Adam Rubin, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Sandy Alderson weighs in on Mets issues

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Sandy Alderson offered a state-of-the-Mets address on Friday, on the eve of the first official workout involving pitchers and catchers.

Here’s a summary:

Harvey rules: Matt Harvey will have no “extra special precautions” during spring training, according to the GM. That means he will face batters within a few days of other pitchers.

Alderson said he did not want to publicize Harvey's innings cap for the season, but it’s flexible and not overly restrictive. The GM indicated Harvey will not pitch 215, 220 or 225 innings, but 200 innings including the playoffs is plausible. Harvey will pitch in the postseason if the Mets are involved.

Harvey’s innings count should be moderated during the regular season via routes such as utilizing off-days for extra rest, skipping him for a spot starter, providing extra rest around the All-Star break, and delaying his start to the season by a week or so. But Harvey’s schedule won’t be adjusted to the detriment of other pitchers’ optimal schedules.

Adam Rubin

Sandy Alderson addressed the media Friday in Port St. Lucie.

“I would say 95 percent of Matt Harvey’s program from now through hopefully the end of season -- the regular season -- should be normal and routine,” Alderson said.

No deal: Alderson said he is “a little surprised” about his inability to trade an excess starting pitcher during the offseason. Still, he countered that there are free-agent starting pitchers who have not been signed yet. He said the value in return was not sufficient for what the Mets would be giving up.

Sources have told ESPNNewYork.com that the Mets are still willing to trade Dillon Gee or Bartolo Colon.

Alderson nonetheless cautioned: “There aren’t that many spring-training deals. It does happen. Somebody can get hurt. Somebody may have a need. But I don’t think you can plan on making a deal in spring training. So what we have in camp is probably what we’re going to have, and we’ll have to make decisions accordingly. I don’t see us actively pursuing a spring-training deal for a starting pitcher or what have you.”

If a deal arises at this point, Alderson expects prospects -- not an established major leaguer -- in return.

Alderson would not say that Gee would go to the bullpen absent a trade, although that’s clearly the playbook. The GM said they can delay an official decision for roughly 3½ weeks, until Grapefruit League games are well underway and they need to properly allot innings.

Alderson said a positive byproduct of an excess starter would be that Carlos Torres, who was leaned upon heavily last season, won’t be pressed into long relief as often.

Six-man rotation: Alderson all but ruled out a six-man rotation, instead favoring a spot starter “on a more frequent basis.”

Said Alderson: “Right now I don’t see us using a six-man rotation.”

The hesitancy is the effect of accommodating an extra pitcher on the rest of the staff's routines.

Winter hibernation: Other than Michael Cuddyer and John Mayberry Jr., the Mets did not dole out any major league contracts. The high percentage of the 57 players in camp who already were with the organization entering the winter is an expression of confidence, according to the GM. Alderson added that the Mets are getting Harvey and Bobby Parnell back from Tommy John surgeries and David Wright should have a rebound year after shoulder woes limited him to eight home runs.

On the clock: Asked if five years is enough time that he could be judged on this season’s performance, even with payroll constraints, Alderson said that is fair. “I think every team faces certain constraints of one type or another,” Alderson said. “Five years is a pretty good length of time.”

Oh, captain: An orthopedist who performed Wright’s physical in Port St. Lucie told Alderson on Friday that the captain's troublesome left shoulder is in “outstanding shape, no pain.”

89 wins! On Alderson’s recent proclamation that the team is capable of adding 10 wins to last year’s 79-win total, the GM quipped: “Didn’t we go through this last year?”

He then added: “I think what I’ve said is: Is the team capable of winning 89, 90 games? Yeah, I think the team is capable. I think it has that capacity. I think it has that potential. What’s more important to me is not what I think, or what I estimate or think is our capacity, it’s what the players are thinking.”

Closer call: Alderson acknowledged Parnell, barring an unexpected setback, should be activated from the DL in mid- to late April.

Left-handed complement: The decision not to sign a left-handed reliever to a major league deal was not tied to the fact that there will be no room in the bullpen anyway once Parnell returns and if Gee is not traded.

Instead, Alderson noted, there were only two top-tier lefties available: Andrew Miller (four years, $36 million with the Yankees) and Zach Duke (three years, $15 million with the Chicago White Sox).

Alderson invited critics to compare those costs to the relievers’ track records. And given the rest of the available field of free agents, Alderson said, he preferred a competition among relievers on minor-league deals to anointing one beforehand with a guaranteed contract.

Prospectus: Among the big three pitching prospects in camp, only Rafael Montero will be considered for the Opening Day bullpen. Alderson deemed it “unlikely” that Noah Syndergaard or Steven Matz would get a look in a relief role early in the season.

As for catching prospect Kevin Plawecki, Alderson acknowledged he would get “a little” time at first base at Triple-A Las Vegas while remaining primarily a catcher.

“As far as his readiness is concerned, I think ideally we’d like him to get a little more time at Triple-A,” Alderson said. “But he’s close. And if we had an injury, he’s the next man up.”

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