Mets GM Sandy Alderson fires back at Scott Boras

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson made a grocery store analogy of his own for superagent Scott Boras.

"Boras has been shopping near the meat section," Alderson said. "That's where he gets his [expletive]."

Alderson fired back one day after what has become an annual tradition for Boras, who has been critical of the Mets' lack of spending in recent years.

Boras first compared the Mets to shoppers in the fruits and nuts aisle of a grocery store before moving them to the frozen foods section.

On Wednesday at the general managers' meetings, Boras likened the Mets to the ready foods section, prompting Alderson to share his own theories about the agent's grocery store habits.

Alderson's retort came before he departed from the meetings. He also touched on several other issues facing the Mets:

-- Alderson downplayed a report about tension between manager Terry Collins and lefthander Jon Niese, stemming from a heated exchange in the dugout.

"It's more about how that moment affects the relationship moving forward, whether there's lingering anger by one party or the other," Alderson said. "That's not Terry, and that's not Jonathon.

-- While Daniel Murphy has been linked to trade rumors in past winters, Alderson said he will be reluctant to trade the second baseman. But he also said extension talks are unlikely to happen in the near future.

Alderson would also hesitate to trade any of the Mets' power arms in the bullpen, which emerged as strength.

-- Bobby Parnell's rehab from Tommy John surgery likely will prevent him from starting the season with the Mets.

But third baseman David Wright is on track to begin baseball activities next month and almost certainly has done enough in rehab to sidestep the possibility of shoulder surgery.

Said Alderson: "Right now, I'm not worried about it."