Re-Sign Reyes NOW!!!!

[Edgy MD]

I disagree enormously that fans haven't heard anything but goodness about the Wilpons. I think the evidence is clear in this regard.

My guess is this offer (they apparently made him a verbal offer, because there was reportedly never a formal one) came before Miami upped their package from 90 to 110. It would then make sense, if that's what Alderson is talking about, that Miami's guaranteed offer ended up in the same neighborhood as the Mets' contingent one. The guarantees were them topping the Mets.

[batmagadanleadoff]

So you're guessing that the Mets offered 106 with incentives before Miami guaranteed 106? You could be right. It's a logical guess. But nobody reported it like that, yet.

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, but nobody (that I read) reported any such offer at all at all until Alderson said so. So I narrow it down to him either (1) lying outright (in which case Greenberg can call him on it), (2) speaking of a verbal offer that preceeded and set up the Marlins' winning blow, or (3) as you suggest, speaking of a pointless late offer, matching the Marlins' guarantees with contingencies, perhaps in a desperate attempt to save some degree of face.

All are possible, I guess. Two seemed to make most sense. Face can really only be served by production on the field. From Sandy's point of view, that means getting more production from his dollar than the Marlins do, and he should know that.

[ashie62]

Its moot and doubt we'll ever know for sure.

[Edgy MD]

Well, it's all moot. But maybe something can be learned by observing. Or observed by watching. Or something.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Oh, the intrigue! Enjoy, schadenfreude fans:

Hanley Ramirez isn't on board with the idea of moving to third base and would rather be traded than switch positions, a "credible source" told Enrique Rojas at ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com (link in Spanish). "Hanley doesn't want to play third base and the Marlins were informed of that," the source told Rojas. "Rather than ask for a trade, what he has done is to inform (the team) that he does not want to play another position other than shortstop." Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post has also verified with a Marlins official that Ramirez did not ask to be traded (Twitter link).

[Benjamin Grimm]

I think this will be resolved by the Marlins throwing a few million dollars at Hanley in one guise or another.

Or maybe they'll have to eat the bulk of his salary and trade him to the Mets.

[Edgy MD]

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Now, why'd you have to do that? I'm hanging out here precisely to avoid that.

[Edgy MD]

The Pirates have come to terms with Nate McClouth, according to Ken Rosenthal. I thought you'd want to know that.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Also the Bucs got Erik Bedard.

[Guest attgig]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I think this will be resolved by the Marlins throwing a few million dollars at Hanley in one guise or another. Or maybe they'll have to eat the bulk of his salary and trade him to the Mets.

i kinda wondered if they would come calling to see about a david wright for hanley ramirez trade...

[TransMonk]

As ugly as those unis were 2 weeks ago, they're even uglier now.

[Edgy MD]

Fish are going to make him cut his hair.

[Vic Sage]

i hope they shave his head.
and his pubes.

[seawolf17]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I think this will be resolved by the Marlins throwing a few million dollars at Hanley in one guise or another. Or maybe they'll have to eat the bulk of his salary and trade him to the Mets.

They can have Pelf.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Vic Sage wrote: i hope they shave his head. and his pubes.

Or, as they call it in South Beach salons, "The Mariel."

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Draft-pick compensation for J---J---J---J---: the Marlins' sandwich pick plus a 2nd-rounder, NOT a 3rd-rounder, as per Davidoff.

[Edgy MD]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Vic Sage wrote: i hope they shave his head. and his pubes. Or, as they call it in South Beach salons, "The Mariel."

See, the post-Reyes era isn't so bad, after all.

[dgwphotography]

Draft-pick compensation for J---J---J---J---: the Marlins' sandwich pick plus a 2nd-rounder, NOT a 3rd-rounder, as per Davidoff.

What if the Marlins sign Pujols?

[Vic Sage]

then they'll shave his pubes too.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I've come to realize that there's no way the Mets could have resigned Jose, even if they did everything right. The Marlins are clearly in drunken sailor mode, and they would not have been denied.

[Gwreck]

I don't agree.

They may be spending on multiple players, but the Reyes contract itself, while generous, was not a "drunken sailor" offer. He's not getting $20M/year AAV. He's not getting a 7 or 8 year deal, etc.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Yeah, but do you doubt that they would have gone higher and higher if necessary? I don't.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Drunken sailor contract or not, I said the Mets couldn't afford Reyes, even at reasonable rates. Their posture about waiting for other teams to set the market for Reyes before negotiating was an excuse not to make an offer. So as not to embarrass themselves and show how broke they are.

