New York Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said Thursday he has been informed that commissioner Bud Selig soon will announce the Mets will host an All-Star Game in the near future.
"I'm assured by the commissioner that he will make an announcement shortly on a year when we will get an All-Star Game," Wilpon said in an interview with 1050 ESPN New York. "It will be out a few years but I think it will be something that everyone can look forward to."
A baseball official familiar with the discussions told 1050 ESPN New York that the All-Star Game will "likely" be in 2013.
With the Yankees closing out their stadium in the Bronx with this season's All-Star Game, the Mets were expected to receive the next New York All-Star Game, after both teams open new ballparks in 2009.
Wilpon also addressed the status of manager Willie Randolph. After last season's historic collapse, the Mets held a news conference to announce that Randolph will return. With the addition of Johan Santana this offseason, Wilpon -- echoing the words of his father, team co-owner Fred Wilpon -- said he expects the Mets to play deep into October.
This has put a spotlight on Randolph's job security.
"He is our manager and he is under contract for the next couple of years," Wilpon said,
Wilpon added that he, general manager Omar Minaya and Randolph are all communicating well.
In the future, someone Wilpon plans on talking to is former Met Mike Piazza. Piazza, 39, is still looking to play this year. The Mets have no interest on a reunion now, but they have an open invitation to Piazza to rejoin their organization after he retires.
"I would be open to talking to him about anything," Wilpon said. "If he wanted to be on the field, off the field, with the network [SportsNet New York], I would be open to talking to him about anything that he wanted to do."
Wilpon conducted his interview with 1050 ESPN New York after he, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and Environmental Protection Agency officials announced that the Mets' new stadium, Citi Field, is being constructed using the latest green technologies and practices.
Andrew Marchand is the Managing Editor of 1050 ESPN New York.