New York Mets: 10 Reasons to Keep Jose Reyes, Trade David Wright Instead

The New York Mets have several questions to answer in the offseason. Among them, is whether to re-sign Jose Reyes for big money or let him walk. The team has already shown interest in reacquiring him.

The main concern in doing so, is finances. In order to afford him, they may have to either try to free up funds or hope that he takes a home town discount.

One way to do the latter is to examine the current contracts and attempt to trade one of the major ones. They have a few that would fit this criteria, but truthfully, no one will take Johan Santana or Jason Bay at this point. The only other option (again, if they have to sign him to a massive deal) may be to explore trading David Wright.

Before the riots begin, let's take a closer look at why this may actually make sense and be a better deal for both Wright and the Mets. 

Trading Wright Means Reinventing the Core

Reason No. 1: Moving on from the "core"

The "New Mets" as they were called a few years ago are long gone. But the group of players that comprised the main core of that movement are down to two: Wright and Reyes.

Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Pedro Martinez and Francisco Rodriguez are all gone. They have to move further into a direction of winning.

The "core" of that old team never really won. Sure, they went to an NLCS, but they failed to complete their primary objective of winning the World Series. They had a team in 2006 that should have done exactly that. Since then, however, the team has fallen on hard times and has fallen apart. It's no surprise they are being dismantled.

The two members of that core that remain are the heart of the team. Trading one would signify a change. It may be the drastic change the rest of the players and the organization, for that matter, needs to move on from the not-so-glory days of 2006.

They have to break free from their losing ways and move on. This is a chance for a fresh start. 

It Makes Financial Sense

Reason No. 2: Trading Wright lightens the financial load

The Mets are strapped for cash—that's not a secret to anyone. You don't have to be "in the know" or a financial wizard to understand that the team needs to lift some of the weight off of them that is bearing down from previous heaving contracts.

Mets GM Sandy Alderson said it himself just a few days ago that the team has been hamstrung by bad contracts, stating:

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"It's very difficult, unless you're one of a couple of teams, to have three, four guys making $15 million-plus. I don't care who you are -- again, with the exception maybe of a couple of teams. So I would expect we'll be looking actively in the free-agent market, but we've got to get it to a position where we can be active every year and not be hamstrung by existing contracts. Part of that is making good decisions in the first place. I mean, if you invest $15 million, you hope you're going to get $15 million worth of performance. We haven't always gotten that."

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They need to get away from over-spending and become more financially responsible. Is David Wright's contract irresponsible? No, but it is part of the four major contracts that are tying them up from re-signing a player that they desperately need.

There was a time when the Mets were operating under the delusion that money is no object, but now, not only is it an object, but it is a road block.

They have to make better decisions for the future. I believe they will try to re-sign Reyes AND keep Wright, but they may get into the situation where they have to decide on one or the other.

If that is the case, they need to keep Reyes. The problem is finances.  

Leadoff Hitters Are Hard to Replace

Reason No. 3: There is no replacement at the top

One of the main reasons that Reyes is so valuable is because he is a leadoff hitter. First, he is one of the best overall players in the game. Just ask Alex Rodriguez.

But not only is he one of the best overall, he is an elite leadoff hitter in the league.

Despite two separate stints on the DL this year, he has 84 runs scored, a .867 OPS and is competing for a batting title with a .333 AVG. All this from a leadoff man. Most of the time, he will only start the inning once or twice in a game, but he brings more to the position in the lineup than just batting first.

He sets the table for the offense. He gets on, he steals, he causes disruptions on the base paths with his presence. Pitchers get distracted with his potential to steal, they hurry a throw to the plate and make a bad pitch for the batter to rip. All of a sudden, there are two runners on the corners rather than one on first. All because of Reyes. Just the threat of him stealing.

Then, he can steal too. He has 35 this season. All of a sudden, he's on second and scores on a single in that scenario. A quick 1-0 lead is a major boost for their pitcher to have. He plays the game within the game—the part of the game that goes on without being analyzed and is so pivotal to the success of a team. The mind game that Reyes plays on the opposition creates havoc.

The Mets don't have a viable option to replace or come close to his production in that role. His stints on the DL have proven that. Angel Pagan has been less than stellar (.263 AVG) in the leadoff and there really is no one else that fits that speed and contact hitter mold of Reyes. 

Reyes Plays with an Infectious Energy

Reason No. 4: Reyes plays with a passion that is irreplaceable

Jose Reyes plays the game the way it should be played. He brings a youthful energy to the field that is seldom seen. He always hustles. He always plays hard. He celebrates the good and is supportive in the bad.

He is the first one to greet players after they have come through with a big hit or scored a big run. His celebrations have been the focus from some teams, but he has become a standard for reacting to positive events in the sport.

