Jose Reyes to the Marlins: Quick Reaction
According to Fox Sports’s Ken Rosenthal, the Miami Marlins have agreed to a 6-year, $106MM deal with former Mets shortstop Jose Reyes.
If true, it’s a good gamble for the Marlins. Along with Ozzie Guillen, he will bring fans of every race, creed, and color to Miami, but especially the Latin-American contingent.
Six years? Maybe not so smart. Reyes has had trouble staying healthy, and proved it in 2011. The Mets, along with every other team in the majors, stayed away from Reyes this offseason, following his stints on the DL.
The Marlins seem like the 2005 Mets. Willing to spend exorbitant amounts of money to draw fans. Their spending may not be finished. They have offers out to Albert Pujols and Mark Buehrle as well. Will their spending pay off? Recent history has suggested that the winners in the offseason (often the Mets) have not been winners on the field. Just ask the Washington Nationals (helloooo, Jayson Werth).
What does this mean for the Mets? More money to spend on the bullpen, and other areas of need. A couple of more draft picks to build for the future. And for a team at least reportedly $400MM in the red, a little more flexibility for the future.
Uuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhggggg.
This is worse then when the Straw Man left.
Will the Mets use the money “saved” by not signing Reyes to improve the crappy starting rotation? No, they’re satisfied with a diminished Santana, Dickey, Niese, Pelfrey, and Gee. The last two guys should not be in the rotation. Buerhle and Jackson are free agents who will not be in NY (at least on the Mets) next year.
And the team that they put on the field three to five years from now had better be killer…it had better be a perennial contender…it had better have some of the deepest set of prospects this side of the Rays. Because anything less is going to make this midnight massacre a joke.
What reason will there to be to watch the Mets in ’12? Guaranteed to finish last, and no one with a modicum of excitement.
Gonna be a long, dark season(s).
My comparison is more to the fact that I am 31 years old and been a met fan since 85. And in that time period I think the mets had 3 must turn on the tv to see what they are gonna do. Straw, Piazza and Jose.
Jose’s attitude towards the game is second to none and even though he does get hurt when he is playing there is no one I enjoy watching play the game more. Just like I had to watch Straw after he left to see if he was going to hit a moonshot, I will prob sneak as many peaks at marlins games this year to see what Jose will do.
I am sure I will have plenty of time being I wont be watching to many Met games.
I’m disgusted…this is probably the most disgusting thing that has ever happened in Mets history…and I’m feeling soooo lucky to have experienced it while I’m still alive…
I hope that there’s justice somewhere…
Anyway, I’m sick about this, but you know what…screw them both. I’m almost…not quite there, mind you…but almost ready to say I’m done with Mets. I’ll become a Nationals fan and maybe they’ll have some better leadership.
Oh well…forgive me for venting. Take care and I’ll look forward to your comments on the blog tomorrow.
All the best,
Rob
2. No way i do 6yrs. No Jose is not 30, but his legs are. The mercenary Marlins do not honor contracts, they will trade jose before 2 yrs are up.
3. Your move Alderson.
On the other hand the the rocks just got Chatwell for Ianetta (????). more reason to DEAL with the rocks and get Chatwell and Drew Pomeranz for Wright.
Some are annoyed the Mets didn’t make a serious offer. Sounds nice, but really, what was he going to do? No listen to other offers? The bottom line is that the Mets would have to pay him more than this and wasn’t going to happen.
I guess the Marlins have a lot of money. Their strategy of winning WS and having fire sales every six or so years must be on the upswing arc at the moment.
I was thinking on my way to work that I let go of my season tickets at the end of the 07 season because I was so upset they way things were going with this franchise and they have played 4 seasons since and one was worse then the last.
Its sickening that all our hope is vested in Ike, Tejada, Murphy Duda and a couple of piching prospects. Are you kidding do people really believe these guys are going to amount to a World series conteder. Maybe one day Ike Davis will be half the player Jose Reyes is. the others??? I doubt any of them will make 1 all star game combined.
Honestly, given 20/20 hindsight, did the Mets operate much better in the recent past? They spent more money, such as for Bay, but repeatedly did so badly. Even with Reyes, most didn’t think — w/o a lot more — they would be that good for a few years. Re-signing Reyes and not much more, would have helped to cover up the mess that remained.
It doesn’t say much, but sometimes, raw facing of the mess is the best bet. Either way, these are your AAAA Mets.
