PHILADELPHIA — During the Mets’ batting practice Tuesday, General Manager Sandy Alderson was milling about the dugout when a young boy called out to him, asking for an autograph. Alderson paused for a moment, surprised by the request. Then he signed the boy’s baseball with a Sharpie, the way the players do, and tossed the ball back to him, smiling.
Alderson is a popular man these days. He was the one who acquired Yoenis Cespedes, Juan Uribe, Kelly Johnson and Tyler Clippard at the nonwaiver trade deadline. Those moves revamped the Mets’ offense and bullpen — and changed the trajectory of their season.