All across MLB, you see players excitedly celebrating a play, just like Jose. That's okay for them, but not for the Mets?

A few years ago, the Marlins made it their goal to eliminate the Mets from playoff contention because of their perception of Mets' celebrations as being arrogant. They were not, but it was a noticeable motivator.

When Reyes is not there, the team lacks energy. They lack spunk. They still have heart and play gritty, gutsy baseball, but they lack the pure excitement and joy that they have when Reyes is in the lineup. He makes those around him better. 

Reyes Is a Type of Player to Build a Team from

Reason No. 5: Reyes is a cornerstone type of player

Jose Reyes is the type of player that teams want. Other teams were drooling over the option to trade for him in June until the Mets took him out of the trade rumors.

He is a player that other players look up to. He is supportive and vocal. He is a leader. Players want his approval.

The team knows they are not the same without him. The players got depressed and worried when he came up lame on two different occasions this season. In truth, he was the injury that stopped their momentum in July.

When David Wright went down, the team still produced because of Reyes. When Ike Davis was hurt, the team still won. It was entirely on the shoulders of Jose Reyes. Reyes responded with an MVP-type of season for that stretch until he was unfortunately injured too.

How much is he liked by the team's new administration? When the season started, Sandy Alderson said they would evaluate every player. The decision would be made to offer Reyes a contract only in the following offseason. Alderson was so impressed with the leadership and skills that Reyes possesses, that they reached out to the star's agent to begin negotiations for a contract extension midseason.

That's not Alderson's style or track record; Alderson is a smart baseball man. He not only knows talent, but he knows natural leaders and recognizes essential personnel. If Reyes wasn't that important to the team and that well liked, Alderson would not have tried to work on an extension. He is the type of player a GM builds around.

When compared to Wright, they have equal value in that respect, but Reyes has shown his worth more this season than any other. They overcame Wright's injury—they didn't overcome Reyes' until Reyes came back. That has to say something. 

Citi Field Is Built for Jose Reyes

Reason No. 6: Jose Reyes plays Citi Field type of baseball

Much has been made of Citi Field in the past few years of its existence. Most of it falls to David Wright when the conversation gets going.

Citi Field, however, is a spacious cathedral of grass. It's perfect for a fast player and a gap hitter will excel there. Perhaps the Wilpons had Jose Reyes, rather than David Wright, in mind when designing it.

Jose Reyes has legged out 12 of his 16 triples there this season, six last season and two in an injury-shortened 2009 season. In other words, when he feels up to it and he hits in it the gap, Jose Reyes can leg out a triple. A triple is an even more exciting play than a home run. It is more explosive. It takes more athleticism. It can score just as many runners (except when compared to a grand slam) and it is dramatic.

As the runner rounds first, the fans can feel the potential intensify. As the runner rounds second, the fans know there will be a chance taken. The exuberance that breaks out in the stands and dugout alike when a player like Jose Reyes slides safely into third is unmatched.

Citi Field is a canyon for home run hitters. This is why players like David Wright and Jason Bay have struggled so mightily there.

It is a pitcher's park with deep dimensions to the corners, and nearly impossible dimensions to straight away center. It is imposing to most hitters. Players like Reyes find a place to put the ball and let their legs do the rest. That's the style of play that is required there. The style of game that Jose Reyes plays. 

Citi Field Hurts David Wright

Reason No. 7: David Wright is better off in another ballpark

As much as the Mets' home ballpark helps a player like Jose Reyes, it hurts a player like David Wright. Wright has 12 home runs this year, but only five of them are at home.

He does have 12 doubles in Citi Field this season, but how many of those were massive blasts to center or left field that hit the wall? His speed made them doubles, but any other ballpark would have made them home runs. Still don't believe me?

Last season, he hit 29 home runs. Among those, only 12 were at home. In the inaugural season there, in 2009, he hit only five. Again, that season he had 14 doubles. How many would have been home runs elsewhere? His power numbers have struggled enormously since the Mets moved from their former beloved home, Shea Stadium.

Even arch-enemy Chipper Jones has expressed empathy for Wright's struggles in Citi Field. He stated:

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“It is a huge ballpark to center and right center and right field. You know, I actually feel sort of sorry for some of the guys out there because their power numbers are really going to take a hit; guys like David Wright. The days of them hitting 35, 40 homers — they’re over.”

“I juiced the ball just right of center field as hard as the good Lord can let me hit a ball, and it hit midways up the center-field wall for a double,” he said. “And every time there was a long fly out or a double that hit off the wall or something, David Wright would run by me and go, ‘Nice park.’ 

