The Reyes deal

[Frayed Knot]

So [u:1fkkhc7f]IF[/u:1fkkhc7f] Sandy had to go-ahead to offer Jose a matching or near-matching deal (and he almost certainly did not but let's play along for a moment) to the one he reportedly has w/Florida, should he or shouldn't he?

Pick the choice below which best describes your feelings on the matter.

[metirish]

good choices

I went with

It's high but, combined with the pr value and all, I'd be OK with it

admittedly I'm not one that gets all concerned about looking down the line at years 5/6.

[metsmarathon]

it's a no-brainer because of the pr value. i think that no matter what the mets do from here on out, barring some miracle, they've cut irrevocably deep into their season ticket base. i think the amount of money they just lost by fecklessly losing reyes will more than offset the money they would lose by overpaying him to sit on the dl.

[Guest themetfairy]

metsmarathon wrote: it's a no-brainer because of the pr value. i think that no matter what the mets do from here on out, barring some miracle, they've cut irrevocably deep into their season ticket base. i think the amount of money they just lost by fecklessly losing reyes will more than offset the money they would lose by overpaying him to sit on the dl.

This

[Benjamin Grimm]

I voted for the coin toss, but I considered voting for the option above it.

[TransMonk]

It's too long.

[metirish]

metsmarathon wrote: it's a no-brainer because of the pr value. i think that no matter what the mets do from here on out, barring some miracle, they've cut irrevocably deep into their season ticket base. i think the amount of money they just lost by fecklessly losing reyes will more than offset the money they would lose by overpaying him to sit on the dl.

I agree with this, I don't think him staying would have caused a rush to buy season tickets but him leaving will cut in to that base.

[Edgy MD]

I think it helps perspective to recall that the guy Megdal recently described as "enormously popular" has at times been a controversial and divisive figure. That doesn't change what he has been (far and away, the most effective shortstop in team history). But when the years and money pile on, the other shoe has a way of becoming a greater issue.

Think of the tiresome presence the likes of Al Leiter and John Franco became. Think of how, before we locked him up, Luis Castillo was described as the best deadline pickup in team history. Think of the current backlash against David Wright.

All of that really speaks of the fickleness and pettiness of the fan base (and sports fans in general), more than anything. I wanted him re-signed. But I'm going to resist the impulse to lionize him or demonize the Mets. I'm most interested in how they move on. When the Mets of yore lost Darryl Strawberry, they turned around and signed Vince Coleman. Bad, bad move.

[seawolf17]

Edgy DC wrote: I'm most interested in how they move on. When the Mets of yore lost Darryl Strawberry, they turned around and signed Vince Coleman. Bad, bad move.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Yeah, he's been a little polarizing at times. But he's ours, since baseball infancy (and actual adolescence-- those paying attention to the minors have literally watched him grow up). He's a player who other teams' fans keep telling me they love to watch/would love to watch more. And last year solidified his ironclad lock on his position among the fanbase as the unofficial "guy you pay to see." Wright leaving-- as long as it brought something back-- would cause less of an emotional stir.

That said... he'll be worth it JUST from the on-field stuff. Even with the time lost to injuries and the early rush-to-the-majors production valley,he's outproduced the average starter at his position, offensively and defensively, by an average of 25 percent over the entirety of his career (if you make it since 2006 instead... he's nearly doubled the average SS production... and, again, that's inclusive of missed time). In 4 of the 6 full seasons he's played, he's been among the top 5-10 most valuable players in baseball, a 6-WAR player; in the other two, he's been merely among the best at his position (2.5-3 WAR). In other words, as a SS in the NL, even his bad years are borderline-AS years.

[Edgy MD]

Oh, yeah, he's ours, and I want him here. And I made it clear that I certainly respect his on-field value at the position --- even in the early-years production valley, he was as good as we've ever had.

But if there's a greater emotional bond than there is with Wright, there wasn't one throughout the gross llion's share of their mutual tenure. Rather one appeared during the first half of this season due to Jose's (1) great first half, (2) finally being healthy, and (3) proximity to gone-ness. And that's fickle fandom at work there. A year earlier, it was all four-letter words.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'm already anxious to move on.

I think you could argue that Reyes was the kinda guy for whom the Mets should be overpaying, but, I mean, they don't have the $$ because they're fucking idiots.

That said, I'd be surprised if I were to learn that an analysis would reveal beating that offer was a good idea in a baseball sense because I'm suspicious of Reyes' injury history in particular and how fast shortstops who slide head first thousands of times in their 20s age generally.

[Edgy MD]

Ruben Tejada's OBP in 2011: .360.
Jos� Reyes' OBP at 21: .271.

We could be in worse shape.

[Vic Sage]

yeah, it could be raining.

[Benjamin Grimm]

THAT would suck!

[Fman99]

TransMonk wrote: It's too long.

That's what she said.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

I voted for the coin flip. Reyes is an exciting player and can really electrify a crowd, but that's an awful big commitment for a player with a repeatable history of hamstring injuries. Sinces Jose's speed is his greatest attribute, I believe his legs will burn out long before his contract does. I still wish the Mets had him, but not at that price and for that duration.

[MFS62]

Edgy DC wrote: Ruben Tejada's OBP in 2011: .360. Jos� Reyes' OBP at 21: .271. We could be in worse shape.

Exactly. The two Mets WS Championship teams didn't exactly have Honus Wagner playing shortstop.
They had two defense-first shortstops. (Harrelson and Santana)
I think Tejada will be a more than adequate hitter. He's already on the right track.
Sandy, build a competitive team around him.

Later