The Jose Reyes Equation

I am a New York Mets fan. For better or worse, I’m always a Mets fan.

I am also a Jose Reyes fan. Call me fair-weathered, but I’m only a Jose Reyes fan when he’s not injured. When Jose Reyes is injured, he’s the most frustrating player to be a fan of.

But despite his injury-prone history, I believe the New York Mets should re-sign Jose Reyes at almost any cost. Hands down, Jose Reyes is the most exciting player since … Mike Piazza when he was a consistent home run threat at every at bat? I might have only been watching the Mets for the last 20 years or so, but I’m pretty sure Jose Reyes is having one of the most exciting seasons the Mets have ever seen.

The Mets are a franchise whose payroll will be questioned, doubted, and have restraints for the next few years. So tying up $20+ million per season on one player might not make sense economically. But when he’s healthy, Jose Reyes is simply one of the most exciting players in Major League Baseball to watch every single game. And not just because he hits home runs – because he doesn’t pop them out on a consistent basis. Singles and stolen bases, doubles and stolen bases, triples and daring the pitcher to balk. He brings excitement to small ball baseball.

Jose Reyes might turn in an injury-riddled season every few years – that’s just how he plays. So if the Mets sign him to five, six or seven seasons and he’s healthy for two-thirds of those, that’s what you have to expect. For those healthy seasons, he’ll be great.

Now I understand Reyes is having a career season and the greatness we’re currently seeing might be his best and where his career tops off. But even 75% of this makes him worth the investment and he’ll be able to produce that. He’s a homegrown player with a million dollar personality. His talents are worth “Carl Crawford money” and maybe more so.

I understand a team will not want Jose Reyes at the end of his career because his game is predicated on speed and health. But at 28 years of age, Reyes has plenty left in the tank. And I want to see him in a Mets uniform next season.