Alderson Starts Talks With Wright; Ellsbury Likely to Stay Put in Boston

When giving his “state of the team” address before the season finale Wednesday afternoon in Miami, one of the Mets beat reporters asked Sandy Alderson when he plans on starting contract extension talks with David Wright and R.A. Dickey. Being witty, the GM responded by saying, “When is the game over?” It made reporters chuckle, but he wasn’t kidding when it came to the organization’s franchise third baseman.

Alderson made an appearance on WFAN yesterday to speak with Mike Francesca and said he had already spoken to Wright and his team of agents to begin contract talks. While he maintains that he’s not guaranteeing an agreement, he plans to move in quickly to try and get a deal done. It’s refreshing to hear Alderson say something and then immediately act on it. Unlike Jose Reyes last year, you can hear the sincerity in Wright’s voice when he talks about the possibility of being a New York Met for the duration of his career. He’s comfortable in Flushing and wants to be there when the team turns things around. He’s the unofficial captain of the team, the longest tenured Met on the MLB roster, and is undoubtedly the face of the franchise.

Oct. 3, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Mets third baseman David Wright (5) during a game against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. The Mets won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

It was said Wednesday afternoon during his meeting with beat reporters that the team’s main objectives would be to retain Wright and Dickey, which Alderson categorized as fundamental ideas they’re building this team upon, and now that the Bernie Madoff scandal is behind the Wilpons, they have enough flexibility to offer multi-year extensions. There are no unlimited funds this winter, but hey, it’s at least a step forward. I’m anticipating these negotiations to move very quickly toward a resolution, and it will be great not having to hear about any Wright trade rumors all winter.

Digital Domain’s collapse continues, as the company will be dropping their naming rights deal with the Mets stadium in Port St. Lucie. The deal was for $100,000 a year, but the special effects business filed for bankruptcy last month, forcing them to sell. The deal between the company and New York was signed in 2010, but they have already fallen $50,000 behind in their payments. It’s never fun to watch a company have to back out of a naming rights deal because they can’t afford it anymore. It’s embarrassing for those businesses, as they all take a lot of pride in sponsorships. Hopefully for the Mets, they will be able to find another suitor to re-name their stadium in Florida, which I”m sure they will.

On the bright side, registration to win tickets to the 2013 All-Star game at Citi Field opened up today. You can go here to register for a chance to win the rights to buy tickets (which sounds hilarious). I entered for my chance, so make sure you do so! Or, just become a season ticket holder and you’ll automatically get those tickets.

According to Peter Gammons, it looks as if the asking price on Boston centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury will be too steep for teams who could potentially interested in him. Rumors have it that the Sox would like three prospects in return, while most opposing teams would offer 1-2 since he’s had problems staying healthy this season. It could be interesting if Boston gets antsy and tries to unload him anyways because he would fit nicely in the spacious confines of Citi Field. However, the front office also just fired Bobby Valentine after one lackluster season as manager, so they may have some other things on their mind at the moment. I still think the Mets may give Grady Sizemore a look for a one-year deal. If he’s healthy (and can stay healthy), he’d provide a lot of bang for their buck.

But, the off-season has just started for the Mets, and there are 10 teams worrying about playoff baseball first. Ahh, the joy of speculating until the GM meetings at the beginning of November!