Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune offers a very accurate preview of the 2012 Mets. Reading this astute observation hurts a little bit:
"Reyes never really wanted to go on the free-agent market. He would have been fine being a lifelong Met, and might have thought he was going to be one as recently as July 31. That's when Alderson declined efforts from teams such as the Giants, Tigers and Brewers to trade for him. But the Mets were hoping Reyes' injury history — he has averaged only 98 games over the last three years — would lessen the interest in him on the market.
Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria instead traveled to New York to start a whirlwind romance at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 3, the start of the free-agent period. Tejada essentially became the Mets' shortstop at that moment."
Showing posts with label Jose Reyes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jose Reyes. Show all posts
Monday, January 23, 2012
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Love Works Both Ways | Mike Silva's New York Baseball Digest
A very rational and objective post by Mike Silva today. He squarely places the Mets failure to re-sign Jose Reyes on ... BOTH SIDES!
"Let’s look at this objectively and understand that Jose Reyes was a franchise player for about 2.5 seasons out of the 9 he spent here. In 2006, half of 2007, and 2008 he was a player you would build around. Prior to ’06 and the last three seasons, he was an incomplete player that was injury prone. This past season was a perfect example as most of his production was stuffed into the first three months of the year. This isn’t Tom Seaver or Darryl Strawberry leaving, this is Edgardo Alfonzo leaving. A very good player that we all loved, but won’t cripple the franchise for a long time. As a matter of fact, I predict the fans won’t think much of Reyes as the new crop of kids starts to make an impact the next couple of years.
I wish I could have asked Jose if he showed the fans love in the second-half of 2007 when he sulked as the Mets collapsed down the stretch. How about those ’07 and ’08 September swoons when you hit .205 and .243 respectively? I am sure that gave the fans a “warm and fuzzy” feeling. Let’s not forget the mental lapses at shortstop that required a veteran second baseman to keep you “focused.” See, unlike the fans blinded by orange and blue, I don’t forget those little things.
Don’t get me wrong, Jose Reyes is very good player. The Mets still should be ashamed they couldn’t match a 6 year/$106 million dollar deal when they play in New York. That’s an indictment on ownership, and in many ways a separate issue; in a vacuum there is plenty of reasons to not like the years and dollars given to Reyes. Outside of the desperate Marlins, no other team felt inclined to make an offer as well. That tells me an awful lot."
"Let’s look at this objectively and understand that Jose Reyes was a franchise player for about 2.5 seasons out of the 9 he spent here. In 2006, half of 2007, and 2008 he was a player you would build around. Prior to ’06 and the last three seasons, he was an incomplete player that was injury prone. This past season was a perfect example as most of his production was stuffed into the first three months of the year. This isn’t Tom Seaver or Darryl Strawberry leaving, this is Edgardo Alfonzo leaving. A very good player that we all loved, but won’t cripple the franchise for a long time. As a matter of fact, I predict the fans won’t think much of Reyes as the new crop of kids starts to make an impact the next couple of years.
I wish I could have asked Jose if he showed the fans love in the second-half of 2007 when he sulked as the Mets collapsed down the stretch. How about those ’07 and ’08 September swoons when you hit .205 and .243 respectively? I am sure that gave the fans a “warm and fuzzy” feeling. Let’s not forget the mental lapses at shortstop that required a veteran second baseman to keep you “focused.” See, unlike the fans blinded by orange and blue, I don’t forget those little things.
Don’t get me wrong, Jose Reyes is very good player. The Mets still should be ashamed they couldn’t match a 6 year/$106 million dollar deal when they play in New York. That’s an indictment on ownership, and in many ways a separate issue; in a vacuum there is plenty of reasons to not like the years and dollars given to Reyes. Outside of the desperate Marlins, no other team felt inclined to make an offer as well. That tells me an awful lot."
MMO Fan Shot: My Tribute To Jose Reyes
I was planning to write a post about why it feels different for the Mets to lose Jose Reyes to free agency compared to other players but guest blogger Noah Rainwater beat me to it with a phenomenal tribute of his own at Mets Merized Online. It is definitely a must-read for any Met fan trying to make sense of the Reyes situation.
