So, there were a number of interesting rumors, developments, and quotes related to the Mets during this past week that stirred the pot on the hot stove. A quick recap …

Pull Marlon Byrd off the board — the Philadelphia Phillies have signed him to a 2-year, $16M contract.

So much for Byrd’s strong relationships with Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins, his fondness for the Mets organization, and his desire to return to Flushing.

The MLBPA compiled a full list of players who filed for free agency this offseason. Out of those, there are several possibilities that stood out to me as players I would consider signing if I were the GM of the Mets (assuming I had a moderate amount of money to spend). Mind you, I’m not saying the Mets should sign ALL of these players – that would be impossible. But this would be the pool of players from which I would choose.

We’ll break them down by position. In the last post, I looked at shortstops. In this post, I’ll take a look at…

First Basemen

The Mets enter the offseason with the thought that they can start next year with an in-house option (or options) at first base. While they don’t have a great first baseman under their control right now, if they improve at other positions, they can live with a guy like Lucas Duda or a Duda/Josh Satin or Wilmer Flores platoon. Before you laugh, they’ll at least give you a .350 or so OBP, and Duda is good for 15-20 homers if he stays healthy. They could even take a chance on a comeback season from Ike Davis, but rumor has it they’re trying to trade him.

If they fail to upgrade in the outfield or shortstop, they may look to upgrade at first base. If they do, here are few possibilities.

Yes, I get the irony of making this statement in a post built around a trade proposal, but I think we have to be realistic about the Mets this offseason. Given the state of the Wilpon’s finances, I sense that many Mets fans are setting themselves up for further disappointment by expecting GM Sandy Alderson to go out and add several big names to the team’s roster this offseason. As was the case the past two winters, a barrage of postings by reporters and bloggers is once again stoking those hopes. Yes, the Jason Bay and Johan Santana contracts are finished and Alderson is rumored to have somewhere around $35M to spend this offseason. But…

The Mets will owe David Wright $9M more in 2013 than they did last year and they had to cough up $5M just to get rid of Santana. If you don’t think these figures aren’t calculated as part of 2014 payroll increases, then you haven’t been paying attention.

So isn’t it true then, that even before busting a move, that the $35M is actually $19M? Speaking of raises, there is that “team friendly” contract that they gave Jon Niese last year. It goes up by $2M this year. Go figure in an extra $6 to $7M more for Dillon Gee, Daniel Murphy, Ike Davis, Eric Young, Jr., Bobby Parnell and Lucas Duda following arbitration. Abracadabra, that $35M is now more like $10M.

To quote Shaggy Rodgers: “Zoinks!”

I am a baseball fan and as such, I tuned into the postseason to watch good players and well played games, which was a definite break from watching the Mets for much of 2013. It is only natural, I think, to ponder what playoff team has the best model for the Mets to follow. Perhaps it was due to the lengthy exposure, but I believe the St. Louis Cardinals are that team.

The Cardinals played deep into October with young flame throwers, power hitters in the corner outfielder spots and a group of multi-dimensional players elsewhere. The first and last categories are the hardest to fill.The Mets are actually somewhat down the road already in developing these types of players (pitchers definitely and closer than you might think on some position players). This offseason should be about Alderson adding that power hitting element, without depleting too much from the other two columns.

He should look north for the solution.

What would it take for the Mets to land Jose Bautista? His Toronto Blue Jays are coming off a disappointing last place finish, consecutive losing seasons and are now 20 years past Joe Carter’s Game Six homer, which was their last playoff appearance. Their GM Alex Antonopoulos rolled the dice last season and lost. Now his team is in need of a reboot. Would he accept a Mets package of say Niese, Murphy, Jeurys Familia and Cesar Puello for Bautista? The Jays apparently wanted Niese last year and are in need of a second baseman, so there may be the makings of a deal. Due to salary concerns, I would try to keep Niese and Murphy as the centerpieces but would be willing to swap Familia and Puello one-for-one with players like Josh Edgin, Matt den Dekker, Gonzalez German, Jacob deGrom or even Vic Black if AA insisted. I would hope Alderson balks if AA also asks for Rafael Montero, unless the Jays add a really good second piece to the pile. If it takes a third prospect not named Montero from that list besides Familia and, Puello to complete the deal, then so be it.

For sake of the argument, let’s say that the Mets get Bautista for the Niese/Murphy/two prospects package. If they also non-tender Ike, then projecting arbitration raises, the 2014 salaries of those three exiles nearly equals Bautista’s. They have swapped money but added power and strengthened their outfield. On the downside, they now need a pitcher to replace Niese.

Several sites have suggested that the Mets target Roy Halladay to bolster the rotation. That’s a very intriguing idea for a number of reasons, not the least is Doc’s potential influence on the Mets young pitchers. How much would Halladay want? Is there a past relationship with J.P. Ricciardi that the Mets could leverage?

