Can stars align

McCann signing gives them flexibility

The Mets were unwilling to pony up the money (and likely, the years) for a sizable J.T. Realmuto contract. That became clear when they signed the second-best free agent backstop in James McCann over the weekend. Sandy Alderson offered a straightforward enough explanation Monday of why the Mets went with the cheaper option in McCann over Realmuto at catcher for the next four years.

“We did have discussions with J.T. and his representatives. They were great conversations,” the Mets team president said. “More than anything else, this was a timing issue for us. We have a number of needs, and we can afford to wait to fill some of them. We can’t afford to wait to fill all of them.

“This wasn’t a compromise pick. We’ve been engaged with James for a considerable period of time. There’s a lot we like about James. In terms of the two of them, part of it was our really strong interest in James and what he’s done over the last couple of years and what we think he can do for us going forward.”

Alderson stopped short of saying the Mets couldn’t convince Realmuto to come to New York likely because they weren’t immediately offering him what he wanted. MLB Trade Rumors predicted Realmuto would land with the Mets on a contract worth $125 million. As the best backstop in baseball on the open market, MLBTR anticipates Realmuto will set a new average annual value record for catchers on a five or six-year deal.

Realmuto, set to enter his age-30 season, has not yet signed with a club because — much like this winter’s other top free agents in Trevor Bauer and George Springer — he’s still waiting for an offer that will match his value. The Mets couldn’t give that to him right away like they could with the other two players they’ve signed in Trevor May and McCann, in part because the market for the “gourmet section” is moving slower than the “meat department,” as Alderson put it.

So instead of waiting for Realmuto, jeopardizing McCann signing with

another club and losing out on a starting catcher altogether, the Mets decided to jump on the opportunity and land their free-agent catcher for $40 million while he was still available. In doing so, the Mets saved over $110 million.

So where will they spend that money? “I think what the fans want is not that we win the offseason, but that we win the season. There are several different ways to achieve that,” Alderson said. “If we have X money to spend, we’ll probably spend it. But we have to make decisions about how we do that.”

Of course, time will tell how the McCann contract plays out against Realmuto’s eventual performance — wherever he lands. But when the Mets opted to pass on the best catcher in baseball, they made it clear they’re saving that money for contracts that will eat up the remainder of their offseason budget.

Alderson indicated the Mets are willing to wait for Bauer and Springer — two elite players who could significantly improve their rotation and outfield depth for the next few years. After passing on Realmuto, it would be disappointing if new Mets GM Jared Porter and Alderson didn’t land Bauer, Springer or both.

“I think we’re trying to be judicious, but we’re definitely talking and we’re definitely in the market and we definitely have the capacity,” Alderson said. “So, what we really have to do then, given all of those things — resources and so forth — is to make good judgments about what we do, and not be compelled to win the offseason, but rather have our eye on the regular season.”