Jose Reyes and Contract Extension

In an article written by Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, a Mets source says that the team is willing to negotiate a contract extension with Jose Reyes in lieu of excercising his $11 Mil option for 2011. The source goes on to state that the team is committed to Reyes as its shortstop long-term, and is not concerned about his health.

Opinion - I don't understand how the team is not worried about his health. Reyes has not been healthy for over a year now, and although he seems healthy now, his SB numbers are down tremendously. This has to be a cause for concern in the organization.

The question I have is what is Reyes worth? I understand that he is still young, and if he was healthy and producing like he did in 2006 it would be another story. If that was the case then I would say throw 13-15 Mil at him, but this is not the case. He has not been healthy and his production has been way down. Matthew Cerrone of Metsblog.com thinks that a 4 yr-50 Mil deal sounds reasonable. I totally agree with those numbers, although, I don't know if Reyes and his representatives agree. Many people though think Reyes' last contract was undervalued. I hope Reyes' camp doesn't plead that case and hold the Mets for a king's ransom. All indications from Reyes are that he wants to finish his career as a Met. I hope this is true and he is willing to accept a reasonable deal to stay with the club, and give the Mets some financial freedom to upgrade the team's roster.

I would not object to the Mets extending Reyes. However, I do feel they should gage the trade market to see what other organizations think he is worth. This will do 2 things: 1) If the Mets get overwhelmed with an offer they can't refuse, they can pull the trigger and get very good talent in return. 2) Even if they have no intention of trading Reyes, this will give them an idea of how much Reyes is really worth and use this to their advantage in contract negotiations with his representatives.