NEW YORK -- As the New York Mets look for options in their rotation, GM Sandy Alderson said the team would consider bringing back veteran lefty starter Johan Santana on a small deal.

The Mets are going to buyout Santana's contract for 2014 for $5.5 million, as they otherwise would have owed him $25 million. He made $25.5 million last season despite not pitching. Santana signed a six-year, $137.5-million deal with the team that included the team option for the 2014 season.

Santana missed this past season as he underwent surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder. He previously had the same surgery on Sept. 2, 2010, and he did not return to the majors for 19 months. He last pitched on Aug. 17, 2012, giving up six runs in five innings against Atlanta.

Santana pitched in only four seasons with the Mets as he was sidelined for two years due to the surgeries. He's 46-34 with a 3.18 ERA with the Mets, but has made only 109 starts since being acquired in a trade before the 2008 season. He threw the franchise's first no-hitter on June 1, 2012.

The lefty has previously said he would like to continue pitching.

"I think that's a possibility," Alderson said of bringing back Santana on a new deal in an interview on WFAN. "I don't really know what Johan's thinking. We'll talk to him, I'm sure, over the next couple of weeks but I think he wants to pitch. We'll just have to see what the market is for these guys and how much of our resources we want to allocate to somebody coming off injury or somebody you hope was able to pitch for you at a higher level."

Mets scouting: The Mets have three scouts in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to watch first baseman Jose Abreu, according to the New York Post. Abreu is a 26-year-old Cuban defector and is a free agent.