For me personally, I remember Jose Reyes' major league debut against the Texas Rangers. As big a baseball and Met fan as I am, the only other Met whose major league debut I remember watching is Dwight Gooden against the Houston Astros, and I was only 11 years old at the time of Gooden's debut. So it's Jose and that's it. Honestly, I can't even remember the team against whom David Wright made his major league debut.
There was something about Reyes, especially watching him get his first big league hit and scoring from first base on a hit by Roger Cedeno that didn't even reach the warning track in left-centerfield. I remember thinking to myself, 'I've never seen a baseball player run that fast in my entire life.' Watching that cannon of an arm on his first fielding chance also made me downright giddy. Like I said, the guest blog post sums it up very well and is worth reading.
For me personally, I remember Jose Reyes' major league debut against the Texas Rangers. As big a baseball and Met fan as I am, the only other Met whose major league debut I remember watching is Dwight Gooden against the Houston Astros, and I was only 11 years old at the time of Gooden's debut. So it's Jose and that's it. Honestly, I can't even remember the team against whom David Wright made his major league debut.
There was something about Reyes, especially watching him get his first big league hit and scoring from first base on a hit by Roger Cedeno that didn't even reach the warning track in left-centerfield. I remember thinking to myself, 'I've never seen a baseball player run that fast in my entire life.' Watching that cannon of an arm on his first fielding chance also made me downright giddy. Like I said, the guest blog post sums it up very well and is worth reading.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Reyes contract breakdown
From this post on metsblog.com:
"In case you’re interested, according to Newsday, the Marlins will pay Reyes $10 million in 2012, $10 million in 2013, $16 million in 2014, $22 million in 2015, $22 million in 2016, $22 million in 2017 with a $22 million option for 2018 or a $4 million buyout."
This is backloaded like Carlos Delgado's contract in 2005. Which basically means it's a two-year/$20 million contract for the Marlins, followed by a four-year/$82 million contract for someone else, with a $22 million option in 2018 or a $4 million buyout. This second part is scary in light of this exchange Metsblog founder Matt Cerrone posted:
"Matthew Cerrone: I talked to a player’s agent yesterday who ruined my night by saying, ‘How much do you want to bet me that the Marlins trade Jose Reyes to the Yankees in two years, when the Yankees can buy out Derek Jeter‘s contract?” He wasn’t basing this on any inside information. It was simply an opinion, and clearly designed to get a rise out of me. It worked, because I hadn’t thought about that scenario before. At that point, Reyes would have four years and $75 million left on his deal and Jeter will be 39 and with a $3 million buyout. It’s fairly plausible, which makes it all that much worse."
"In case you’re interested, according to Newsday, the Marlins will pay Reyes $10 million in 2012, $10 million in 2013, $16 million in 2014, $22 million in 2015, $22 million in 2016, $22 million in 2017 with a $22 million option for 2018 or a $4 million buyout."
This is backloaded like Carlos Delgado's contract in 2005. Which basically means it's a two-year/$20 million contract for the Marlins, followed by a four-year/$82 million contract for someone else, with a $22 million option in 2018 or a $4 million buyout. This second part is scary in light of this exchange Metsblog founder Matt Cerrone posted:
"Matthew Cerrone: I talked to a player’s agent yesterday who ruined my night by saying, ‘How much do you want to bet me that the Marlins trade Jose Reyes to the Yankees in two years, when the Yankees can buy out Derek Jeter‘s contract?” He wasn’t basing this on any inside information. It was simply an opinion, and clearly designed to get a rise out of me. It worked, because I hadn’t thought about that scenario before. At that point, Reyes would have four years and $75 million left on his deal and Jeter will be 39 and with a $3 million buyout. It’s fairly plausible, which makes it all that much worse."
Monday, December 5, 2011
The curious cases of Sandy Obama and Barack H. Alderson
Two Harvard Law grads are in an unusually similar predicament today. As news broke of Jose Reyes agreeing to a six-year deal to be another athlete that will "take his talents to South Beach", Sandy Alderson tried to send some semblance of calm and, as President Obama often says, be the grown-up in the room. Just like the president, he succeeded privately and failed miserably publicly.