Bautista’s power potential will lift the Mets offense, but they still need another bat in the five-hole to protect Bautista while he protects Wright. The name I really like is Jhonny Peralta. Like Bautista, he fills an offensive and defensive shortcoming. Here’s the problem: Peralta is going to want more money than Alderson has to spend. Instead, I can see them landing Corey Hart. I don’t get all of the hating on Hart. I like his power and perhaps Alderson is able to sign both Hart and Doc to incentive-laden deals. He could then ship Duda and maybe an arm like Darin Gorski or Cory Mazzoni for someone in the mold of a Matt Joyce or a Dee Gordon. No one will confuse either of those latter two with All-Stars, but either would be a considerable upgrade over last year’s incumbents.

Could, perhaps, maybe. It’s going to be another tough winter, as I don’t think they can fill more than one or two holes. Another big letdown for those expecting more. Still, I am far more sanguine about what might start to happen once the actual games begin in 2014.

Like it or not, as long as this Front Office is in power,it is still all about the direction they took the day they traded Carlos Beltran for Zack Wheeler. Since then, they have added Travis d’Arnaud, Noah Syndergaard and Black in trades and have nurtured Matt Harvey, Montero, Wilmer Flores, den Dekker, Jenrry Mejia, German and Juan Lagares through the system. These are “Cardinals Guys,” in my estimation. The pitchers throw hard and the position players, with the exception of Flores, should be counted on to play good defense and either add speed or high OBP to the offense. Some combination of those guys, Wright, Bautista and a few lesser acquisitions described two paragraphs above, is better than last year’s team.

Cue the sarcasm about the 2014 slogan I suppose, but I think they have to start somewhere and aiming to finish above 500 is the next logical step.

The MLBPA compiled a full list of players who filed for free agency this offseason. Out of those, there are several possibilities that stood out to me as players I would consider signing if I were the GM of the Mets (assuming I had a moderate amount of money to spend). Mind you, I’m not saying the Mets should sign ALL of these players – that would be impossible. But this would be the pool of players from which I would choose.

We’ll break them down by position. In the last post, I looked at outfielders. In this post, I’ll take a look at…

Shortstops

The Mets have several holes to fill, but the position that has the most room for improvement is shortstop. Mets shortstops had a combined -0.1 WAR last year. They were bad in the field and even worse at the plate. 23 year-old Ruben Tejada took a big step back in his development this year, and it’s clear the Mets don’t have confidence in him to be the everyday shortstop in 2014.

There are two major free agents this offseason who would be a significant upgrade at short. Most every team who needs a shortstop has interest in them, including the Mets.

Stephen Drew, 31 – Drew is good fielder with a decent left-handed bat. Playing mostly in hitter-friendly parks, he averaged a .264/.329/.435 slash with 15 homers over a 162-game average. He truly showed off his glove this postseason, covered a lot of ground, and made sure-handed plays with strong, accurate throws. He hardly hit a lick until he homered in the clinching game of the World Series, but his defense was extremely valuable to the Red Sox en route their World Championship. Now Drew is ready to settle in somewhere with a long-term deal – perhaps 3 or 4 years in length. He’s expected to go for about $10 million per year.

Jhonny Peralta, 31 – Peralta is similar to Drew in many ways, particularly at the dish. He has a career .268/.330/.425 slash line and averages 18 home runs over 162 games. A right handed hitter, Peralta has displayed power while playing his home games in less hitter-friendly parks. He’s had 4 years in which he’s hit 20 homers or more, most recently in 2011 with the Tigers. This year, he was having an outstanding season (.303/.358/.457 and 11 HRs in 448 plate appearances), before he was suspended for the last 50 games of the season for his association with the Biogenesis clinic. Because of that black mark, his price may be discounted, as some teams will be reluctant to sign him. How much of his performance was enhanced by less-than-natural means? We don’t know, but the fact that he played so well after his name was publicly linked to Biogenesis is a good sign. His glove isn’t as highly regarded as Drew’s, but he did have a 3.5 UZR last year, and a UZR over 10 in 2011 and 2012.

Coming up next: Free agent first basemen

Quick comment on one of the various free agents being bandied about in the Mets blogosphere: Rafael Furcal.

The MLBPA compiled a full list of players who filed for free agency this offseason. Out of those, there are several possibilities that stood out to me as players I would consider signing if I were the GM of the Mets (assuming I had a moderate amount of money to spend). Mind you, I’m not saying the Mets should sign ALL of these players – that would be impossible. But this would be the pool of players from which I would choose.

We’ll break them down by position. In the last post, I looked at relief pitchers. In this post, I’ll take a look at…

Outfielders

So many outfielders, so little time (and possibly money – but that’s been talked about ad nauseam).

The Mets seem happy with Juan Lagares and his defense in centerfield, but would like to upgrade the corners. Here are some possibilities:

The MLBPA compiled a full list of players who filed for free agency this offseason. Out of those, there are several possibilities that stood out to me as players I would consider signing if I were the GM of the Mets (assuming I had a moderate amount of money to spend). Mind you, I’m not saying the Mets should sign ALL of these players – that would be impossible. But this would be the pool of players from which I would choose.

We’ll break them down by position. In the last post, I looked at starting pitchers. In this post, I’ll take a look at…

Relief Pitchers

The Mets bullpen had another poor season statistically in 2013, but a lot of their failure came from a few sources, like Brandon Lyon, Rob Carson, Greg Burke, and Josh Edgin (during his first stint in the majors).