I was listening to WFAN this morning, and Evan Roberts brought up an interesting point.
He said that the Mets two gaping holes right now are shortstop and leadoff hitter.
Hmm, not too long ago, the Mets had arguably the best in the game at both: Jose Reyes.
But of course, we know what happened there.
Granted, based on the Mets financial situation at the time, keeping both Reyes and David Wright would have been a pipe-dream.
But I can’t help but wonder what could’ve been if the Mets were somehow able to re-sign Reyes.
Things may have shaken up a bit differently, but imagine the current Mets roster with Reyes.
The lineup would be something like Reyes leading off at shortstop, Daniel Murphy at second, Wright at third, Curtis Granderson in one corner outfield spot, Chris Young in the other corner spot, Ike Davis/Lucas Duda at first, Juan Lagares in center and Travis d’Arnaud behind the dish.
The bench would be solid with Ruben Tejada as a defensive replacement, the speedster Eric Young Jr., the versatile Josh Satin, maybe the power bat of Andrew Brown and whoever the backup catcher winds up being.
That’s a pretty good team, especially taking into consideration the Mets’ pitching staff as well. Maybe not the Atlanta Braves or the Washington Nationals, but no doubt a contender for a wild card spot.
But now reality is setting back in, and it will become even more evident if I ever watch a Toronto Blue Jays’ game with Reyes penciled into shortstop and the leadoff position.
Reyes was a dynamic player for the Mets, and it’s just unfortunate that his free agency occurred at a time when the Mets had absolutely no money.
Maybe the team brings in Stephen Drew – though he’s not Reyes.
Or maybe Tejada surprises – though he’s not Reyes.
And depending on if the team can find a position for him, Young Jr. could be a leadoff option – though he’s not Reyes.
It just goes to show how difficult it is to find a quality shortstop and leadoff hitter, as the Mets are still searching for both going on three seasons without Reyes.
