New York Mets still mum on Jose Reyes, work on strengthening bull-pen – MLB Update
New York Mets’ free agent player, Jose Reyes, has become the centre of attraction in the offseason and the offer he received from the Miami Marlins this past week has made his case more curious. The New York Mets had been delaying their offer for the home-grown
All-Star, but a six-year 90-million-dollar offer by the cash-rich Marlins has made the situation complicated for the Mets.
The Mets had clarified that they will extend an offer to Reyes once a price tag has been determined by the interested teams for the injury-prone player, but this is not what the Mets were expecting. Although this offer is said to be slightly inflated than
what the Marlin actually made, it should be noted that it is still early in the offseason and this was an initial offer.
The most intriguing part of this contract is the time period, which would have surprised Reyes as well. Jose and his agent had signalled that a long-term lucrative contract is what they are looking for and the Marlins are going all-out in an attempt to land
the extraordinary offensive talent who is as remarkable in the defence as well.
The Mets, on the other hand, have delayed their take on Reyes and have instead shifted focus on strengthening their bull-pen for 2012. Citi Field is undergoing massive changes, after which conditions will be more neutral for the hitters and the Mets believe
that a strong pitching staff is the need of the hour.
Mets’ general manager Sandy Alderson still believes that Reyes might re-sign with the ballclub, for it is the only team that he has ever known. However, monetary incentive is one thing that cannot be ruled out. The Mets have already announced plans to slash
their payroll by at least 30-million-dollars for the next year and signing Reyes will not help the team in that cause.
Alderson stressed that the negotiations will beef-up over the next couple of weeks and then the management will be in a better position to comment on the situation. The Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers are scheduled to make an offer for Reyes and it
will be interesting to see what their offers are.
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