6
2011
Bobby V Takes Aim At Wilpon, Makes Case For Mets To Sign Reyes
An article by Hojo's Mojo
In case you missed the Mets game on ESPN last night, Bobby Valentine had plenty to say about the Jose Reyes situation. Bobby V held nothing back when he erupted during the sixth inning of the game when the camera panned the stadium and showed several fans holding signs that read “Don’t Trade Reyes” and “Sign Jose Reyes”.
“I’m finding it difficult to understand what the thinking is with the Mets these days. Are they not seeing what a special player this kid Jose Reyes is? I don’t get it… It’s obvious the fans see what’s going on and are completely frustrated by it. They’re having demonstrations, they’re having parades, the park is filled with signs and special t-shirts, and you can hear all the constant chants.”
“Look at Reyes’ average annual numbers compared to Crawford – they’re practically the same. But Jose Reyes is two years younger than Crawford and he plays a more demanding posisition. How many shortstops can do what Reyes can do? I’ll tell you how many – none. He’s only now reaching his prime.”
“They’re circulating all this stuff about Reyes’ OBP not being good, and David Wright not being being able to drive the ball, and they’re making it sound like neither player is worth what it would take to sign them. Signing and keeping both of those players is the absolute least the Mets should do for their fans. It’s the least any New York market team should do.”
“What is their new strategy – does anyone understand this new strategy? Do they think their gonna get away with just signing a bunch of a million-dollars-a-year players? How are you going to do something like that in a New York market? Even mid and low market teams have two or three $15 million dollar a year players on their teams.”
“I’m not buying whatever they are trying to sell to their fans. There is no excuse for the Mets not to sign and keep both of them. This notion that they can only keep one is absolutely ridiculous. This is a New York team – it’s the biggest market in baseball. I find it hard to believe they can’t afford to keep David Wright and most of all Jose Reyes who is a more dynamic player. Keep them both!”
“They’re paying Jason Bay $16 million dollars a year and he’s sitting on the bench tonight, and yet they’re reluctant to lock up the most exciting player in the league, who is only 27 years old, for a few million dollars more? Somebody’s gonna have to explain that to me.”
The quotes may sound like he was ranting, but he really wasn’t. Bobby was energetic and spirited as always, but also very composed. I’m pretty certain that the former Mets manager, spoke for thousands of Mets fans who all feel the same way as he apparently does.
About the Author: Rob Johnson
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I was hoping he’d do something like that. Waita go Bobby V.
I started a few of those “Keep Jose” chants last night
Bobby’s right. Next year’s position players with Reyes and Wright will earn about 55 M. Rotation will earn about 30 M, bullpen (without K-Rod) 12 M and bench 5 M. That’s a hundred and change WITH Reyes and Wright. 120 M WITH Reyes, Wright and K-Rod.
They say their going to lose 70 M this year with a 145 M payroll. If that were true that would mean they had to drop down to 75M to break even. Who believes this? And even that figure is artificially low since the Mets do not get full value from SNY in rights fees. Figure 20M (at least more from SNY) and another 20 M in overstated losses and your right back to 110M. Divide the difference by both partners share and Fred loses 18M, David 6M and both earn a ton of good will and the team stays relevant here in NY.
Does this look about right?
2012 payroll commitments
$24.0M – Santana
$16.0M – Bay
$15.0M – Wright
$17.0M – Reyes (hypothetically)
$72.0M – Total (60.0% of hypothetical $120M Payroll)
$17.5M – KRod (If option vests)
$89.5M – Updated Total (74.6% of hypothetical $120M Payroll)
Well if you do keep Reyes that doesn’t mean you all those players will stay. If Santana comes back and does well he could be traded in the offseason. Bay may make a lot of money but you can reduce that money by half and still get a few Minors for him and get back 8 Mil of Salary.
K-Rod fully expected to never see the extention paid but used as a negotiation mechanism instead to get an extention that would be made to AVOID the 17 Mil number. He is very likely to be with us past the deadline. His agent will work out a deal to avoid it with the new team and 17.5 mil off the books.
So your 89.5 is reduced to 40.5 which is about 33.7% of your total Salary.
Like I have said throughout if Reyes is traded you might as well blow it up. No point in keeping any of them. And if that happens we will get about halfway through the rebuild before Sandy gets the boot from the city and it ends back to nothing in the farm, nothing in the Majors, No one in the stands and nothing spend to change any of it!
