Al Leiter, the Mets’ veteran lefthander who often has ownership’s ear, believes that if the only way for the Mets to acquire Kaz Matsui is to move Jose Reyes to second base, he’d endorse the switch.

“Of course,” Leiter said yesterday. “If we’re bringing in a guy who’s a 10-time All-Star in the equivalent of [the Japanese] major leagues over there and is a superstar, I think Jose can make the adjustment easily.”

Leiter’s remarks were telling because several weeks ago, he spoke out against moving Reyes to second, praising the 20-year-old’s cannon arm and calling him a “future Hall of Famer.”

Leiter certainly hasn’t lost any respect for Reyes’ shortstop wizardry and, in fact, he praised his ability again yesterday. But perhaps realizing that Matsui is now the Mets’ chief infield target, Leiter seems to believe that the team could form a dynamic middle infield if Matsui were to sign on at short.

Leiter, who received the March of Dimes’ Sportsman of the Year Award yesterday, faced Matsui in an All-Star Game in Japan in 1998.

“It was only seven games, but he looked great,” he said. “I think of him as a Craig Biggio. I hear that he has the potential to hit 20 home runs. I see him more as a line-drive guy who can run and is great defensively. He’s a good, solid player.”