18
2011
Don’t Underestimate Reyes’ Bond With Teammates, Manager, And His Loyal Fans
An article by Former Writers
It looks like Mets fans are already beginning to emotionally disconnect themselves from Mets shortstop Jose Reyes. Those fans who were still holding out hope that the Mets could retain Reyes, are sure to re-think their position after the sobering news that Scott Boras may be setting up camp outside Citi Field to be closer to his newest superstar client.
I feel sorry for Jose Reyes – all the talent in the world and no one to guide him off the field.
Oh yes, the agent vultures are gathering, but there is no golden path for him to follow to the next level. Somehow he’s managed to reach this level almost on his own – until Terry Collins arrived on the scene. Terry has been invaluable for Jose which is why the Mets should move heaven and earth to do right by this player – keeping him with the only family he knows outside his own – the Mets.
I can still remember the times the Mets sent Jose to Port St. Lucie to practice on some things that were just images – like the way he ran.
He came to the Mets fresh from his home, with no major league baseball experience and a language barrier. Scott Boras is salivating over this – a fresh player with all this talent. Do you imagine Scott as a fatherly type who will look out after Reyes’ best interests? Of course not. For him, Reyes is simply a cash cow and nothing more.
Even MetsBlog, where so many fans go for their Mets news, sounds like they’ve emotionally divested themselves from Reyes and are now cushioning the blow. Regarding Reyes getting that Carl Crawford sized contract Fred Wilpon spoke of, they write:
I think it’s foolish to commit such resources to a guy who could potentially be playing as well as he will ever play, all while having a recent history of durability problems that precedes a potentially career year.
Why is it foolish to pay a Carl Crawford type player, a Carl Crawford type salary? It seems the new Mets only want to pay their Carl Crawford type players, Brett Gardner type money. Other teams don’t and won’t operate that way, opting instead to pay a player at market value. Most of those teams all operate in the northeast with the Mets where many of the big markets exist.
Soon more and more will comfort themselves and say things like: We don’t need Reyes to win… He’s not really this good… He’ll be a very old 34 at the end of a seven year deal… He’s injury prone and you could find leadoff hitters anywhere…
It’s the perfect scenario for Mets ownership and the front office. The more fans they can get to disconnect, the less blow-back and PR hits the team will have to deal with once Reyes is officially gone.
I choose to hang onto the thin glimmer of hope that Reyes may genuinely like it here. He and manager Terry Collins have made a big connection and they each talk about it quite often. Yesterday, Reyes said he loves playing for Terry Collins. He never said that about Jerry Manuel or Willie Randolph with whom he had many less than optimal moments.
Reyes and David Wright are like brothers who grew up together in the Mets family. Wright has spoke up for signing Reyes more than few times already since the end of last season. He said he doesn’t want to imagine looking to his left and not seeing Reyes at shortstop when he’s on the field.
Carlos Beltran has been a mentor and father figure for Reyes from the moment they first met.
Maybe Jose’s relationships and connections with his teammates, his manager and of course all those loyal fans that are still holding out hope and want to see Reyes signed no matter what, will be a big factor in his final decision.
I want to thank Terry for his part in helping and guiding Jose. Let’s hope and pray that Jose stays here at home and that everything he needs to keep on being ‘his own self’ on the field is provided.
Players like Jose Reyes come along once every decade or two. Sadly, zero effort has been made by this front office to try and retain Jose Reyes, not even a friendly phone call. Actions speak louder than words.
All we can do now as fans, is wish Jose all the best and hope that he is with us forever. Hope may not be much to go on, but it seems that’s all we have.
Written by Annie Savoy and Joe D.
About the Author: Former Writers
17 Comments + Add Comment
NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 23 | 18 | .561 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 19 | .548 | 0.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 22 | .476 | 3.5 |
| Mets | 16 | 23 | .410 | 6.0 |
| Marlins | 11 | 31 | .262 | 12.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
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I agree with Annie and Joe D. Reyes is a great player and deserves to stay with the Mets. What a great lead off player he is and watching him smile after stealing a base makes him fun to watch.
Thank you, Terry and thank you Carlos. Maybe if they resign Carlos for 2 years, 20 million, Jose would sign for 5 years 100 million. It’s worth a try.
lets hope reyes stays and gets a 5 year contract and a 6 year club option
If this was David Wright in Jose Reyes situation now I would bet you a pair of season tickets Sandy Alderson would be handling this totally different reassuring Mets fans they are talking to Wright’s people and expect something to be done.
