Pedro Beato

Mets GM Sandy Alderson held a blogger conference call today, and Metsblog.com's Michael Baron has the transcript.  Here are some of the hot stove-related notes…

• Fan sentiment "came into play" in Luis Castillo's release, Alderson said.  The Mets "became aware about the sentiment in New York for [Castillo and Oliver Perez]….It's difficult to overcome that, so you evaluate player performance against presumption in the minds of the fans."  In Perez's case, Alderson said the southpaw just didn't pitch well enough to make the roster, so the fans' thoughts were moot.
• Alderson says if the Mets are in contention, the club will have the money available to add a player if necessary.
• Alderson thinks his team's farm system is underrated but he says the Mets "need to be more aggressive and successful in developing players out of the draft."
• "There is a very good possibility we will keep both our Rule 5 picks" Alderson said, in regards to Pedro Beato and Brad Emaus.  The GM said that Emaus' Rule 5 status was a major reason the team gave him every chance to win the second base job this spring.  "If he was not a Rule 5 draftee, he wouldn’t have presented the immediacy that he does," Alderson said.  "If he’s not the starting second baseman, I’m not sure how much he helps us in a bench role. At least at the outset, you’re going to give him every opportunity."
• If the Mets have a reduced payroll next season, they should still be able to re-sign Jose Reyes if they wish, given the number of contracts the team has coming off the books this winter.