Cano to the Mets? Unlikely at His Price Robinson Cano's representatives haven't budged off a deal for 10 years at $310 million. If the Mets were going to puff out their chests and declare themselves spenders this off-season, they might as well act like it, at least once in a while. So on Monday night, Sandy Alderson, the Mets" general manager; Jeff Wilpon, the chief operating officer, and John Ricco, the assistant general manager, met for dinner in Manhattan with Jay Z and associates and listened to their pitch on Robinson Cano, the Yankees second baseman who has become the highest-priced item on baseball's free-agent market. The dinner occurred on the same day that the Mets deemed LaTroy Hawkins too expensive, at $2.5 million, to keep in their bullpen, but no matter. Jay Z, rapper, record producer, entrepreneur and, more recently, sports agent, and his associates Brodie Van Wagenen and Juan Perez invited the Mets to dinner. Even if Jay Z is asking for a contract in excess of $300 million for Cano, which might be a little pricey for a Mets team that has barely spent $3 million on any free agent in recent seasons, why not go? When news of the dinner meeting became public - it was first reported by The New York Post - there were plenty of wisecracks to go around on Twitter, even if Cano would fit nicely into the Mets" batting order as a left-handed cleanup hitter behind David Wright. But Alderson, who often enough has poked fun at his team's limited finances, refrained from any quips when he spoke about the dinner at a get-together on Tuesday with writers who cover the Mets. "It wasn't terribly surprising that the fact of the meeting became known within minutes of dessert," Alderson said, implying that Jay Z and his team wanted the Yankees to know that they were talking to someone else about Cano. That is a standard strategy in baseball negotiations. Then again, Randy Levine, the Yankees" president, did not sound very rattled when asked about Jay Z's meeting with the Mets. "For $300 million, they can have him right now," Levine said. Maybe he would have been a little more anxious if he thought the Mets were serious about trying to sign Cano. Levine indicated that the Yankees" own negotiations with Jay Z and his associates were in a stalemate, with Jay Z still asking for $310 million in a new 10-year deal for Cano and the Yankees adamantly opposed to those terms. "Nothing is going on until they get more realistic," Levine said, adding: "We have made a substantial and competitive offer. I am sure they are trying to create a market for their client, but all of that is irrelevant to us. As for Alderson, he said he stood by his statement from a week ago that the Mets were unlikely to sign off on even a $100 million contract for any current free agents. But he added that the team "would explore whatever possibilities arise, however remote," which seemed an apt enough way to describe the chances of the Mets signing Cano. Alderson did note that the Mets thought it would be "useful" to meet Jay Z and those working with him, "whether it's in connection with Robinson Cano or some future client that they may have." Alderson also said he was serious about spending a considerable amount of money this winter, even if $100 million deals are off-limits. But whom will the Mets spend money on? Maybe some middle-tier free agents like shortstop Jhonny Peralta, with whom the Mets met last week. "It may not have manifested yet to the average fan, the average person," Alderson said, "but I think we are more active than we were last year. I don't think we are being as cautious as we have been in the past. Nor are they against having dinner with Jay Z. Good food, good talk, great second baseman. But do not expect to see Cano as a Met. David Waldstein contributed reporting.