Alderson is being vilified from this friends and enemies today, not dissimilar to the treatment the President gets from the Left and Right. If there is one statement that describes Obama's relationship with these two groups, it would be he's disappointed the Left and distrusted by the Right.
Likewise, the reaction to the Reyes signing has been negative from all but the most diehard supporters (known in politics as "The Base"). Folks that hate the Mets or New York Sports or East Coast Sports are elated at this "failure" because it shows at least one big market team that cannot do whatever it wants. But what about Met fans? They think Alderson didn't do all he could to keep Jose Reyes in spite of an exclusive negotiating window that didnt give the kind of security people thought it did. Kind of like the lack of a public option in spite of a House majority and filibuster-proof Senate majority in 2009 and 2010.
Like the President, Alderson is stuck trying to placate supporters who know deep down inside that problems cannot be fixed overnight but generally don't have the patience to wait that long in the face of competition that may seem insurmountable today but is likely making decisions at could be foolish down the road. In that vain, which is the lessor of two evils: 2008 Republican Presidential nominee Newt Gingrich or 2017 Miami Marlins leadoff hitter 34-year old/$18 million per year Jose Reyes? Or a better question would be, is either of these options favorable to the alternatives that Obama and Alderson present to you today?
I'm aware that you can't compare politics to sports (most of the time) so lets focus on Reyes. You can say all you want about Rickey Henderson and Ichiro Suzuki performing as speed players at an older age but does Reyes have their durability, not to mention Ichiro's pure hitting prowess?
Both President Obama and GM Sandy Alderson know that the media will dissect everything superficially but that they are really chess players while everyone around them is telling them they're playing checkers. I don't have a window into what is happening behind-the-scenes but I'm not naive enough to think that nothing constructive is going on out of sight and out of view.
So if President Obama gets to welcome the World Champion Miami Marlins to the White House in his first year after winning re-election, so be it. I'd be willing to trade that if there's a chance the last year of his presidency and the first few years of his successor's presidency that the White House is welcoming the multiple-time World Champion New York Mets. Perhaps Jose Reyes can watch the White House visit on his iPad5 while he's getting his hamstring rehabbed for the n-teenth time in his career.
Alderson is being vilified from this friends and enemies today, not dissimilar to the treatment the President gets from the Left and Right. If there is one statement that describes Obama's relationship with these two groups, it would be he's disappointed the Left and distrusted by the Right.
Likewise, the reaction to the Reyes signing has been negative from all but the most diehard supporters (known in politics as "The Base"). Folks that hate the Mets or New York Sports or East Coast Sports are elated at this "failure" because it shows at least one big market team that cannot do whatever it wants. But what about Met fans? They think Alderson didn't do all he could to keep Jose Reyes in spite of an exclusive negotiating window that didnt give the kind of security people thought it did. Kind of like the lack of a public option in spite of a House majority and filibuster-proof Senate majority in 2009 and 2010.
Like the President, Alderson is stuck trying to placate supporters who know deep down inside that problems cannot be fixed overnight but generally don't have the patience to wait that long in the face of competition that may seem insurmountable today but is likely making decisions at could be foolish down the road. In that vain, which is the lessor of two evils: 2008 Republican Presidential nominee Newt Gingrich or 2017 Miami Marlins leadoff hitter 34-year old/$18 million per year Jose Reyes? Or a better question would be, is either of these options favorable to the alternatives that Obama and Alderson present to you today?
I'm aware that you can't compare politics to sports (most of the time) so lets focus on Reyes. You can say all you want about Rickey Henderson and Ichiro Suzuki performing as speed players at an older age but does Reyes have their durability, not to mention Ichiro's pure hitting prowess?
Both President Obama and GM Sandy Alderson know that the media will dissect everything superficially but that they are really chess players while everyone around them is telling them they're playing checkers. I don't have a window into what is happening behind-the-scenes but I'm not naive enough to think that nothing constructive is going on out of sight and out of view.
So if President Obama gets to welcome the World Champion Miami Marlins to the White House in his first year after winning re-election, so be it. I'd be willing to trade that if there's a chance the last year of his presidency and the first few years of his successor's presidency that the White House is welcoming the multiple-time World Champion New York Mets. Perhaps Jose Reyes can watch the White House visit on his iPad5 while he's getting his hamstring rehabbed for the n-teenth time in his career.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Trading a 29-year old superstar...
