"Carlos Beltran knows who he would like to see play first base for the Mets next season, and his name isn't Daniel Murphy.

The All-Star center fielder, appearing at a charity event yesterday in Harlem, put in a strong plug for Puerto Rican countryman Carlos Delgado to be brought back.

"Honestly, I would love to," Beltran said when asked if he would like to see the Mets re-sign the 37-year-old slugger. "That's up to the team, but Delgado is a guy who, when healthy, you're going to get a lot of contributions from him."

Delgado, who filed for free agency last week, missed all but 26 games last season due to hip surgery and a strained oblique. But he told Beltran recently that he plans to play winter ball in Puerto Rico to prove he is healthy.

The Mets haven't ruled out re-signing Delgado to a cheaper, incentive-laden contract, but they sound more interested in acquiring a low-cost veteran to platoon with Murphy at first in a one-year bridge to top prospect Ike Davis in 2011.

Beltran thinks the Mets would be wise to go with Delgado.

"He's a 30-home run, 100-RBI guy," Beltran said. "He's a guy who's safe to invest money in because he takes care of himself.""