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With news breaking yesterday that Jose Reyes has a torn hamstring, I can't help but think how this injury will change the Mets' plans as they head into the offseason. While nothing has been confirmed as of yet, it seems likely that Reyes is destined for surgery to repair the torn hamstring. According to David Lennon, a complete hamstring tear could take between 3-6 months to repair.But no matter how long the Mets expect Reyes to fully rehabilitate the injury, one thing has become painfully clear: the Mets need to prepare for the 2010 season expecting that Jose Reyes will miss ample time. It's the only way the Mets can protect themselves from the uncertainty that is Jose Reyes.
Hell, even if Reyes is completely healthy at the start of the season, who's to say that Jose Reyes will be the Jose Reyes of 2006-2008?
As uncomfortable and unpleasant as it is to say, the Mets need to go after (free agency/trade) another shortstop for 2010, one who is capable of starting for a extended period of time in case Reyes is out for a long time or if he needs to be spelled.
That means a number of things:
1. The Mets CANNOT rely on Alex Cora in 2010
2. The Mets farm system has no one, who can step in long term right now
3. On top of finding a left fielder, first baseman(?), relief pitching, a power hitter, and some starting pitching; the Mets NEED to add quality shortstop to that list. Omar Minaya is going to have a busy, busy winter.
There are no easy answers for the Mets here. Jose Reyes is one of their cornerstone players, and with his status up in the air, it's another crushing blow for the Mets in what has been one of the most disappointing seasons to date.
Anything the Mets get from Reyes in 2010 should be considered a bonus. So whether its Miguel Tejada, Bobby Crosby, Orlando Cabrera, or trading for another shortstop (Cristian Guzman?); Minaya needs to give the Mets another productive option at shortstop until Jose Reyes fully proves that he's healed.
Thoughts?
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4 comments:
Would the Mets like to take Cesar Izturis off the the O's hands? I think he has one more year (~$3mil) on his contract.
BTW, did Mangini/Tannenbaum initially try to hide the injury...oh, sorry, wrong team....
One thing that people always forget is that an injury always impacts every other team also. The Mets obviously have the money to sign a top-tier FA SS. Which then takes that player effectively out of the market for other teams.
Say they sign someone like Renteria. Becasue its the Mets and they have money to spend, then it's more likely that type of player would go there. So the smaller teams in need of a SS are shut out of the bidding and the services of a player.
On the bright side of it, that makes players like Yuniesky Betancourt more available to be traded for, which would only help teams like the Royals, being addition by subtraction.
I don't think the Mets would want Izturis simply because he's not much of an upgrade over Alex Cora (should he re-sign with the Mets). Then again, if the O's pick up some of the tab on Izturis, then maybe the Mets will bite.
Also keep in mind that Izturis is probably more valuable to the O's than the Mets because unless you trust Robert Andino to start, the O's need Izturis's leadership and defense to supplement their young pitching.
Ron,
Did you know that Betancourt (according to fangraphs) was the worst player in the AL this season (in terms of value)?
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