MLB Free Agency 2012: 5 Ways New York Mets Can Re-Sign Jose Reyes

The New York Mets face a steep challenge in their upcoming effort to re-sign star shortstop Jose Reyes.

The problem: they simply do not have the money to do so. Reyes won the batting title for the NL this year and is expecting a lot of money to stay with the Mets in Queens.

After many trade rumors involving the All-Star, the Mets still have him in their sight and are looking to keep him on the squad.

For the Mets to keep the talent of Reyes, they will either have to give up a lot of their money or give up a chance to help their team in other facets of the game.

Reyes is a huge talent, but if the Mets would like to keep him, they will have to do a lot of work.

1: Give Him a 7-Year Deal

Jose Reyes' message is clear. For him to even think about staying with the Mets, he will require a seven-year deal.

For the Mets, a seven-year deal is very hard to offer to Reyes, not because they don't believe in his immense talent, but because they do not believe in his legs.

Reyes is as injury-prone as they come, and even though he had a fairly injury-free season this year, he still is a year-to-year risk for playing healthy.

A seven-year contract is a large one, and if the Mets want to re-sign Reyes, they will have to give him one. The only problem that they will have to face is if they think that Reyes will remain healthy and be worth a seven-year contract or be an injury problem for the team every year.

2: Give Him Carl Crawford Money

According to Fred Wilpon in a May interview with The New Yorker, Jose Reyes is expected a contract similar to the one that Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford recently signed.

Crawford's deal with the Red Sox is worth $142 million over seven years.

For the Mets to keep Reyes on their roster, they will have to shell out a lot of money for the All-Star shortstop. 

The only problem is that Reyes is injury prone and the $142 million is a lot of money for any team, and given the Mets financial troubles, this figure could be hard to reach.

The talent that Reyes brings is unquestionable, but if the Mets want to keep this talent, they will have to stick by Fred Wilpon's term of giving Reyes Carl Crawford money.

3: Promise Him a Ring

One way the Mets can try to persuade Reyes to stay with the team would be to promise him a World Series ring.

Reyes does not seem as concerned with winning as he is with money and the length of his contract, but if the Mets can promise him a World Series appearance and victory, he might change his mind a little on the money and negotiate a shorter contract length.

If the Mets can sway Reyes into taking less money by guaranteeing a ring, it will help the team's revenue and ability to put talent around Reyes and mainly on the pitching mound.

If they cannot give him Carl Crawford money, a chance at the title may be their next option.

4: Forget Other Needs

For the Mets to sign Reyes, they will have to forget their team's needs overall.

Reyes is an immense talent, and the Mets do have interest in keeping him, but they also have problems all over the field and mainly in the pitching department.

The Mets are in dier need of pitchers, and if they had traded Reyes, they had the chance of freeing up some money to attain some pitchers in the offseason.

The Mets could have a chance to sign a star like C.J. Wilson, but if they want to keep Reyes, this move will be impossible.

If the Mets want to keep Reyes, they will have to put their other needs second and hope that they can get some decent players for lower money.

5: Show Him What He Means to Fans

If all else fails, the Mets can show Reyes how much he means to the organization and mostly, to the fans.

The fans of the Mets are in love with Reyes, and throughout the season this year, they held signs begging their beloved shortstop to stay with the team. Maybe the Mets have a case with this aspect.

Even though it is a long shot, the idea that Reyes is on the forefront of the organization and may be the face of the organization might be a big deal for Reyes.

It is definitely the last option for the Mets, but if all else fails, why not try the emotional approach and get Reyes to believe in the team and the fans around him?