[Edgy MD]

What's a reasonable rate?

[batmagadanleadoff]

If the Mets allocated just $12-14M of this year's payroll to Reyes, they'd be relying on the Rule 5 draft to fill out the rest of their roster. Okay ... there's a little bit of sarcasm there, but not too much. And expecting Reyes to sign for $12-14M isn't reasonable, in any event. I know that I was the one who inserted the term "reasonable" into this conversation, but really, it's a moot point. Reyes was gonna get what he got, if not more, and the Mets can't pay that amount. And for all of Sandy's rationalizing, perhaps implying that Reyes at $17M-18M a year didn't make economic sense to the organization, the Mets couldn't afford to match Miami even if they privately wanted to.

Anyway, what's done is done. I've moved on. And from here on out, only time will tell whether or not the Mets are ultimately better off without Reyes at Miami's price, or higher.

[batmagadanleadoff]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: If the Mets allocated just $12-14M of this year's payroll to Reyes, they'd be relying on the Rule 5 draft to fill out the rest of their roster. Okay ... there's a little bit of sarcasm there, but not too much. And expecting Reyes to sign for $12-14M isn't reasonable, in any event. I know that I was the one who inserted the term "reasonable" into this conversation, but really, it's a moot point. Reyes was gonna get what he got, if not more, and the Mets can't pay that amount. And for all of Sandy's rationalizing, perhaps implying that Reyes at $17M-18M a year didn't make economic sense to the organization, the Mets couldn't afford to match Miami even if they privately wanted to. Anyway, what's done is done. I've moved on. And from here on out, only time will tell whether or not the Mets are ultimately better off without Reyes at Miami's price, or higher.

_____________________
Here's Adam Rubin reporting yesterday that Alderson went into the Winter Meetings with a budget of about $10M-$15M:

Alderson suggested early in the meetings that the Mets had about $10 million to $15 million to spend this winter on external additions. He committed nearly $10 million to Francisco and Rauch, seemingly leaving no more than $5 million and change remaining.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/7331119/new-york-mets-leave-winter-meetings-new-bullpen

Megdal also reported on the $10 million to $15 million budget two days before Rubin:

So Jose Reyes is a Marlin, and the 2012 Mets payroll keeps shrinking, with general manager Sandy Alderson acknowledging that he only has around $10-15 million to spend on new acquisitions, even without the outlay of cash to the former Met shortstop.

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/culture/2011/12/4511608/what-can-2012-mets-get-15-million-and-maybe-david-wright

The Mets couldn't have reasonably expected to sign Reyes and fill out the rest of the 25 man roster with that budget. And given Alderson's repeated comments that the Mets 2012 payroll would be about the same with or without Reyes, that $10 million to $15 million is all Sandy was given to sign not only Reyes, but every other player the Mets would need to complete their 25 man roster. Reyes's statement that the Mets never made him an offer is credible. The Mets couldn't have made an offer for Reyes. The money wasn't there. Instead the Mets appear to have fabricated this scenario where they were monitoring the developing negotiations with an eye towards submitting their offer at the appropriate moment.


Also from Rubin's article, here's the "projected" Mets lineup:

Torres assumes the leadoff role that was otherwise begrudgingly slated to be turned over to Pagan. The rest of the projected lineup: Daniel Murphy batting second and playing second base, followed by third baseman David Wright, first baseman Ike Davis, left fielder Jason Bay, right fielder Lucas Duda, catcher Josh Thole and shortstop Ruben Tejada.

(Though Rubin doesn't clarify whether the lineup's his projection, or the Mets)

[HahnSolo]

Is it wrong that I get douche chills thinking about Rubin's Muffy/David/Ike/Bay/Duda L/R/L/R/L two through six in the lineup? Stay healthy guys (and don't suck as much Jason) please.

[Edgy MD]

It all starts with Bay, I think. That's a solid meathouse if health prevails and if Bay finds something of his old form. It'll take pressure off the younger players, and give the Mets a shot to stand toe-to-toe and punch with anybody like a good Brewers team.

As far as pitching, we'll probably have to cross a lot more fingers.