Mets GM Sandy Alderson looks forward to the 2017 season

“I think that while we haven’t seen a lot of new faces or won’t see a lot of new faces in spring training, other than some young players that we have coming through our system, we’re gonna have players coming back who weren’t able to perform, mostly for health reasons last season, and as a result I think we’ve got the potential to be better than we were last year and comparable to what we were in 2015. We’ve got starting pitchers coming back, we’ve got position players coming back, we’ve got some young players with room to grow… I just think the potential is there to be very good.”

“I haven’t actually seen him throw off a mound, but I’ve seen video, know he’s in excellent shape.
… He’s in good spirits, he’s been working hard and has been throwing. And so from all of those indications, it appears that he’s right on track. I always caution and remind myself that we’ll know a lot more in spring training as Harvey and others progress through their throwing programs. But right now everything looks very good.”

“I say it’s very positive. He has gone through some health issues that obviously have been some disagreements over how to address those health issues and so forth, but I think that’s largely in the past. I think he’s in a very good frame of mind. We’re very high on him. So I think the relationship… probably better than people perceived it to be a couple of years ago, and it’s just as good now.”

“We haven’t discussed it at all, but knowing the competitor that he is, knowing how he enjoys pitching in New York and the feedback that he gets from the fans, I think he’s anxious to get back to that level. There are lots of motivating reasons, but I don’t think there has ever been any doubt about his desire to succeed and perform level.”

“I think just the way in which he approaches each game. He has a flair that people have come to appreciate. That flair comes with outstanding ability as well. You can tell he’s superconfident, he’s an outstanding athlete … and a bigger-than-life aspect to his game with his power and his arm. Fans enjoy winning games, but I think that in New York, personalities stand out as well. He hasn’t heretofore communicated all that much, but there’s that quiet, mysterious aura of power and speed and strength, it’s manifested quite often at the plate. People are intrigued by it. Hard to ignore that (chuckle). … What I’m most [excited] about is that he’s been working out in Port St. Lucie pretty regularly and I think is really motivated to play well and be healthy this year, and that’s a very good sign.”

“No, I really don’t. Last year there was an unfortunate juxtaposition between the golf and the leg injury that didn’t sit well with some fans, and wasn’t looked on favorably by the media. I don’t think there was any real connection between the two.”

“I don’t think one ever gets over the sting of losing a World Series (chuckle). I lost a couple in the 1980s, and I’m still not over that. I certainly have never acquiesced in the notion that Kansas City is a better team. They played better than we did during that period of time when it was critical, but we had our chances, and it could have gone the other way. But it didn’t.”

“It would be gratifying for all of us in the organization, especially to be able to do it here in New York City largely because I know how much it would mean to Mets fans here in New York, ’cause I know how much they cherish their memories of 1986, and in some cases 1969. It would be great to make that a trifecta.”