So, Speaking of Reyes

[Guest Edgy DC]

The Mets, having clearly envisioned a generation of lineups built around Jose Reyes and David Wright, are facing the walk year with Reyes. They likely would have offered him an extension this offseason. Obviously a long-term injury has left them (and him) not knowing quite what they've got to negotiate with, so any talk of a long-term deal has to be put off, but that can leave them over a barrel at the end of the season.

[metirish]

Pick up his $11 million option for 2011

[soupcan]

I had no idea this was his walk year. This is is a tough one. Yeah - pick up his $11 mil option.

(assuming irish is more on the ball than Edgy and that the Mets do have the option)

[Guest Edgy DC]

I hadn't realized that the option was out there. Stupid poll.

[metirish]

I hadn't realized that the option was out there. Stupid poll.[/quote:101lzmwt]


I read it several times to see if you knew that, anyway I can't believe this contract is possibly entering it's last year.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Take the option, then start negotiating this year once he hits 40 steals anyway.

[MFS62]

Other = Watch Reyes closely for half a year, but also see how well Tejada is playing at Buffalo. Miguel hit .289 in AA ball at the age of 19 last year.
If Reyes continues to have health problems, and Tejada continues to impress, consider replacing him with the kid (long term). He may not be as flashy as Reyes, but I see him developing into a steady, Alfonso- type player. But with a shortstop glove.

You gotta' keep your options open.

Later

[metirish]

It's just a bit unfair to say " If Reyes continues to have health problems" , Jose had a good run before last season. Not saying you are putting that label on him but I guess it's out there.

[Frayed Knot]

The odds that Tejada becomes anywhere near as good as Reyes are REAL small - meaning that he'd have to have one helluva year in AAA (not even sure that's where he's going to start) before I'd even consider moving Jose out in his favor and even then the option pick-up is a no-brainer as you check on Tejada's progress towards 2012

[Guest Edgy DC]

Reyes' Current Contract:

2007: $2.5M
2008: $4M
2009: $5.75M
2010: $9M
2011: $11M club option ($0.5M buyout)

Good option!

[Guest Edgy DC]

His agent is Peter Greenberg, whose website says that Forbes ranked him the number one baseball agent. Greenberg has a good history of working well with the Mets, a lot of Metly guys in his client base, which is deeply concentrated with Venezuealans.

Bobby Abreu, Ronny Cedeno, Endy Chavez, Raul Chavez, Kelvim Escobar, Victor Garate, Freddy Garcia, Carlos Guillen, Cesar Izturis, Macier Izturis, Cesar Jiminez, Martin Prado, Jose Reyes, Henry Rodriguez, Johan Santana, Marco Scutaro, Rafael Soriano, Ken Takahashi.

That's 100% foreign-born guys, 83% Venezuealans, 11% Dominicans (Reyes and Soriano), and 39% (I think) who have been under contract with the Mets at one time or another.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

"BOO! 'LOS CLIENT BASE' SUCKS! REPRESENT A WHITE GUY, FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD! I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY MY CO-WORKERS DON'T COME OUT WITH ME TO THE GAME!"

-Racist Idiot in Met cap

[Guest attgig]

next year's contracts to think about are going to be with the starting pitchers...
john maine has 4+ years of service time, and with one more year before free agency, this year will determine if he gets a multiyear deal, or deal with the 1 year contracts and eventually end up journeyman status
Pelfrey's draft contract is expiring this year, and it'll be interesting to see if he has another year like last year what the mets do. if he rebounds and has a good year this year, i'm assuming the mets will negotiate a deal to buy out his first couple of years of free agency (though with boras, i guess you can never tell). If he doesn't rebound, the mets will have a lot to think about.

oh, and i forgot about feliciano. he's elligible for free agency at the end of this year...

[Benjamin Grimm]

"BOO! 'LOS CLIENT BASE' SUCKS! REPRESENT A WHITE GUY, FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD! I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY MY CO-WORKERS DON'T COME OUT WITH ME TO THE GAME!"

-Racist Idiot in Met cap[/quote:3kii9jtf]

I guess Peter Greenberg, being Hispanic (I can tell by the name!) is more comfortable with "his own kind."

[G-Fafif]

Venezuela's and Flushing's own Edgardo Alfonzo another Peter Greenberg client, at least during the heyday of Fonzie.

