In the nascent stages of the Mets’ general manager search, Gary LaRocque’s name is among those receiving consideration.

LaRocque, a key component of the Cardinals front office for the past decade-plus, is hardly a whiz kid at 65, but is well respected within the game and would fit the profile of what the Mets are thought to be seeking in their next GM.

Multiple individuals connected to the team have indicated Mets patriarch Fred Wilpon, 81, is unlikely to hand the organization’s reins to a young, purely analytics-driven GM with whom he would perhaps have difficulty connecting. The growing belief is Wilpon will look toward a more traditional baseball person.

It’s also expected Wilpon will take a relatively conservative approach with the GM hire after the organization went with an “outside the box” candidate at manager with Mickey Callaway last offseason. Callaway, the former Indians pitching coach, has struggled in his first managerial job.

There is thought among team officials that perhaps the Mets became too analytics driven in recent seasons under Sandy Alderson’s watch, and a veteran leader with a pure baseball background would help shift the organization toward the center.

Alderson took a medical leave in June to battle recurring cancer and indicated he is unlikely to return even if his health permits. In his absence, the team has been guided by a three-headed panel that consists of assistant GM John Ricco and special assistants Omar Minaya and J.P. Ricciardi.

Ricco has not been eliminated as a possibility for the job, but sources say the Mets are more likely to hire an external candidate. Minaya, who returned to the organization last winter (he was GM from 2005-10), will have a strong voice in the search, according to sources. The search won’t go full throttle until October because most of the potential candidates are under contract and will need permission to speak with the Mets.

LaRocque was the Mets’ scouting director from 1998-2003. The highlight of that tenure was the drafting of David Wright in 2001.

After serving in multiple roles during Minaya’s tenure as GM — LaRocque left to become a special assistant with the Cardinals. He has served as the organization’s director of player development since 2010, a stretch in which the Cardinals have been among the best teams in the major leagues at developing young talent.