From what I’ve read and heard, it sounds like Jose Reyes is a goner from the Mets. If you don’t believe me, do a very quick Google search. It seems like they will move forward without him, unless his price and years come way down to a post-Madoff-Mets level. Reyes is by far their best and most exciting player, and when he played they were better team. Period.
The problem with losing Reyes is there is no one to replace him. Ruben Tejada? He seems to me more like a utility infielder than a full-fledged starter. He’s someone who can help you get through an injury like he did this year when Reyes got hurt. The Mets have too many holes to plug and getting two draft picks for Reyes is not going to really help them.
I believe the Mets best course of action is to re-sign Reyes. If he will accept six years, do it. Once they complete the signing, they should then trade David Wright. Wright has been clearly spooked by Citi Field, and his approach at the plate is way off. A change of scenery would be good for him. The Mets should take advantage of trading Wright while he still has significant value. Teams like the Rockies, Tigers and many others would love to have him. You can use that trade to fill in other holes which the Mets have as far as second base, center field and the pitching are concerned. They also have a ready-made replacement for Wright in Daniel Murphy.
Murphy, before having his season ended on a slide into second base, was hitting a solid .320. He won’t remind you of Wade Boggs’ fielding at third base, however, he is a solid contact hitter in his prime who should hit for more power in a more “hitter friendly” Citi Field this season. His contract is cheap and will be beneficial for the Mets. Yes, their lineup will be very lefty heavy with Murphy, Ike Davis and Lucas Duda, but only the Phillies have good left-handed starting pitching.
Will Reyes be costly? Absolutely. Will he be healthy the whole time? Probably not. However, losing Reyes will cause the Mets to have more holes than they already have in a division that is only going to get harder as time goes on with each team improving and the Phillies already being loaded. The Mets should do the more controversial move rather than the one that may be easier right now.
