New York Mets Trade Rumors: Why They Should Move Jose Reyes

Yesterday, Buster Olney tweeted that the Mets were "100 percent certain they will not trade Jose Reyes before the deadline." This is, of course, fantastic news for Mets season ticket holders, as well as those folks who religiously devote three hours to SNY. However, it's difficult to see this as a positive for the organization as a whole.

There are certainly some indications that Reyes is willing to remain in Queens - ESPN's Adam Rubin believes that Reyes would be happy to re-up should the offer be competitive. Jon Heyman echoes this sentiment, but notes that the shortstop will wait and see how the Mets ownership situation sorts itself out this winter. While that is somewhat encouraging, I believe that this statement (also from Heyman) speaks volumes:

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While Reyes has said he won't talk about a contract to the Mets in-season, he hasn't completely ruled out considering other options for a contract extension should the Mets find a trade partner. A trade looks like a long shot now, but he'd consider a contract in a situation with a three-day window.

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I believe that this is very telling, and it is indicative of the fact that Reyes is hoping to find some form of certainty as he moves forward with his career. For all of the positive sentiment Reyes has espoused about the Mets organization, it is also somewhat puzzling (or ominous) that he would be willing to talk extension with a potential trade partner, yet has refused to do so with the Mets.

For the Mets, retaining Reyes' services for the remainder of the season means two things - a few more ticket sales for the remainder of 2011 and, at the very least, two draft picks in next year's amateur draft should Reyes choose greener pastures. It may be pessimistic to suggest that draft compensation is the likeliest avenue, given the Mets ownership and monetary woes, but barring some non-public knowledge, it does seem as if the team will have a difficult time competing for Reyes' services.

With that in mind, a trade seems to be the obvious solution - assuming, of course, that the Mets can get a reasonable return. Considering the nature of the draft (in terms of volatility and the long-term wait for reward), it would seem foolhardy for the Mets to depend on a couple of draft picks when semi-battle tested prospects could be had. Yes, prospecting is certainly a crap-shoot - but it is less risky than the draft, and it will provide the fans with something more substantial to chew on (which could be important for the franchise going forward).

Stephen Drew's season-ending injury yesterday added yet another contender to the list of teams that have been linked to shortstops, with the Diamondbacks joining the Red Sox, Reds, and Giants. The Reds are the only team ranked highly in Baseball America's organizational rankings, checking in at sixth, but all four teams have promising prospects that the Mets could certainly seek.

For the sake of pure speculation, the Diamondbacks have a fine shortstop prospect in Chris Owings (he's struggled this year, but has solid defensive tools and a good all-around offensive game) and a bevy of high-ceiling arms. The Red Sox have potential Gold Glove shortstop in Jose Iglesias, whose offensive game has some promise, as well. The Reds have two high-end shortstop prospects in Billy Hamilton and Zack Cozart, as well as two promising catchers and Yonder Alonso. And the Giants have a ton of live-armed pitching prospects.

Could the Mets pry any of these players away from the aforementioned teams? I'm not certain, and I don't think that there's a right or wrong answer just yet. That being said, each of the four teams looking for shortstop help (among others that are surely out there) has talent that is much safer than any potential draft pick and it seems foolish to ignore that just to keep fans in Citi Field for the last two months of the season.