ON SECOND THOUGHT

Kipnis may not be truly available in Amazin’s budget

Carlos Santana’s hookup with the Phillies could produce a double-whammy of bad news for the Mets.

Beyond improving the suddenly aggressive Phillies — the one team that f inished behind the Mets in the NL East in 2017 — Santana’s departure from Cleveland gives the Indians both a greater need for Jason Kipnis and increased payroll flexibility to retain the second baseman and team leader. Santana will get $60 million over three years from Philadelphia.

So while the Mets and Indians have discussed a trade of Kipnis to f ill the Mets’ hole at second base, t he I ndi a ns’ desi re and need to move Kipnis is not as strong as perceived, two industry sources said on the condition of anonymity. Kipnis appealed to the Mets particularly because of the notion he’d be more of a salary dump than a swap of talent at a time when the Mets don’t have many attractive trade pieces.

A lack of supply also hurts the Met sin any attempt to deal for the Pirates’ Josh Harrison and the A’s Jed Lowrie. The Marlins’ Starlin Castro, just sent to South Florida by the Yankees in the Giancarlo Stanton deal, could be more attainable as a straight salary assumption (he has about $24 million guaranteed through 2019), and old pal Neil Walker remains a free agent. One lower-profile option could be Cubs second basemanthird baseman Tommy La Stella, a New Jersey native who enjoyed a productive 2017 as a role player.

K ipn is , who turns 31 in April, is due about $1 3.7 million next year and $14.7 million in 2019, with a $16. 5 million team option against a $2. 5 million buyout for 2020. His injury-filled, unproductive 2017 season, in which he slashed .232/.291/.414 in 90 games while homering 12 times in 336 at-bats, cost him his position, as Jose Ramirez moved from third base to the keystone and finished third in the ALMost Valuable Player ballot. Upon his return from the disabled list in September, Kipnis played 11 games in center field, his first out field experience in the major leagues. With versatility and roster depth becoming increasingly valued, and with Kipnis having put up a far more respectable .275/.343/.469 showing in 156 games in 2016, the Indians can envision Kipnis rebounding and contributing at second base, center field and designated hitter, especially if last year’s primary DH, Edwin Encarnacion, gets more reps at first base to help replace Santana.

Furthermore, the Indians value Kipnis as an important part of their clubhouse culture, and he’s on record as saying he wants to stay despite his position being unclear.

“Why would I want to be traded ?” Kip nissa id to MLB.com in an interview published last week. “We’re a 100-win team in the middle of our window. Why would I want to go anywhere else? And it’ s with all my best friends. I want to be with the Cleveland Indians. I’ ve been here forever. I’m comfortable here. And I’ve always wanted to finish what we started.”

If the Indians pick up a free-agent first baseman — or bring back Jay Bruce, whom they acquired from the Mets last August and who can play first base and the outf ield — then perhaps they’d be more open to dealing Kipnis. At the moment, though, with the Mets looking to f ill this important hole, Kipnis stands as more than a buylow guy because the Indians do not appear inclined to sell low on him.

Last month, at the general managers meetings, Mets off icials convened with Santana’s representatives to express interest in him. From there, however, the Mets never followed up in any serious fashion. kdavidoff@nypost.com