7
2011
Reyes’ Departure Could Deter Future FA Signings For Mets.
An article by 
It is easy to recognize what losing Jose Reyes might mean to the Mets on the field: they would be without an impact leadoff hitter, steal threat and solid defensive shortstop.
I’m on record as saying the Mets won’t be able to retain him and shouldn’t get reeled in on a long-term deal. In signing Reyes long-term, the Mets are subject to the very real chance he’ll break down physically and won’t be able to duplicate last season’s walk-year production.
I still feel that way, but there is another way to interpret the potential of losing Reyes, and that is in future free-agent markets. It is something the Mets should strongly consider.
If the Mets let one of their cornerstones depart, how would free-agents in the 2012 markets and beyond interpret that decision? If the Mets cant’s hold on to one of their own, how would they treat a newcomer? And, considering the Mets’ recent history of handling injured players (Ryan Church and Carlos Beltran), what could they be thinking about Reyes the past three years, especially since it is well known Jerry Manuel rushed him back two years ago?
Players talk, believe me, and the Mets don’t have a stellar reputation among the MLB Players Association. Sure, there will be players toward the end of their careers and who have been injured that would be willing to take the Mets’ money, but any impact players will undoubtedly have second thoughts. As it is, if Reyes leaves, David Wright could be next out the door. He has more than hinted as such.
Let’s face it, the Mets can never compete with the Yankees in dollars for free agents, and they can not in terms of tradition or a winning reputation. The last prime time player they signed of significance was Beltran, and even at the end agent Scott Boras tried a last attempt with the Yankees. There is a belief Beltran chose the Mets because they are less in the limelight than the Yankees.
Citi Field isn’t the magnet for free-agents the team might have hoped, but we have to believe that is more to do with the Wilpon’s financial situation than anything else, including the stadium’s cavernous dimensions.
Alderson said the team wouldn’t “punt” in 2012, but it doesn’t forecast to a busy winter. And, the team is at least two years from being a legitimate contender. It could be even longer if their financial situation persists, if prospects Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler don’t pan out. and Wright leaves. The Wilpons have gotten better news on that front, but are not in the clear. And, there are never any guarantees when it comes to prospects.
The Mets flirted with .500 this season when Reyes was healthy, and there’s reason to believe they could take a step if their pitching improved. There’s also no reason to believe the Mets will spend in that direction.
I don’t know where the Mets are going to be should Reyes leave, or where they would be if he stays and their pitching doesn’t get better. But, if he leaves and the Mets don’t throw significant money in improving that staff, the future doesn’t look good and there will be fewer mercenaries willing to help.
About the Author: John Delcos
I am an active member of the BBWAA and have covered Major League Baseball in several capacities for over 20 years, including ten in New York working the Mets' and Yankees' beat. I covered the Baltimore Orioles for eight years and the Cleveland Indians before that. I currently serve as an editor and senior staff writer for Mets Merized Online. Follow me on Twitter @jdelcos.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 42 | 28 | .600 | - |
| Nationals | 34 | 35 | .493 | 7.5 |
| Phillies | 34 | 37 | .479 | 8.5 |
| Mets | 25 | 40 | .385 | 14.5 |
| Marlins | 22 | 47 | .319 | 19.5 |
Last updated: 06/18/2013
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Sandy isn’t going to punt, he is just going to take a knee and try and run the clock out!
I don’t see any reason why the Mets couldn’t spend as much as the yankees if they tried.
Buying stars bring people into the seats and that pays for the investment in spades!
Can they do that in a year? NO no one can there aren’t enough good Free Agents available to do that. We tried once and it failed miserably!
But you can’t ever do it if you let the few GOOD FA players you have leave.
Beltran came to the Mets not because he thought there was a lesser limelight he came because we made a full court press and showed him that we SERIOUSLY wanted him!
We went and signed Pedro to convince him he was not going to be the only player we were asking to carry the team.