[Gwreck]

I think you pick up the option as soon as Reyes shows he's healthy (June 1, maybe?) and then start negotiating for longer.

[ashie62]

How about talking to Reyes during spring training. You get a look at him and can assess your risk/reward then.

[Guest Vince Coleman Firecracker]

Other. Start talking five year extension, like, yesterday. I'm more than willing to bet Wilpon money (or my own, hypothetical money, were I in that position) that Jose will be a monster again, and you won't be able to buy low on him again until after his peak has ended. Start at 5 years, 50 million.

[Guest Vince Coleman Firecracker]

Other = Watch Reyes closely for half a year, but also see how well Tejada is playing at Buffalo. Miguel hit .289 in AA ball at the age of 19 last year.
If Reyes continues to have health problems, and Tejada continues to impress, consider replacing him with the kid (long term). He may not be as flashy as Reyes, but I see him developing into a steady, Alfonso- type player. But with a shortstop glove.

You gotta' keep your options open.

Later

[seawolf17]

I'm with VCF. Sign him up, and sign him up now.

[MFS62]

I never said Tejada will be as good as Reyes. I just said my "other" option would be to monitor Reyes' health. If he can't play, or gets re-injured (knocking some serious wood) then I don't think Tejada would be too shabby, and might turn into a pretty good ballplayer. Maybe not anther Reyes, but pretty good.


Later

[nymr83]

considering that they have the option for 2011 theres no reason to make hasty decisions. i wouldnt do anything until you are sure he's healthy. after that, start talking contract, but theres no reason to get aggressive until at least NEXT offseason. exercise the option when it comes time, and keep negotiating.

i wonder though if reyes might be signable for less now than he will be later given the injury. he might not want to give away all his best free agent years right now, but what if the mets agreed to two years (2011 and 2012) at something like 12 million a year? this amounts to 13 for 2012 from reyes' perspective because he'd otherwise be re-upped for 11, and it gives him some security at a time where he's coming off a major injury while only sacrificing one more year before hitting the market (or getting a big deal from the mets)

[Frayed Knot]

I never said Tejada will be as good as Reyes. I just said my "other" option would be to monitor Reyes' health. If he can't play, or gets re-injured (knocking some serious wood) then I don't think Tejada would be too shabby, and might turn into a pretty good ballplayer. Maybe not anther Reyes, but pretty good.

[seawolf17]

I always assume that the Mets pump the hell out of prospects in hopes that some other team will see value that isn't there so they can trade us a washed-up middle reliever for them.

[Frayed Knot]

It's not so much that they pump them up - I always felt that since getting burned by the 'Gen-K' trio I think the amount of prospect info/hype coming from the team itself has been fairly light - but that they seem to try and rush their guys (particularly the Latin ones for whatever reason) up the ladder so quickly sometimes skipping rungs and often without regard to whether the kid was ready to put his existing level behind him or not.
* Tejada, Flores, Martinez, and others would still be young for their leagues even if they were dropped one or even merely "held back" so as to at least start this coming season at the same spot where they ended last year. Instead, the org seems to want to see how quickly they can get them either to the bigs or at least to the brink of it rather than making sure they're ready once they get there. And, yeah, you can say that moving them up quickly is a form of trade hype as it makes them seem closer to paydirt but other clubs aren't going to be fooled by that stuff even if fans are. In fact it might actually backfire as good A-ball numbers by a youngster often look more trade-attractive than mediocre AA stats, particularly if he'd be younger than average in either spot.






Tejeda skipped low-A ball entirely and went to A+ despite his age
Martinez had barely 300 ABs in low-A & High-A combined before hitting AA
Flores skipped Brooklyn and so he could be the youngest player in full-season baseball last year (as was Fartinez 2 years back)

[Guest Edgy DC]

Them's just the ones that survived. Hector Pellot is still searching for himself years later after hitting the Sallie League as a teenager. Tim Teufel's whole roster seemed to be loaded with sink-or-swim teens.

[bmfc1]

Video of Flores, here:

[Theoldmole]

Sign him. How about a little loyalty?

[Guest attgig]

man, comparing reyes to other shortstops and trying to see how much he would be worth... the phillies got rollins on the way cheap with his 5 year 40 mil contract.


I would think reyes' contract STARTS at the 11mil/year that his option is at, but most likely more.