Should The NY Mets Trade SS Jose Reyes By the Trade Deadline?

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There has been a lot of talk about the future of Jose Reyes, with the shortstop in the final year of his contract.

The Mets should trade him before the deadline, many people are saying.

“Reyes will be too expensive too keep, they say. “He does not get on base enough. “He is too injury-prone.”

However, the Mets would be making a huge mistake if they got rid of Reyes. They have to sign him to a long-term contract and hold onto him.

Clearly, the Mets are having financial problems right now. But if the owners feel they can’t afford to keep Reyes based solely on financial concerns, they’re doing the fans a disservice.

Sure, you don’t want to spend money recklessly, whether you are the Wilpons or any other ownership group. The Mets likely won’t sign Carlos Beltran to a new contract, and that’s the right move – Beltran is older and has a recent history of knee injuries.

But Reyes, who is still only 27 years old, is a unique talent that should not be thrown away. The Mets should make a reasonable attempt to hold on to him.

Reyes is healthy now, and it shows on the field. He’s hitting .340 through 10 games, and it’s not his fault the Mets are off to a 4-6 start (at the time of this writing).

As for his on-base percentage, so what? Reyes had a .354 OBP leading off for the Mets in 2006, when they won 97 games and nearly went to the World Series. If he gets on base 35 or 36 percent of the time, the Mets will be happy. And Reyes is still young at 27 – he should get better.

GM Sandy Alderson has the reputation for liking high-OBP players. He should make an exception for Reyes.

As far as injuries go, the Mets just need to roll the dice. Signing any player to a long-term contract is risky (see Johan Santana), and Reyes does have an injury history. But Reyes is in great physical shape now and the Mets just need to hope he stays that way.

Also, while it’s risky to keep Reyes, it could a colossal blunder not to keep him. How would Mets fans feel if Reyes signed a free-agent contract with the Phillies or the Yankees? Both teams have aging shortstops, and while Derek Jeter has a new deal with the Yankees, his time in the infield may be short. The Mets would be hard-pressed to find anyone with Reyes’ rare talents – and to watch him thrive with another team would just be more torture to Mets fans and we have suffered enough.