let me ask a question. if the mets are unable/unwilling to extend reyes this year, AND the mets are significantly out of contention this year, BUT they are interested in bringing him back as a free agent, does it hurt their chances appreciably to trade him? the biggest risk of course is that he is traded to a contender and falls in love with their team / city / competitiveness. but if he hits free agency, our money is as good as anybody else's (hmm, i guess that's not necessarily true anymore, but assuming that it is...). if we're going to lose him, i'd rather get something in return. but my preference is to sign him fast, snatch him up real quick, and not let go for a good long time. and then i'd do the same thing with david wright.