Picture for a moment a team with a 29-year old superstar that is considered the face of the franchise. He plays for the team he cheered for as a boy and is loyal to them beyond dollars and cents. His team is a few years removed from contention but is not considered to be in contention in the near future regardless of what the ownership or diehard fans believe. Thus the team considers moving him to another team, for whom he could be "final piece to the puzzle", in exchange for bodies to fill the roster.
No, I'm not talking about a potential David Wright deal. I'm talking about Mike Piazza. The only difference is that, in 1998, the Mets were the team on the cusp of contention that needed Piazza. And no one is going to argue that Piazza meant less to the Dodgers in 1998 than Wright means to the Mets today.
Much has been written about whether or not the Mets should trade David Wright, including by me. Joel Sherman wrote an excellent column outlining what the Mets could get back in exchange for Wright. The blog Metzilla shared its thoughts on moving Wright, as did the SNY Why Guys.
If Sherman's reporting is accurate, I wonder what kind of bidding war could take place between the Angels and Rockies (the two teams rumored to be interested in Wright) if the Angels were to include Peter Bourjos and the Rockies were to include Dexter Fowler in a potential deal. I admit, these aren't marquee names. However, they could be pieces to build upon until the potentially marquee names of Wheeler, Harvey, Familia, Flores, Nimmo, et al arrive in Flushing.
Met fans were deeply depressed when Lee Mazzilli, the homegrown Brooklyn native and lone All-Star of the 1979 Mets team, was traded for two minor league pitchers. However, one of those guys netted in that deal was Ron Darling and the other, Walt Terrell, was flipped later for Howard Johnson. Of course, it only helped the psyche of anyone still hurting from that 1982 deal that Maz was a free agent in the middle of the 1986 season and was re-signed for the stretch run for the eventual 1986 World Champions.
Met fans got over Mazzilli, Dodger fans got over Piazza, and Red Sox fans certainly got over Garciaparra. This will be a sad off-season if Reyes signs elsewhere (which he probably will) and Wright gets traded (which he likely could.) However, life will go on for Met fans and eventually the core will be re-built to establish a consistent year-in, year-out, level of superiority and respectability.
My only request: keep Wright and Reyes out of the NL East and, preferably, both of them end up in the American League on different teams. Beyond that, I can only say as a fan, best of luck and thanks for the memories. Too bad there wasn't more to the minor league talent pool beyond those two guys to create something sustainable beyond 2006.
No, I'm not talking about a potential David Wright deal. I'm talking about Mike Piazza. The only difference is that, in 1998, the Mets were the team on the cusp of contention that needed Piazza. And no one is going to argue that Piazza meant less to the Dodgers in 1998 than Wright means to the Mets today.
Much has been written about whether or not the Mets should trade David Wright, including by me. Joel Sherman wrote an excellent column outlining what the Mets could get back in exchange for Wright. The blog Metzilla shared its thoughts on moving Wright, as did the SNY Why Guys.
If Sherman's reporting is accurate, I wonder what kind of bidding war could take place between the Angels and Rockies (the two teams rumored to be interested in Wright) if the Angels were to include Peter Bourjos and the Rockies were to include Dexter Fowler in a potential deal. I admit, these aren't marquee names. However, they could be pieces to build upon until the potentially marquee names of Wheeler, Harvey, Familia, Flores, Nimmo, et al arrive in Flushing.
Met fans were deeply depressed when Lee Mazzilli, the homegrown Brooklyn native and lone All-Star of the 1979 Mets team, was traded for two minor league pitchers. However, one of those guys netted in that deal was Ron Darling and the other, Walt Terrell, was flipped later for Howard Johnson. Of course, it only helped the psyche of anyone still hurting from that 1982 deal that Maz was a free agent in the middle of the 1986 season and was re-signed for the stretch run for the eventual 1986 World Champions.
Met fans got over Mazzilli, Dodger fans got over Piazza, and Red Sox fans certainly got over Garciaparra. This will be a sad off-season if Reyes signs elsewhere (which he probably will) and Wright gets traded (which he likely could.) However, life will go on for Met fans and eventually the core will be re-built to establish a consistent year-in, year-out, level of superiority and respectability.