Might as well pay reyes and Wright 20 Mil now, Shed the remaining high payroll via trade and start from there. A Third of your payroll locked to two all stars is a relative bargain in 5 years! At least there will be someone in the stands if they are there and that might just delay the time people get sick of Sandy for all the losing and he can compile some top picks to create the NEW CORE in 5 years when Reyes and Wright will be back up for renewal.
Sorry meant to say K-Rod was UNlikely to be with us past the deadline, sorry.
Living in AZ it’s tough to keep up with my beloved Mets, but once again, Bobby Valentine shows that knows the New York market. Bobby was right on the money, once the Mets lose K-Rod, Beltran & Bay, they can easily pay Reyes, Wright & Santana. They are the heart and soul of this team (like Piazza in 98) and they need to remain until they have players that can take their place. Spending $45m on your 3 anchors and another 25-30m on the rest of the team only has the payroll at 70/75m which drops it 30m+ from this year’s.
I also liked that they brought up Reyes all ready is making 11m & only would add another 4m to the current budget if he signed for 15m, not the full 15m people often think.
lose bay? so you want the mets to wait until after the 2013 season ends to go after Reyes?
j/k. Kind of. I just don’t think there is any way they can get rid of bay (or more accurately, any of his salary).
having an idle Santana on the books for ~24 mill is what is really putting the noose around the neck.
Bobby V made a lot of sense and made cogent and intelligent arguments for keeping Reyes and Wright in the Big Apple, BUT if the money ain’t there, it ain’t there. If Alderson has aleady said the payroll will be less next year. he has signalled the Mets are headed in a different direction. I have said it all along and I will keep sayin it. Reyes will replace Jeter in the Bronx, Tejada is our shortstop of the future and I am starting to think Justun Turner is our new 3rd base guy if Wright moves on. We know Beltran is going to a team in a penant race (my guess is the Diamondbacks). Ike Davis is going to be our “franchise” player. Just my thoughts but I believe as persuasive as Bobby V’s. (PS: Get well “KID” you are always in the Mets fans’ prayers!)
LOU:
as much as i like tejada and turner, having both in the lineup with no reyes or wright is just insane, but it may happen. although if we have turner at 3rd, tejada at 2b and reyes and ike davis then i see the mets having a better defensive infielder, and sometimes you win with defense, turner has shown he can handle 3rd base, and tejada has a good glove and good instincs, i am all for keeping reyes and trading wright.. he’s the face of the franchize who’s choke it up many times already. move on.
So lou lets worst move they canmake. get this straight you don’t re-sign Reyes to save money and your ticket sales crash again and you lose maybe 40-50 million in revenues from ticket sales, food, souvenirs, probably more because if Reyes is gone they’ll be lucky to average 15 K a night. So your logic is what the Big 3 in Detroit was. We’re losing sales so lets put out a eorse product and we can lose more money. Flash forward to the new thinking. We want people to buy our cars we’ll make em better and guess what people are buying from the big 3. Mets wanty to make money, getting talent around Reyes might be the winner, because dumping him is the worst moive they can make.
attendance is in the dumper already. Losing reyes is not going to make that huge of a difference by itself. At this point, it is more about wins and hope for the future.
If they sign reyes, do nothing else, and don’t win, alltnedance will stay low. If they trade reyes but get some viable talent back, a few others step up, the team is interesting and starts winning and making some noise in the division, then the fans will come back.
same deal with Wright. if he goes, fans will fall in love with someone new (Ike? havens?) when they start cranking, and move on as always.
lmao, i heard that while i was watching and i could not believe this man said that, for once he forgot he’s just an announcer and showed his true love for new york, he spoke as a fan and not an announcer, i am glad somebody from the media is calling it like it is, although i am sure espn will tell bobby, don’t do that again, that can only lead to trouble
ESPN is not going to shut him up because it stimulates discussion and increases viewership. They are better off for it as people will watch to see those kinds of viewpoints rather than watch a blah cut and dry broadcast. I’ll bet he is being congratulated by his bosses today not castigated. He will get pats on the back for a good sportscast.
Bobby Valentine is an ass at times and last night he should have just kept his trap shut.
You must be in the I want them traded camp?
Why? The guy is enamored with the franchise.
So BTF you think you are the dictator of speech. You are the prime example of why the little metsie can write so happily about met fans being jerks. You lead the pack. You and too many others think that any words that don’t mimic the met front office is heresy. That’s why happy little metsie is so right. There are too many of you and your kind.