If this was Wright, there wouldnt be any situation he would have been re-signed before the season even started.
You’re absolutely right!
Albert Pujols a FAR better all around player than Reyes didn’t get signed before the year started I wonder if the Cards fans are as making up scenarios that make no sense in the mean time.
They aren’t – I know first hand…….
Your obsession with Wright is really starting to scare me now.
The only reason I got tickets to see 7 games this season was to watch Reyes. I’m done.
It’s funny how if the Mets keep winning it makes Sandy Alderson’s job that much tougher.
Think about that.
You would think a GM who inherited the talent Alderson has here would want to do his best to win and get into the post season and not have the winning become an albatross around his neck because he can’t break things down and give us the cheap/nameless/teams here like they have in Oakland. Sandy does want to do here what they did in Oakland and he’s said that.
Winning is making it hard for Alderson to operate the way HE wants to that’s another reason why I pray the Mets break this little bump in the road and keep on winning. Losing will make his job a whole lot easier.
Not the type of GM i want running the Mets.
Every Mets win is an impediment to the front office master plan. The reason they didnt lift a finger to fortify the rotation and the bench this offseason, was because they wanted to rebuild from scratch.
They also sent Gee, Turner and Tejada to the minors to keep lesser players so that the Mets would be out of it and they could begin their fire sale. Unfortunately for them, Jose Reyes thwarted their plans and he is carrying this team on his back with no help from the front office.
They resent Reyes for being so good. He wont be back in 2012. Reyes doesn’t fit their profile, he’s what you might call, umm, well let’s just say they don’t come from the same fabric. He’s not a moneyball player.
Trading Reyes will hasten the 100 loss season that they crave and give them a platform to play fantasy baseball and drool over spread shts full of statistical data.
Saw the trailer for Moneyball yesterday, and in it Depo and Beane are in a room and and someone calls them to ask if they were coming to opening day or something. The response was, “You expect us to go to a game? We don’t go to games.”
There you go.
Do you stay up all night making crap up? Sleep will help with the insanity.
o0ther teams have managers and fans and pals in the locker room.
JOse Reyes is the franchise of the mets now. Him and David wright were like the mike piazza and robin Ventura of the ’90s and early 2000s. David wright is the captain and without Jose Reyes next to him I don’t think he will be the same. Look into the audience at all the games all don’t trade Reyes signs and keep Jose. Has anyone ever seen someone who smiles all the time, have so muc energy, and have a big impact on the team, NO. Reyes is on pace for a big year and there’s nothing like playing in New York. Reyes grew up here and is living the dream why should we take tht away. Jose you will always be awesome to me and I will never forget u.the wilpons devastated new York once when piazza left would they dare do it again?
Actually Carlos Beltran is the leader, Wright has NEVER been the captain they just talk about it every spring training and then it fades away but according to Terry Collins Beltran is basically the go to guy in that clubhouse
Wright, like Beltran, is soft spoken but he is the leader. That captain talk is just nonsense that sems to come up all the time in every season, but the Mets dont need a captain. No need to knock the leadership Wright providesespecially for the younger players. he also keeps things loose in the clubhouse. Oh and by the way, he’s one of the rare few that stands in front of his locker win or lose to take the flack. That’s a form of leadership too. If it wasn’t already apparent to you that Wright is a leader, wait until Beltran is traded and then get back to me.
OK – I’m going to put in my two cents. If the Mets organization does not re-sign Jose Reyes, it will become a sports disaster. Most of us realize that he is the spark of the team, ergo, the spark of the game. He’s not the same kid as he was in earlier years, yes, he’s progressed on all sides. He has a wife and a family, he understands more about the team, and those who run it. He refused Scott Boras offer to become his agent – yippee!! He has become his own man, and has also expressed a desire to stay home for this next contract whatever it is. That means that the Mets Organization must make an honest play for him, suitable to ALL SIDES. However, if they don’t – the Wilpons and all the others will see a stadium slowly emptying out. The Wilpons’ have never understood their role here, and someone had better explain it to them, pronto.
All will not be lost – there is another team in town, and one in Brooklyn, and you can always stay at home and watch all the MLB teams on their channel.
Or you can take up chess.