded at the deadline.
"David's case is a little bit different. No. 1, there isn't that presumption. No. 2, he has an option for next year, so I think the situation is somewhat different."
With the Mets in dire straits financially, shedding half of Wright's $15-million salary for this season could be a big temptation for ownership. But even if the Mets are struggling on the field and buried in the playoff race, that doesn't necessarily mean Wright is a goner, Alderson suggested.
"I think I've said his future is independent of club performance," Alderson said. "There are certain decisions that one makes that are a function of where a team is at a particular time and so forth. But if there's anybody on the team whose performance and future is independent of the club's performance, I think it's David's.''
When it was mentioned that the Mets clung to Reyes last year despite their record, only to see him jump to the Marlins in December, Alderson smiled.
"Well, I hate to make comparisons to Jose because he's not here right now," he said. "So I'm not sure that would be a good basis for comparison. But David's future is a function of a lot of different things and only one of those is team performance, and I'm not sure that's very high on the list."