My only request: keep Wright and Reyes out of the NL East and, preferably, both of them end up in the American League on different teams. Beyond that, I can only say as a fan, best of luck and thanks for the memories. Too bad there wasn't more to the minor league talent pool beyond those two guys to create something sustainable beyond 2006.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Jose Reyes, David Wright, and that Great Wall of Flushing
This year's World Series is a brutal reminder for Met fans that the National League representative is the same team that knocked the Mets out in that magical 2006 season just five years ago. Joel Sherman acknowledges that reminder and takes it further by laying it out as a reason for letting go of both Jose Reyes and David Wright. Sherman writes:
"Losing both of their signature players this offseason might be too large a hit for an organization already in bad stead with its fan base. However, plugging the leaky ship around Wright and Reyes since that fateful 2006 NLCS has not worked. It might be time to build a new boat."
Sherman doesn't connect the two dots that, in my opinion, what happens with Reyes will determine what the Mets do with Wright. As I've said before, the current top prospects in the organization would not be ready for the MLB until Wright is past his prime and I'm begrudgingly starting to agree with the premise (as Sherman says in his column) that Wright is a great player but not the cornerstone player that Albert Pujols is.
Speaking of Wright, David Lennon of Newsday first reported/tweeted that the Mets should be making an announcement on the walls at CitiField shortly after the World Series. As reported on Metsblog.com:
"Lennon says to expect the left-field wall to be ‘shortened and pulled in,’ the right-center bullpen fences to be ‘pulled in,’ and Mo Zone ‘fenced off.’
The last day of the season, while broadcasting from Citi Field, WFAN’s Mike Francesa reported ALL fences in the outfield will be 8 feet tall next year. Also, he said both foul poles will remain exactly where they are, but the walls in center and by the Mo Zone in right field will be 390 feet."
I also had another thought when I was watching the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS this year. When they brought in the left field wall at Comerica Park, they moved the bullpens to the newly formed space between the old wall and the new wall, allowing the Tigers to add additional premium seats in right field. Considering the easy access to the current bullpen area in CitiField, it's worth investigating if the bullpens can be moved to left-center field and the current bullpen area turned into a picnic area like the one that used to be behind the left-field bleachers in Shea Stadium. I hope the team considers this, although it would be a shame if they do this and then trade Wright before he has a chance to play in smaller dimensions.
"Losing both of their signature players this offseason might be too large a hit for an organization already in bad stead with its fan base. However, plugging the leaky ship around Wright and Reyes since that fateful 2006 NLCS has not worked. It might be time to build a new boat."
Sherman doesn't connect the two dots that, in my opinion, what happens with Reyes will determine what the Mets do with Wright. As I've said before, the current top prospects in the organization would not be ready for the MLB until Wright is past his prime and I'm begrudgingly starting to agree with the premise (as Sherman says in his column) that Wright is a great player but not the cornerstone player that Albert Pujols is.
Speaking of Wright, David Lennon of Newsday first reported/tweeted that the Mets should be making an announcement on the walls at CitiField shortly after the World Series. As reported on Metsblog.com:
"Lennon says to expect the left-field wall to be ‘shortened and pulled in,’ the right-center bullpen fences to be ‘pulled in,’ and Mo Zone ‘fenced off.’
The last day of the season, while broadcasting from Citi Field, WFAN’s Mike Francesa reported ALL fences in the outfield will be 8 feet tall next year. Also, he said both foul poles will remain exactly where they are, but the walls in center and by the Mo Zone in right field will be 390 feet."