Reyes will get hurt. We know he will. How significantly? Enough to diminish the value of his contract? Not sure. Not rooting for it, but we all know it will happen. And the Marlins, if they fail to generate revenue and interest in their team will inevitably trade Reyes in 3 years. Part of me wants them to sign Pujols, just so these guys can be moved in a few short years and everyone feels stupid in Miami. The Pujols deal is reportedly going to have an opt-out in three years so if he signs that is their window. But unless they stay healthy they are not even guaranteed a playoff spot.
So now that Reyes is a rival I can finally get on the Reyes -hating bandwagon. Catch up on the Jose Reyes jokes. Like I said, we all know he’s just going to get hurt.
now, having said all that, i fully acknowledge that his legs are breaking down and he’s a player who relies on his speed and blah blah blah. he’s also a pretty damn good hitter who, unless he just completely disintegrates by year five of the deal, maybe becomes more of a doubles-rather-than-triples guy who hits for avg. and maybe a little more power. i could’ve lived with that to see him retire in blue and orange. i don’t think i’m alone in that regard. i mean, i’m glad we’re not in the omar minaya era anymore of throwing cash at every questionable free agent who bats his eyelashes at us, but this was, to me, one of those exceptions that you don’t let get away if you can help it. maybe they couldn’t monetarily, but i don’t think they really tried. so they can kiss my ass; they don’t care about me, screw ’em, i don’t care much about them. maybe they can do something to change that later (new ownership isn’t a bad idea) but that’s the way it stands for me for the foreseeable future. just my two cents.
How much better will you feel? How much more would you think they “care” about you that they make him an offer, knowing that the Marlins or someone else would likely do better (SOMEONE was going to offer him a lot) , while still having a bad product around Reyes — EVEN IF they managed to sign the guy?
And, unless they gave him six years, and over 100M, there is little reason to think they would. Bottom line, did you want them to sign him for the salary that Marlins signed him for, or would some polite offer, that honestly, wouldn’t be enough, suddenly make you feel much better?
How do you let the best player on your team walk away without even making an offer?
I get that Alderson balked at the “parameters” communicated by Jose’s agent. So that means you make no offer at all? What harm would it have been if the Mets made an official, public offer of 4 years / $60M and waited for Jose to officially, publicly refuse it?
how would i feel? better than i do today, that’s how. for all the harping on stats and injuries and practicality that we tend to do, this is, after all, still a game. so pardon me if i indulge a little irrationality and say that reyes is a met to me. marlins uni or not, he’s a met. the same as seeing straw in a dodgers (or much worse, yankees) uni never changed my mind that he was a met. it just made the pain of seeing it that much worse. there aren’t many players i’ve felt that way about. reyes is one. so no, a token offer wouldn’t have been good enough. i’m saying that within any semblance of being realistic, i think the mets should have outbid the marlins to keep him. whether the team around him sucked or not, injured half the season or not, at least we’d still have one of our own. every time he does something great in a miami uniform it is going to sting. a lot. you don’t agree, zippity do da, good for you. i never said anyone had to feel like i do, just giving my opinion. i’ve seen people hate on the wilpons and alderson for a lot less.
HL, why a rather cynical sounding CYA move would make you feel better is unclear to me. Everything isn’t done in the papers. He didn’t refuse to talk to the agent or anything. In effect, he “offered” that the Mets wanted Reyes, but not at what the agent was asking.
A., it sounds like you wanted the Mets to keep Reyes and honestly wanted them to match the offer. I don’t think some token CYA move to publicly make an offer that was doom to fail means much in that respect.
Overall, I get that many here don’t like just that — empty symbolism that doesn’t get any real results. If Reyes isn’t going to be here, I don’t get you will feel MUCH better just because some doomed to fail offer wasn’t put on the table.
Thats just terrible negotiating. Who would stay? I cant blame Jose for leaving the mets never gave him a reason to stay. Its not always about winning and losing to fans or players. Where is the love? This is a top 5 all time Met on the offensive side. Mets brass should have showering him with how important he is to the team especially if they knew they werent going to go near 100 gaurenteed.
Sometimes people will go the extra mile out of love and respect, but all things equal I would bring my talents to south beach too.
First in Runs, Stolen Bases and triples
Second in at bats, hits, singles
third in plate appearances, doubles
fourth in total bases
All by the age of 28 even with his “injury plauged” career. I know he has gotten hurt and I am sure he will get hurt again. My question is WHO CARES? I wouldnt be mad if his next 7 years where the exact same as his last 7. How does that really hurt anyone? All you have to do is sign a really good back up infielder.