PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- He acquits himself nicely at second base, shortstop and third. He can handle the outfield if need be, and he has dabbled in first-base defense, if only once.

Jose Valentin switch-hits, and he has some pop. He'd know what to do if he saw the steal sign. He plays the game properly. And he's as good a clubhouse guy as there is. Moreover, he's moving well and performing well enough to make people think he again could provide what he provided three years ago when he was an important part of the Mets' backbone.

And in every corner of the clubhouse here, someone is rooting for him.

Not that any of that is going to matter all that much when Omar Minaya, Jerry Manuel and the staff assemble in the first days of April and determine the composition of the 2009 Mets. In a baseball way, Valentin is all dressed up with no place to go -- except Triple-A Buffalo. That makes him, in a baseball way, a man out of options.

A hyphenated Triple-A job -- player-coach -- awaits Valentin in upstate New York if what he covets at the big league level isn't in the offing. And it probably isn't.

Valentin knows big league regulations won't allow him to be a member of the Mets when the team queues up for Opening Day ceremonies in Cincinnati.

"I've got a chance to be there," Valentin said, "if they have a 31-man roster."

And he smiled softly.

Comfort is evident in his expression as he speaks. The 99 on his back -- Valentin requested the number -- may just as well represent his 1-in-100 chance of playing again in the big leagues -- for any team. But the more telling number is 39, his age. He has reached the point when age comes before batting average, when years count more than RBIs.

His skills, though mostly intact, are seen through the prism of age.

Valentin is as comfortable as a 39-year-old man can be in a clubhouse of 20-somethings, 30-somethings and Livan Hernandez. As much as Valentin would like to have one more shot, he knows the likelihood of that is gone unless the World Baseball Classic extends into the summer or a few of the Mets' primary parts go missing.

"I don't want it to be over," Valentin said. "I came back, I did a lot of work and went through a lot of pain so I could have a chance. And I do have a chance."

But not a good one.

"If it is over, I'm prepared for what comes next," Valentin said. "I gave it a try."

The Mets were off Wednesday, a day of rest for the weary. Valentin didn't need it.

"I feel pretty good," he said. "I'm playing a lot because a lot of the guys are in the [Classic]. So that's been good. I'm not tired. I'll play as much as they want."

Valentin had enough time off last year and the preceding season. He hasn't played in the big leagues since July 20, 2007, when a foul tip off his own bat fractured his right tibia. He appeared in merely 17 Minor League games last season because of inflammation in his neck that necessitated surgery. Most of his time with the Mets' Triple-A New Orleans affiliate was spent sharing his experiences with younger players. He even coached first base, an assignment that may have prepared him for what awaits this year.

The Mets want Valentin to be with their new Buffalo affiliate. The want to keep him in the organization. He hardly is opposed to that ... but if he catches the eye of another club while he's playing in Spring Training, well ... "We'll see if that happens," Valentin said.

If he has made an impression, it may be the last one. Valentin's innings at shortstop are about to diminish when Jose Reyes returns to camp, probably Thursday. The Dominican's exit from the Classic came too soon for Valentin. And Luis Castillo still needs innings at second base and at-bats to fuel the personal renaissance the Mets say they envision. And if/when Puerto Rico or the United States is eliminated from the Classic, the lockers of Alex Cora and David Wright will be occupied again.

"That's why I'm getting my at-bats now," Valentin said.

He has 23, the sixth most in camp. He is batting .304 with seven singles and a double. He has played second, third and short.

"I think he probably can play any position," rookie Nick Evans said. "You watch him, and he looks like he's been playing the position -- whereever he is -- his whole life. I just love to watch him. He's so professional. I was talking to my roommates [Minor League players] and tell them, 'Anyone who loves the game will enjoy watching him play.'"

Valentin knew his chances had been damaged before he arrived in camp. Though Cora lacks the offensive prowess Valentin demonstrated in 2006, he is more of a reserve shortstop. The job of primary middle-infield reserve is his. If the roster did have 31 places, Valentin probably would be the understudy at third, a mostly left-handed pinch-hitter, and third behind Castillo and Cora on the second-base depth chart.

"They brought in a good player [in Cora]," Valentin said. "He can help in a lot of ways."

And if Valentin can't help, he'll adjust.

"I'll start a new career," he said. "I'm ready to play and I'm ready if there is nowhere to play. If that happens, I'll be proud of what I've accomplished and the type of player I was."