NEW YORK, N.Y. - Sandy Alderson is sticking with the New York Mets a€” and he might have some more money to spend.The team announced a contract extension Tuesday for Alderson that runs through 2017 and gives the general manager a chance to finish the rebuilding project he started four years ago.Obviously, were not at the point wed like to be in terms of our won-loss record and the overall success of the team, Alderson said on a conference call. I dont think were that far away. I really dont believe it is going to take a giant leap to get to a playoff-competitive level.Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said the club exercised Aldersons option for next season and added two years to his deal. Wilpon said ownership is pleased with the job Alderson has done, and he has payroll flexibility to continue to improve the team through free agency or trades.I dont know whether there will be a dramatic spike or not. I dont feel that we will necessarily be constrained by the payroll next year, Alderson said.He did confirm that manager Terry Collins will return. Collins is under contract through next season, with an option for 2016.Hes done an exceptional job for us, I believe. Hes energetic. Hes passionate; his work ethic is second to none, Alderson said. Its been a pleasure to watch how the team has responded to Terry.New York (76-81) needs to win its final five games to avoid a sixth consecutive losing season since moving into Citi Field. Before the season, Alderson challenged the Mets to win 90 games, a number even hard-core fans found overly optimistic.The Mets are 301-342 under Alderson and Collins.We finally have gone through some of these rougher years, where the expectations that we have on ourselves moving into next year should be pretty high, captain David Wright said in Washington. Im very optimistic and excited about what the very near future holds, and Im glad those two guys will be able to kind of head this ship thats going the direction that were going.The 66-year-old Alderson said Tuesday he is grateful for the opportunity to stay on and credited his front-office staff.I understand not everything has gone according to plan, he said. I do believe weve made some progress toward our ultimate goals.Since replacing Omar Minaya as GM following the 2010 season, Alderson has pared the payroll from about $133 million that year to less than $92 million on opening day this season, which ranked 19th among 30 major league teams. But a thin farm system has improved under his watch, and the Mets gradually appear to be getting better a€” at least on the mound.By trading older players such as Carlos Beltran, R.A. Dickey and Marlon Byrd, Alderson acquired pitcher Zack Wheeler, catcher Travis dArnaud, second baseman Dilson Herrera, reliever Vic Black and top pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard.With injured ace Matt Harvey and reliever Bobby Parnell expected back from Tommy John surgery next year, the Mets have the makings of a quality staff that includes Wheeler, NL Rookie of the Year contender Jacob deGrom, setup man Jeurys Familia and young closer Jenrry Mejia.Very, very excited, Collins said before the Mets lost 4-2 to the Nationals. Were very, very close. ... Weve got a couple things weve got to get better at, but next year were going to be in the hunt, theres no doubt in my mind.The offence remains an issue.Alderson signed Wright to a $138 million, eight-year contract before the 2013 season, and the All-Star third baseman struggled with an aching shoulder this summer during the worst season of his career.Curtis Granderson, brought in as a free agent, has 19 homers and 62 RBIs after signing a $60 million, four-year deal. Fellow outfielder Chris Young, signed to a $7.25 million, one-year contract, was released in August after batting .205 with eight homers and 28 RBIs.Free agency is a crapshoot. And on the other hand, you expect to hit a certain number of times, Alderson said, acknowledging its an area where the Mets need to be more successful than perhaps weve been in the past.The player development side, weve done pretty well. Weve done pretty well in trades. Free agency is problematic a€” not just for us but for a lot of teams, he added.Alderson is expected to be in the market for bats this winter, especially at shortstop and left field. He also has a decision to make about the future of All-Star second baseman Daniel Murphy, likely due a hefty raise in arbitration.Murphy can become a free agent after the 2015 season.Weve got to be more productive offensively, but there are a lot of different ways to get there, Alderson said.Alderson was the architect of Oakland teams that won three straight AL pennants from 1988-90 and the 1989 World Series. He also was CEO of the San Diego Padres when they won consecutive NL West titles from 2005-06.