It's November 3rd - Let The Jose Reyes Frenzy Commence

It is after 12:01 AM on November 3rd, and the Jose Reyes frenzy is in full force. Having just logged onto the World Wide Web, we are already being inundated with Reyes Rumors.

Jose has been a free agent for less than 9 hours, and the "experts", and I use that term very loosely, are predicting that the Brewers and Nationals are the front runners to sign Mets/former Mets shortstop.

Then there are former Mets/Yankees players turned announcers and/or "expert" that believe Reyes will be "gone." Former Mets prodigy, Dwight Gooden, said this about Reyes:

“I think he’s gone. It’s a situation where if I was the GM I’d try to lock up my core players before they got in this position. And now you’re in a situation where you’ve got the agents trying to get what’s best for themselves.”

Gooden also went on to say:

“But if it were me I’d take $4-5 million less to remain a Met.”

Another former Mets pitcher, David Cone:

"There are better fits, places that give him a better chance to win, probably. If he really loves playing for the Mets, maybe he’ll give them a discount, so to speak, or work with them.”

Then there was Al Leiter who chimed in:

"Whenever a star player says, ‘Let’s wait till November,’ that’s code red for, ‘I wanna see what other teams are not only offering, but what options you have." “Any time you have a great cornerstone player and let them become a free agent, that’s the risk you take,” Leiter said. “To me, it’s a red flag.”

My point is simply this: No one, possibly not even Jose, knows how this will play out. I do believe Reyes wants to remain with the Mets. I also believe he would like to pad his bank account quite a bit. Does this mean he won't give the Mets a "discount?" I really don't know. Part of me feels he really wants to stay with the Mets, and if the Mets offer is in the "ball park", he will stay.

Another part of me thinks that the Mets don't have the money to land the superstar.

Saying I don't have a lump in my stomach the size of a Citi Field brick is another untruth. I have been very clear in my thoughts. The Mets have to re-sign Jose Reyes. He is the type of player that comes along once in a generation. In the 38 years I've followed this team, only Darryl Strawberry ranks with Reyes in terms of sheer talent (speaking of position players only).

You cannot let a home grown talent like this get away. Does this mean I would sign Reyes for 7 years? No. But, I think if the Mets come with an offer of 5 years $110M, that might be enough to do it.

As for all the adroit insightful writers and pundits, I understand they do this to help their papers, websites, and Twitter accounts. The problem is, they are driving us Mets fans crazy, and Jose has only been a free agent for a little over 9 hours. Imagine if he isn't signed until after the holidays'? That Citi Field brick in my stomach will be the size of "The Great Wall Of Flushing" by then.



Sources: ESPN, Yardbarker