The trade rumors regarding Jose Reyes have been constant since the season has begun. While it will not be the best move for the New York Mets to trade Reyes, it is still a possibility. If Reyes is dealt, the return that the Mets get will be incredibly important.
Reyes is putting up MVP-type numbers this season. Through 62 games, Reyes has batted a league leading .346 and also leads the league with 94 hits. He also has scored 47 times, hit three home runs, driven in 25, and has stolen 20 bases in 25 attempts. Reyes has also improved his patience at the plate and now has 21 walks versus 25 strikeouts.
Acquiring Reyes, who is having a phenomenal year, will be a tough task for any team. The Mets will obviously be asking for a huge return, and deservedly so. Valuing Reyes will be difficult because of his number and the fact that he will be a free agent after the season.
There is a precedent for trading big name potential free agents. One example of this is the Braves trading Mark Teixeira in 2008.
Teixeira was having a good year at that point. He was hitting .283 with 20 home runs and 78 RBI through 103 games. The Braves only received Casey Kotchman and pitcher Steve Marek in return.
Reyes has more value than this. A much better example is likely the trade between the Athletics and Cardinals in 2009 that sent Matt Holliday to St. Louis.
Holliday was not having as good of a year as Teixeira did in 2008, but he brought back a much better package. He was hitting .283 with 11 home runs and 54 RBI through 93 games with the Athletics.
The Cardinals needed to send one of their best prospects, Brett Wallace, as well as pitcher Clayton Mortensen and first baseman/outfielder Shane Peterson to Oakland. This is much likely a better point of comparison if Reyes were to be dealt.
Based on the big deadline deals from two years, it appears as if the Mets should be able to get a good return for Reyes. They would likely get a team’s number one or number two overall prospects in addition to some young pitching.
Even if the Mets are able to get a great return for Reyes, moving him is not the best move for the franchise. He is a fan favorite, as evident from the “Don’t Trade Jose Reyes” rally that happened it Citi Field this season.
In addition, when Reyes is on his game, as he has been all year this season, he is one of the best players in baseball. Players of this caliber should not be traded. Even if the Mets do get a great return for Reyes, they likely will not be able to get full value for him.