I also had another thought when I was watching the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS this year. When they brought in the left field wall at Comerica Park, they moved the bullpens to the newly formed space between the old wall and the new wall, allowing the Tigers to add additional premium seats in right field. Considering the easy access to the current bullpen area in CitiField, it's worth investigating if the bullpens can be moved to left-center field and the current bullpen area turned into a picnic area like the one that used to be behind the left-field bleachers in Shea Stadium. I hope the team considers this, although it would be a shame if they do this and then trade Wright before he has a chance to play in smaller dimensions.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Rico Brogna: New York Mets Should Say Goodbye To Free Agent Shortstop Jose Reyes « CBS New York
Finally, someone that said what I was thinking! Former Met and MLB first baseman Rico Brogna writes this in his opinion piece on Jose Reyes:
"I have seen this young talent rise through the minor leagues, scouted him in his rookie and sophomore seasons in New York, and now have finally seen his development take him into his veteran years (free agent years) as a major league baseball player. My opinion and belief as a scout and front office executive (baseball ops) guy is to say “thank you” to Jose, but we are moving in the proverbial different direction.
Wish him the best, and start growing your roster with other players … and yes, I would trade David Wright as well (for pitching, pitching, and more pitching!)."
My personal belief is Reyes is the tipping point that determines the Mets philosophy over the next five years. If they re-sign him, they should keep Wright and build a championship-caliber team in 2-3 years while both are still in their prime.
If Reyes leaves, the current top prospects in the organization would not be ready for the MLB until Wright is way past his prime. In that case they should trade Wright and hope to build the team around Ike Davis, Brandon Nimmo, Matt Harvey, Jeurys Familia, Zack Wheeler, and whatever haul Wright brings in to be playoff caliber squad in 3-5 years.
"I have seen this young talent rise through the minor leagues, scouted him in his rookie and sophomore seasons in New York, and now have finally seen his development take him into his veteran years (free agent years) as a major league baseball player. My opinion and belief as a scout and front office executive (baseball ops) guy is to say “thank you” to Jose, but we are moving in the proverbial different direction.
Wish him the best, and start growing your roster with other players … and yes, I would trade David Wright as well (for pitching, pitching, and more pitching!)."
My personal belief is Reyes is the tipping point that determines the Mets philosophy over the next five years. If they re-sign him, they should keep Wright and build a championship-caliber team in 2-3 years while both are still in their prime.
If Reyes leaves, the current top prospects in the organization would not be ready for the MLB until Wright is way past his prime. In that case they should trade Wright and hope to build the team around Ike Davis, Brandon Nimmo, Matt Harvey, Jeurys Familia, Zack Wheeler, and whatever haul Wright brings in to be playoff caliber squad in 3-5 years.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Coutinho: Here’s Why Jose Reyes Will Stay With The Mets
This is good news. Best of all, the numbers look like they'll add up too:
"The Mets’ payroll at the start of 2011 was around $142 million, with many high ticket items coming off the 2012 payroll, including:
Luis Castillo, $6.25 million
Ollie Perez, $12 million
Carlos Beltran, $20.7 million
Jose Reyes, $11 million (we will add his new numbers in later)
Gary Matthews Jr., $1 million (yes, that Gary Matthews — maybe his dad should pipe down)
To date, New York has $66 million committed to contracts in 2012. They include:
Johan Santana, $21 million
Jason Bay, $18.1 million
David Wright, $15.2 million
R.A. Dickey, $4.75 million
D.J. Carrasco, $1.2 million"
Rich Coutinho adds later on:
"So to summarize:
$10 million for retaining arbitration eligible players
$66 million for committed contracts
$9 million For players under Mets’ control
$7 million for incumbent free agents aside from Reyes
That totals $92 million in estimated cost.
I think that’s high because it is assuming the Mets will keep all three arbitration-eligible players. Now, their payroll is likely to sit at $125-130 million, which would be $10-15 million less than last year. That means they would have anywhere from $33-38 million left to sign Reyes and spend on other players."
"The Mets’ payroll at the start of 2011 was around $142 million, with many high ticket items coming off the 2012 payroll, including:
Luis Castillo, $6.25 million
Ollie Perez, $12 million
Carlos Beltran, $20.7 million
Jose Reyes, $11 million (we will add his new numbers in later)
Gary Matthews Jr., $1 million (yes, that Gary Matthews — maybe his dad should pipe down)
To date, New York has $66 million committed to contracts in 2012. They include:
Johan Santana, $21 million
Jason Bay, $18.1 million
David Wright, $15.2 million
R.A. Dickey, $4.75 million
D.J. Carrasco, $1.2 million"
Rich Coutinho adds later on:
"So to summarize:
$10 million for retaining arbitration eligible players
$66 million for committed contracts
$9 million For players under Mets’ control
$7 million for incumbent free agents aside from Reyes
That totals $92 million in estimated cost.