We even tried to get Delgado that year if I’m not mistaken.
Your correct though that our indifference to Reyes and willingness to put payroll over players is going to cause pause in any future FAs we go after!
But thats really only a problem if we intend to actually go after any Free Agents which so far appears to not be a problem for this group!
It won’t matter because they don’t intend to go for any Free Agents who can help. Just retreads that are lucky to get a contract ANYWHERE and can’t be picky about which team they go to!
alderson is not here to biuld a winner.he is here to get the teams finances in order.what free agent would want to come to a team with that philosophy.the team’s not here to win but be more fiancially responsible,winning is nothing more than an afterthought with alderson and the wilpons.
I agree MA…
What I don’t get from those who support the letting of Reyes go is would they get rid of their BEST salesman because he gets paid more than the others in the company and lose all those sales he was making for you to BECOME the highest paid salesman in the company?
If you were a farmer you wouldn’t sell your best tractor and go buy two broken down tractors with that money! Sure you might be able to plow two fields at once but since they would not plow as well as the one good one you didn’t gain a thing just lost productivity!
Pennywise and Pound Foolish is the best descrition of what we are doing here!
We lost money on attendance so get rid of the one attendance draw that pays his own way in favor of keeping the guys who do not pay their own way!
And it’s going to fail miserably!
I am actually ready to let them do it so we can get it out of the ignorant fan’s system and show them just how bad a plan it is so we never try and do it again!
Either way you want to look at it, the Mets are in a position of possibly losing Reyes due to major incompetence on the part of the Wilpons. If Reyes walks and the payroll goes below $100 million you will see attendance drop even more th an in 2011. Wherepon you end up with the chicken or the egg conundrum. On the one hand, reducing payroll will help the Mets’ bottom line and help them pay down their debt. On the other hand it means a likely reduction in the quality of team on the field which in turn means fans staying away in droves which in turn means a huge loss at the gate. More so if season ticket sales bottom out. So, where and how do the Mets come up with the money to A- rebuild the farm system to a point where it produces quality ML talent and B- sign free agents needed to fill holes to help build a consistent winner?
You could blame the Wilpons for setting Payroll so low I suppose…
But it is clear they could resign Reyes and stay under that number if the GM wanted to!
Wilpon might set the budget but he doesn’t tell the GM how to spend it!
i’e said this all alone, sandy alderson was brought here to fix the mets mess financially as a favor to the wilpons by bud selig. after 3 years of salary shredding and losing records, he’ll leave. and all the moneyballers who were yelling and screaming about building a winner for years to come, give him a chance, is ok not to spend money on free agents etc will come with some sort of excuse as to why sandy left and how he did a terrific job at the position. is pathetic and embrrassing what’s going on with the mets, as a fan i am disgusted to know this franchise won’t win anything or be competitive anytime soon. is a real shame i’d tell you.
Being broke may deter future FA signings for Mets.
Don’t let anyone tell you it’s 1983 all over again – it’s really 1977! Let’s just hope 1979 comes early.
In reality…..coming to New York be it the Yankees or Mets can be an issue in itself. It very often depends on a player’s attitude. Pedro Martinez came to the Mets because nothing scared him and he felt that the Mets would be looking to improve their ballclub. Of course, was agreeable to being the centerpiece and he relished in that role. It was only after he came that others like a Carlos Beltran followed. A guy like Beltran although confident in his talents would never look to be the centerpiece. Unlike Pedro, Carlos was a much quieter and less cocky guy.
The reality though for Sandy Alderson is that he cannot place all of his eggs in one basket now and that means the Mets will wait and see what the other offers are before he makes a move. I am sure that Jose’s agents know this and waiting for them can’t hurt. In the Mets favor is Jose loving to play here and knowing how much the fans love him. He will get his due…hopefully from Sandy Alderson unless another team will make the Jose Reyes an offer that can’t be refused.