___AP freelance writer Ian Quillen in Washington contributed to this report. New York Islanders Jerseys . After a 10-game skid, winning sure feels good. Atlantas third error in the last two innings allowed Jackie Bradley Jr. Mathew Barzal Jersey . The Rangers centre left early in Game 1 with an upper body injury after being checked by Canadiens defenceman Mike Weaver and has not played since. Brassard told reporters after practice that he was good to go. That brought a smile to the face of Rangers coach Alain Vigneault. http://www.authenticnyislanderspro.com/Casey-cizikas-islanders-jersey/ . -- With the Memphis Grizzlies struggling to find their offensive rhythm, O. John Tavares Jersey . - Defensive end-linebacker Mike Neal apparently is returning to the Packers. Tom Kuhnhackl Jersey .ca. Kerry, I hope you address Ron MacLeans comment during the second intermission of Game 4 in Montreal-Tampa series. Basically, he suggested that the NHL should not have used a referee from Quebec, following the Game 3 disputed non-goal, because the referee could be biased towards Montreal.MINNEAPOLIS -- Not even the All-Star break could cool off the Tampa Bay Rays. Ben Zobrist homered and Evan Longoria had three RBIs to lead the Rays to a 6-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. Alex Cobb (5-6) allowed two runs in 5 2-3 innings and Matt Joyce added an RBI single as the Rays continue playing themselves back into contention and impressing manager Joe Maddon. "We pretty much picked up where we did leave it off at the All-Star break," Maddon said. "We were crispy, man. That felt good." Trevor Plouffe homered for the Twins, a two-run shot in the third highlighted by a fan leaning over the railing in left-centre and making a great catch. Tampa Bay took a 3-0 lead in the third on Longorias bases-loaded double that soared just beyond the reach of right fielder Oswaldo Arcia. "Thats what really can start to breed confidence," said Longoria, who was hitting just .220 in July before Friday. "It was a good time right there for me to be able to do that and have a renewed slate, so to speak, in the second half." The Twins could have escaped the inning with minimal damage, but a come-backer off the bat of Desmond Jenning ricocheted off the glove of starting pitcher Kyle Gibson (8-8), ruining a possible double play. Zobrist walked and Longoria cleared the bases after Joyce popped out. "If I field my position there in the third inning and get a double play, or if it turns out if I let the ball go, (Brian) Doziers right up in the middle in his shift, its a double play and the defence gets me out of the inning," he said. After Plouffes home run, Zobrist made it 5-2 in the fifth with a two-run homer off Gibson that bounced off the top of the limestone overhangg in right field.dddddddddddd. Both teams need to get off to a hot start in the second half if they want to contend for a playoff spot instead of trade away veterans before the deadline. The Rays had a losing record at the All-Star break for the first time since 2007, but won 11 of 15 heading into the break. Since 2010, Tampa Bay holds the best record in baseball after the All-Star break. Even though it was only a single game in July, Cobb felt it was really important for the Rays to come back after some time off with a win. "It definitely starts that momentum that we need to get going," he said. "Were going in the right direction." With the state silhouette still mowed in the centre-field grass, Minnesota played its first game back at Target Field after hosting the All-Star game on Tuesday. The Twins added Kendrys Morales in early June to bolster their offence and try to remain in contention, but have faltered since. They did win five of their last six before the break and kicked off a 10-game homestand Friday. NOTES: Minnesota activated rookie IF/OF Danny Santana and sent reserve OF Chris Herrmann to Triple-A Rochester before the game. ... The Rays called up C Curt Casali from Triple-A Durham and transferred OF Wil Myers from the 15- to the 60-day disabled list. Casali led off the third and lined a single for his first major-league hit. ... Twins GM Terry Ryan said 1B Joe Mauer is "making steady progress" from an oblique strain, but has not resumed batting activities. ... David Price (9-7, 3.23 ERA), whos been in Minneapolis all week as the Rays lone All-Star and is a possible trade piece if the Rays are out of contention, faces Phil Hughes (10-5, 3.92) Saturday night. 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