In what should be a surprise to no one, Jose Reyes told Mets GM Sandy Alderson that he will not talking about an extension during the season. He said that he did not want the talks to be a distraction, but really, he is just using his bargaining power to get the best possible deal for him come this off-season. To say that Jose is having a career would be an understatement - if he wasn't on the Mets he would be the leading MVP candidate in the National League. He is leading the league with a .336 average and has 20 doubles, 12 triples and 26 stolen bases. Quite simply, he is the player we all knew he could be.
Normally a season like this would be reason to celebrate, but I am having a hard time finding any joy in his season. I mean, no matter what happens, there is a good chance that we will be hurt. I honestly believe that if he re-signs with the Mets, there is a good chance he gets hurt and that we never see this Jose again. I also believe that if he goes elsewhere, the black cloud will be lifted and he will continue to tear the cover off the ball. Maybe I'm being overly pessimistic, but maybe not. Maybe, just maybe this is guaranteed to happen.
I said at the beginning of the season that I would put my trust in Alderson and I am going to stick with whatever he decides to do. If he trades him before the deadline, then I'll stand by him. If he keeps Reyes and then Reyes leaves, then I'll accept the draft picks. If he re-signs Reyes, I'll accept it. No matter what, I am going to trust Alderson - after all, he is the one person who can eliminate all emotion from the equation.
So what is going to happen? Well, it seems highly likely that Reyes is playing himself out of NY. Normally that means a player is spouting off at management, teammates and the press or that he is having a Jason Bay type season. This is the exact opposite - he is playing so well that his yearly salary is increasing by day. And with the whole Madoff-Wilpon mess, we are no longer like any other NY team. For once, we are going to be like Kansas City and actually lose our homegrown players because of financial restraints.
Jose is fully aware of his position. He knows that he is in a golden position. Last year the Mets had the power in any extension talks - he was coming off an injury ridiculed season and came into the season ranked in some circles behind Jimmy Rollins, Derek Jeter and Elvis Andrus, all which are ridiculous. Now he is in the position to get whatever he demands...HOWEVER, that only works for him if he doesn't get injured. Now no one can predict injuries, but I think we would be remiss to not mention his past. Over his previous 76 years, Reyes has been completely healthy (ie -played in 140+ games) in 4 season seasons. I don't want to use the phrase injury-prone when talking about him, but he has certainly been fragile over the years. And for someone who relies on his legs, that is not the best thing. If he gets injured in the final months of the season, the Mets look like geniuses while Reyes is left out in the cold. It's not a big gamble only for the Mets...the risk goes both ways.
I do want to say one last thing - the Mets have only themselves to blame for this situation. Maybe avoiding the 2007 collapse would not have helped them with the whole Madoff fiasco, but I know with certainty that our team would be in a different place today had we not choked. No way there would be a black cloud over us. No way we would be questioning whether Reyes was worth it. Hells no, if we win 2007 we win in 2008 as well. Just that alone would have been enough to keep Reyes, Wright and Beltran in the Mets pantheon.
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