"Mets GM Sandy Alderson said Thursday he expects Johan Santana to be ready for spring training, that the left-hander has been throwing for three weeks and should be "ready to go."

Alderson created a stir last month when he said he was unsure if Santana would be back by the beginning of the season. In a conference call Thursday, Alderson spoke with cautious optimism regarding Santana, who is coming back from September 2010 surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder.

"I didn't want to set off alarms the last time I talked about this, but we are talking about someone coming off a long rehab and I think, ultimately, the question is going to be answered in spring training, not beforehand," Alderson said of Santana, who has spent time with trainer Ray Ramirez and is throwing from 75 feet and on consecutive days.

"It's going to be answered in terms of his ability to come back and pitch consistently on normal days' rest,'' Alderson said. "We expect that to be the case and we have no reason to believe that won't be the case.""