Notes: Mets' sale process, no Canó and more

NEW YORK -- Reiterating that he is pursuing “business as usual” around Citi Field, Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said Friday that he has paid little attention to the team’s ongoing sale process.

“You’d be surprised. We aren’t talking about it as a baseball operations group,” Van Wagenen said. “Our focus is … to win, and it’s to try to win going forward. There are no distractions. And I would say that’s true for me, it would be true for [COO] Jeff [Wilpon], it would be true for the rest of our baseball operations leadership, and I know it’s true for our players and our coaches. It’s just not a conversation we’re having internally because we’re keeping our eye on the prize and we’re having a lot of fun doing it.”

The Mets have not publicly acknowledged their sale process since Feb. 6, when the team’s ownership group, Sterling Partners, announced it was ending billionaire Steve Cohen’s exclusive negotiating window and pursuing “a new transaction” via its investment bank, Allen & Company. A first round of bids was reportedly due Thursday.

Given that the future timeline of the transaction is unclear, Van Wagenen said there is little reason for him to consider his current work anything other than “business as usual.”

“I anticipate it remaining that way until there is, or if there is, a change,” Van Wagenen said. “Jeff and I are still in constant communication on every aspect of the day-to-day operations. [Principal owner] Fred [Wilpon] and I are in regular communication about our team and the decision-making, and we’re collaborating in the same way that we always have. I think the important part for us is that we continue to be focused on a pretty simple effort. It’s our job to go out and try to build the best team we can.”

No Canó
Robinson Canó has missed the past three days of practice, Van Wagenen confirmed without providing a reason. Over the first week of camp, the Mets have routinely declined comment on the absences of certain players; in addition to Canó’s recent absence, Amed Rosario and Marcus Stroman missed the first two days of camp (and Rosario was not at workouts Thursday). Relievers Brad Brach and Jared Hughes have yet to work out at all.

“We’re going to focus on the people who are here,” Van Wagenen said.

The GM also declined to reveal how many, if any, Mets tested positive for COVID-19 during or in the week since intake testing. Van Wagenen has said only that one member of the team’s 40-man roster tested positive before arriving in New York.

Yo knows power
Excitement continues to build around Yoenis Céspedes, whose two-run homer off Seth Lugo in Thursday’s intrasquad game surprised precisely no one in the Citi Field dugout.

“He hit the homer and everyone was like, ‘Yeah, that’s Yo,’” manager Luis Rojas said. “Céspedes is a force. It’s great that he’s in our corner and advancing every day.”

It is worth noting that Céspedes did not run the bases following his homer, though he has been participating in sprinting drills in the outfield. The greater question for Céspedes is not power, but athleticism, as he works his way back from multiple heel surgeries and a fractured right ankle.

“His attitude has been great,” Rojas said. “He’s positive. You know how he is, very secure of what he can do out there. He’s working really hard. And that right there, he’s showing it off.”

No sleep till Brooklyn
The Mets plan to open their alternate training site at MCU Park in Brooklyn by early next week, Van Wagenen said. At that point, the team will add players to its 60-man player pool; currently, that pool stands at 51, though a source said the Mets have been flying in Minor Leaguers in anticipation of adding them to the roster.

Rain, rain, go away
As Tropical Storm Fay circled over New York City on Friday, the Mets were forced to cancel their scheduled simulated game. Several pitchers were able to throw bullpen sessions before the rain began, however, so the Mets did not consider the weather too much of a setback.

Working indoors, the Mets utilized their home and visiting clubhouses, gyms and batting cages to complete both baseball activities and conditioning work. Players were required to make appointments to use high-traffic areas such as the cages.

“That may take a little longer than it usually was, but we’re really focused on fulfilling protocols here and having the guys staggered coming in,” Rojas said. “So that’s what we’re doing.”