The Free Agency market is predicted to take off come tomorrow when the Winter Meetings begin in Dallas. With much of the focus being shined on sluggers Pujols and Fielder along with starter CJ Wilson, MVP candidate Jose Reyes has flown under the radar.
Jose Reyes, who has not had anything close to a full season since 2008 was phenomenal last year. Along with winning the batting title, he posted a career high in AVG(.337) OPS .(384) OBP(.493) WAR(6.2) as well as lowest strike out rate (7%). But where is his market?
If you ask many Met fans, they are surley divided on where Jose Reyes stands in their hearts. Many want him re-signed at any cost, and yet many want to see him walk. Reyes who made $11 million last season, could demand from some teams Carl Crawford type money, but I don't foresee a team investing that much. Ken Rosenthal reported that the Marlins had set an offer at 6 years/$90 million.
The problem with the Jose Reyes Market is that no big name position player has been signed yet, and the market will surely be based around the value of Fielder/Pujols. Anthony DiComo of MLB.COM reports that the Mets will be monitoring the situation closely, but will Reyes pay them any attention?
The NL East seem to be the teams in for Reyes, with some of them wanting to reach an agreement before tomorrow's meetings get under way. The problem seems to be the maturing NL East has many other needs.
- The Washington Nationals seem to be pursuing CJ Wilson and Mark Buehrle fearlessly to solidify a rotation for a young team. With Bryce Harper to make his way on the scene in the next couple of years, I am not sure they have enough to spend on Reyes.
- The Atlanta Braves are looking to shed salary, including Jurrjens who is under team control, I don't see they being a player.
- The Marlins are clearly looking to make a play with most of the big names for their new home and their new uniforms.
Unless the Philadelphia Phillies fail to re-sign Jimmy Rollins, I doubt they would be in play. Some have speculated that the Brewers may make a run if they need another hitter, only if they fail to re-sign Fielder. These upcoming days will surely give us a better picture of the market for Reyes, and a possibly landing spot for one of the best lead off hitters in the league.