Dennis,
I agree completely with you. Bobby V was great last night and it’s about time someone spoke up for Mets fans. I’m glad bobby V stuck to his convictions and said what needed to be said. The fans have been fed a line of crap from the Wilpons and their underlings, including the mighty Mr Moneyball, too long. They need to put some $’s into this franchise and the place to start is by signing Reyes to a long term contract. It’s time for the Wilpons to stop pleading poverty and start building a team around Reyes and Wright. If they can’t do that, they should sell the team 100% today and let someone who gives a crap take over. And yes, your’re right there are too many doofus Mets fans on this site who repeat the litany of BS fed to them by the ownership and their almighty mouthpieces. It’s time to support this team with action. If the current owners are unwilling to do it, then it’s time for new owners. Let Einhorn take it lock, stock, and barrel. And let the doofus Mets fans who can’t figure it out go somewhere else.
While I may not agree with what BTF said, he is allowed to have an opinion EVEN if it differs from yours and/or the majority.
This is still America right?
We have to listen to your ignorant rants about Alderson don’t we?
Well at least Bobby V has a brain, even if Alderson and the Idiot Wilpons don’t. The fans are still going to have to eat a shIt sandwich.
Exactly. The Wilpons are putting their own franchise into a death spiral of declining attendance. Let them get rid of Reyes and see where the attenance goes. Affordability will go down to the point where we will be able to pay only at the ML minimum level. They are taking this franchise to a small market condition and worse. It won’t fly in NY and Bobby V knows and said that in no uncertain terms. We need Einhorn to buy 100% of this franchise and hire Bobby V as GM. The sooner the better, otherwise the curtain goes down very soon on the path we are currently following.
Poor Bobby. He lost sight of the facts. I get his point, I guess, but has anyone actually heard or read anything from a Mets honcho talking about Reyes’s OBP or Wright’s power?
Both those “points” are being circulated by the fans or media, not the Mets. Technically Bobby’s right, but neither of those issues are factors for either player.
ESPN, their game promos, have never “met” a Mets problem that can’t be used for promotional purposes and last night showed that but at least Bobby V stood up on a national platform to give a simple, understandable reason for Mets to keep Jose and David.
The fact that Boston and Nats over paid for their players is what is hurting the “supposed” talks internally about Jose.
Just going by the stats put up by ESPN last night Jose is the better player, and that was taking into consideration his injury years, playing a premium position and younger.
I didn’t see the rational behind what Boston did, was there a strong demand for Crawford or were they bidding against themselves as Mets did with Bay?
I hope all is worked out and Jose and David are here during re-building years and playoff years also.
Here’s hoping Mets strategy for draft today brings great pickings.
I guess if they ever have a reunion of the 2000 team Bobby won’t be on the invite list?
If the Mets need to get total payroll to 70 mil they simply need to sell the team. Again if you lose the salries of Beltran, K-rod and Oliver Perez which they pay this yr why cant they keep Reyes. Booby V tells the truth. Also John Kruk say the mets will suck the next few yrs if they go tis route. I agree and who will show up to citi field. Wilpon cant have it both ways.
I don’t think the plan is to replace Wright with Turner. Turner is a nice stopgap for injuries. The plan is for Havens to play second and Tejada short. If they trade Wright they will get someone else, who is not so far along salary wise. Reyes will not be back. Some fool will offer him idiot money. You do not bid against idiots or against imaginary buyers, as this team has done in the past. I am actually a little offended that Reyes has finally started hitting th ball the other way in his walk year, and foresewearing the home run to avoid long slumps. I am glad he did, but it brings out the cynic in me. I would offer him 4 years at 15 per. If he really wants to stay let him show it. He won;t, of course. Do not forget that this team needs a couple of boppers to take the pressure off of Wright, as well. The formula for 2006 success had both Beltran and Delgado tearing the cover off the ball. That freed Wright up to do what he does best: drive the ball into the gaps. He can still do that at Citi but he chooses not to. Ike may turn out to be one of those boppers; we shall see. But they still would need another star superior to Wright. This all takes money.
Like him or hate him, agree or disagree with what he says; you have to give Valentine credit. Every Sunday Valentine comes across as very well informed on issues pertaining to each of the teams he is covering. This along with the mixture of Valentine’s baseball expertise is selling me on Valentine the baseball announcer. I am enjoying the Valentine, Hershiser and token espn play-by-play guy team.
Please … somebody buy this moribund franchise and Bobby V run things on the field and the front office….