PORT ST. LUCIE — Dominic Smith has not been able to text Michael Conforto for much of the offseason, and now he thinks he knows why.
Smith has resisted reaching out to his buddy to ask why he has not signed with a team yet — now with under a week before the regular season begins — wanting to be courteous and not intrude.
So the revelation from Scott Boras on Wednesday that Conforto injured his right shoulder diving in a drill in January, which has slowed his market, made a lot of sense.
“I don’t think anybody knew. We all were pretty much wondering the same thing, like, What’s going on?” Smith said Thursday before the Mets hosted the Nationals at Clover Park. “It’s a weird situation where you don’t want to hit somebody up and ask like, ‘Hey, why haven’t you signed yet?’ You just want everything to play out.”
Conforto’s agent told The Post’s Joel Sherman that the outfielder asked to delay contract talks until Conforto’s shoulder was fully healed. The 28-year-old’s swing plane now is “normal,” Boras said, and he is working out for teams in Arizona.
“It’s sad, but I’m hopeful for him,” Smith said, “and hopefully a team out there signs him because he’s still a great player. He’s still super young.”
With Conforto’s talent, he could be looking at “a couple hundred million dollars” one day, Smith said. But his 2021 season — in which he hit .232 with 14 home runs in a down year — surely has hurt his market.
As has the fact the Mets extended a qualifying offer, which Boras and Conforto rejected. Whatever non-Mets team that signs him will owe the Mets a draft pick.
“It’s tough. I don’t know exactly what’s going on with his situation, how [the qualifying offer] affects him,” said pal Jeff McNeil, who also had not heard until now about the injury. “But I know that being tied to his signing might make some teams sensitive.”
Boras did not offer a time frame concerning when Conforto will sign with a team, but said, “There’s a great deal of interest in this guy.”
The Mets, who imported outfielders Starling Marte and Mark Canha, have not shown interest.
“We’re all super close with him,” said Smith, who has played in the majors alongside Conforto since 2017. “Obviously, once he signs, we’re going to be in contact and I’m sure talk a bunch.”