I think that’s high because it is assuming the Mets will keep all three arbitration-eligible players. Now, their payroll is likely to sit at $125-130 million, which would be $10-15 million less than last year. That means they would have anywhere from $33-38 million left to sign Reyes and spend on other players."
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Giants, Angels, Nationals lead teams who could use Jose Reyes - Jon Heyman - SI.com
All of the team's mentioned in the title of this post can use Jose Reyes, according to Jon Heyman. Fortunately, Heyman also writes:
"Reyes is said by people close to him to badly want to remain a Met."
A Met fan can hope, right?
"Reyes is said by people close to him to badly want to remain a Met."
A Met fan can hope, right?
Friday, July 15, 2011
Sam Borden - SI.com: The New York Mets have no choice but to trade Jose Reyes
What bothers me isn't that this guy suggested the Mets trade Jose Reyes. What bothers me is some of his points actually make sense.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
A-Rod: Jose Reyes is "the world's greatest player"
From ESPNNewYork.com:
"They have the world's greatest player playing shortstop over there, and the most exciting," Rodriguez said, referring to electrifying New York Mets leadoff hitter Jose Reyes. "I turn on the TV every time I get a chance to watch him."
The tolerant side of me thinks A-Rod is being honest and channeling his childhood as a Met fan. The cynic in me is wondering if this is a setup to try to woo Reyes to be a Yankee next season. Unfortunately we can only wait and see...
"They have the world's greatest player playing shortstop over there, and the most exciting," Rodriguez said, referring to electrifying New York Mets leadoff hitter Jose Reyes. "I turn on the TV every time I get a chance to watch him."
The tolerant side of me thinks A-Rod is being honest and channeling his childhood as a Met fan. The cynic in me is wondering if this is a setup to try to woo Reyes to be a Yankee next season. Unfortunately we can only wait and see...
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Jose Reyes continues to sizzle...
From ESPN.com: "Jose Reyes played his 1,000th major league game [on Tuesday] and went 4-for-4 with a walk before being replaced with Ruben Tejada as a pinch-runner. Only Ty Cobb had more steals and triples in his first 1,000 games in major league history."
More: "The Tigers estimated Reyes had swung at 153 pitches in the past two weeks and missed only three."
I'm starting to run out of words to describe Jose Reyes's season. The statement "Only Ty Cobb had more steals and triples in his first 1,000 games in major league history." speaks for itself.
More: "The Tigers estimated Reyes had swung at 153 pitches in the past two weeks and missed only three."
I'm starting to run out of words to describe Jose Reyes's season. The statement "Only Ty Cobb had more steals and triples in his first 1,000 games in major league history." speaks for itself.
Friday, June 24, 2011
"Don’t make Reyes pay because of Jason Bay."
A life-long Yankee fan offering great advice on why the Mets should keep Jose Reyes and an honest assessment of Yankee fans:
"Maybe as much as a third of the Yankees’ fan base are front-running, J.Crew, wine-and-cheese chumps who only go to games because it’s trendy and daddy can afford the ticket. None of them can name a game or a player prior to 1996. Ask who Ron Hassey is and they will likely say a senator from Indiana."
This is very true. In fact, I had to remind a Yankee fan friend of mine who Mel Hall was. In his defense though, he was only 13 years old when Hall hit that home run in Minnesota when he took half a minute to round the bases.
"Maybe as much as a third of the Yankees’ fan base are front-running, J.Crew, wine-and-cheese chumps who only go to games because it’s trendy and daddy can afford the ticket. None of them can name a game or a player prior to 1996. Ask who Ron Hassey is and they will likely say a senator from Indiana."
This is very true. In fact, I had to remind a Yankee fan friend of mine who Mel Hall was. In his defense though, he was only 13 years old when Hall hit that home run in Minnesota when he took half a minute to round the bases.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
No way Jose! David instead of Jose?