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There was a time when Wright was off to a brilliant start in his career and it looked like the Mets were on pace for another Hall of Fame representative. Citi Field has all but ruined that. A more well-liked player, Jeff Francoeur called Citi Field "a joke."

He cited the inability to hit home runs there as a direct result of the dimensions. Many tend to agree with him too. David Wright may or may not be as vocal about it, but there is little doubt that the park has hurt his career.

Another home would help his numbers. Since the Mets aren't building a hitter-friendly ballpark any time soon, they plan on moving the fences in a little bit. The main question, though, is will it be too late to help a player like Wright get the past out of his head? 

Wright's Bat Is Replaceable

Reason No. 8: Others can step into Wright's shoes

David Wright is a big bat in the lineup. To trade a bat of his magnitude for some teams may be a difficult blow to their offense, but it may not be for the Mets.

There are several players that are capable of playing the position in the field and have shown that they can replace his offense to some degree. Two names immediately come to mind.

First, is Daniel Murphy. Though I have petitioned for him in the past to be the everyday second baseman, he is naturally a third baseman. His offense this season has been severely missed since his recent injury a few weeks ago. His .328 batting AVG to go with 28 doubles was a surprise spark in an offense that was loaded with questions. He is expected to be a major contributor for years to come if he returns healthy.

Secondly, is Nick Evans. Evans also plays third base as his natural position. He has developed much slower than most people expected, but even he admits that he has felt more comfortable the more opportunities he has had. It has shown. He has four home runs in just 86 at-bats this year and has raised his batting average up to .279 in a very short span of time. His hot hitting has made people sit up and take notice.

The performances of each of them, combined with upstarts in the minors like minor league MVP Valentino Pascucci (who is listed as a 1B/3B on the minor league roster) have almost made Wright expendable. At the very least it would suggest that they can absorb his loss offensively.

Wright is a big bat (12 home runs, 49 RBI and a .279 AVG in an off year), but it is a bat they can replace.  

Wright's Trade Value May Never Be Higher

Reason No. 9: His market value now is higher than Beltran's was in July

In July, the Mets traded Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez. They received Zack Wheeler for Beltran, a highly touted minor league prospect in the Giants farm system. For K-Rod, they received two players to be named later.

One of them is currently on the Mets roster in the person of Danny Herrera, who has been solid so far in his first few outings in a Mets uniform and could be a part of the bullpen plan next year.

Both Beltran and K-Rod were in-demand type of players. Both had reasons why the Mets would not be getting full value for them though. For Beltran, it was because he was in the final year of his contract.

For K-Rod, it was because he had a multi-million dollar option guaranteed to kick in after a certain amount of games finished. Some teams were scared off. In both cases, it worked out okay for the Mets and GM Sandy Alderson came out looking smart.

In the case of David Wright, he still has a few years left on his contract. They have him locked up until 2013, if they pick up all of the options on the deal. For a player in his prime, near 200 home runs (181 currently), near 1,000 stolen bases (869 currently) and closing in on 1,500 hits (1,232 as of today) in just 1,083 games played, a team will have to pay for him.

Even if his contract includes $14 million this year, $15 million next year and $16 million in 2013, the Mets could pay part of that in exchange for top level prospects and MLB-ready players.

If Carlos Beltran reeled in a top pitcher like Wheeler, how much more would a David Wright bring for the Mets right now? 

A Trade Would Be Good for Wright's Psyche

Reason No. 10: It would be a good thing for David

David Wright has been a model player for the Mets organization. He has handled the media circus day-in and day-out for seven years.

That's seven years of ups and downs. That's seven years of media second-guessing of managers and him having to defend players' words and actions. He has to be mentally exhausted from the experience.

Just two weeks ago, the team placed him on waivers. He downplayed the entire ordeal, but it had to hurt him inside. Behind closed doors, he has to be frustrated. When the camera is not rolling or flashing, he has to be suffering pain from the constant scrutiny. No one is that thick-skinned. Through it all, he has handled it with dignity and class.

He was reassured by organizational leaders that he wasn't going anywhere, and that helped him get back into the spirit of the rehab in order to make a comeback this year. But how much can this man take? His confidence is up and down like minor league replacement players and his psyche must be as fragile as an egg right now.

Still, he goes out and gives it his very best. A man like that deserves better. He deserves to be revered by the franchise he plays for, not treated as the scapegoat or spokesman for everything that is said and done by everyone at every moment. It's too much of a strain.

On another team, he would be a god. Imagine how he would be treated by a small market team like Kansas City or St Louis. He would have a street named after him. Here, he is treated like garbage from the media and the fans, when he is struggling. Even if he is playing through a bad back, he is booed because he is not hitting.

It's remarkable the expectations we have for him. He deserves respect. If the New York Mets can't offer it to him, they should have the decency to trade him to someone that will.