Adam Rubin of ESPN reported yesterday and WFAN reports today that the Mets are considering moving David Wright should they decide to re-sign Jose Reyes. The WFAN article even quotes a scout saying:
"“Look at their club and look at the other shortstops around the league, and trading Wright makes more sense,” said the scout. “You can play (Daniel) Murphy at third and he’ll give you enough offense there. But you can’t replace Reyes’ offense with (Ruben) Tejada.”"
I hate to admit it but it's hard to disagree with the scout. It's harder find a shortstop with the offensive upside of a Jose Reyes than it is to find a third baseman with the offensive upside of a David Wright. It's not something I like about the game but that's just how players are developed. And let's not forget the Boston Red Sox traded Nomar Garciaparra at the height of his popularity in Boston only to go on three months later to win their first World Series title in 86 years. That proved to be a brilliant move because Nomar was never again the caliber of player he was in Boston. A part of me wonders if Nomar's fate is David Wright's fate as well but a part of me desperately wants to believe what WFAN's Rich Coutinho wrote today.
Meanwhile, Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight writes about how the team's image is impacting its attendance. I wonder if there was a way for him to factor in all the trade talk into his analysis.
"“Look at their club and look at the other shortstops around the league, and trading Wright makes more sense,” said the scout. “You can play (Daniel) Murphy at third and he’ll give you enough offense there. But you can’t replace Reyes’ offense with (Ruben) Tejada.”"
I hate to admit it but it's hard to disagree with the scout. It's harder find a shortstop with the offensive upside of a Jose Reyes than it is to find a third baseman with the offensive upside of a David Wright. It's not something I like about the game but that's just how players are developed. And let's not forget the Boston Red Sox traded Nomar Garciaparra at the height of his popularity in Boston only to go on three months later to win their first World Series title in 86 years. That proved to be a brilliant move because Nomar was never again the caliber of player he was in Boston. A part of me wonders if Nomar's fate is David Wright's fate as well but a part of me desperately wants to believe what WFAN's Rich Coutinho wrote today.
Meanwhile, Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight writes about how the team's image is impacting its attendance. I wonder if there was a way for him to factor in all the trade talk into his analysis.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Mets shortstop Reyes on the Blue Jays’ radar?
This seems to be getting a lot of play up north. A part of me wonders if he isn't the missing piece for that organization. I always felt he was a better fit as the "final piece" rather than the "cornerstone" of an organization.
At least he'll be able to beat Yankees without wearing a Red Sox uniform. That can't be a bad thing. And I can't imagine how many triples he'll be able to hit in the gaps off that astroturf.
At least he'll be able to beat Yankees without wearing a Red Sox uniform. That can't be a bad thing. And I can't imagine how many triples he'll be able to hit in the gaps off that astroturf.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
"...even Crawford isn't worth Crawford money."
Interesting post that worries me as a Met fan because it'll drive up Jose Reyes' asking price. But it does explain the tangibles behind re-signing Reyes. The intangibles add up even further.
The best line from this post:
"Of course, there are two arguments against Reyes getting Crawford money in free agency: 1) he has trouble staying healthy; 2) even Crawford isn't worth Crawford money."
Ouch.
The best line from this post:
"Of course, there are two arguments against Reyes getting Crawford money in free agency: 1) he has trouble staying healthy; 2) even Crawford isn't worth Crawford money."
Ouch.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
"Chavez, great speed; Reyes, great speed; LoDuca, good guy."
Rich Coutinho makes a great case for the Mets batting Josh Thole 2nd in the lineup. Not a bad idea, considering the Jose Reyes/Paul LoDuca duo at the top of the lineup in 2006. The only thing I would disagree with is Coutinho suggests moving Pagan back to the #2 spot when Jason Bay returns. I'm not entirely sure that would be a good idea, especially if Thole is performing in the two-hole.
In other New York Mets news, great column by Steve Popper in The Bergen Record about David Wright taking more of a leadership role on the team. He also mentions the game of catch with the Braves fans before Sunday's game.
By the way, does anyone remember that Howie Rose quote that I used for the title of this post?
In other New York Mets news, great column by Steve Popper in The Bergen Record about David Wright taking more of a leadership role on the team. He also mentions the game of catch with the Braves fans before Sunday's game.
By the way, does anyone remember that Howie Rose quote that I used for the title of this post?
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