Jose Reyes

There are going to be a lot of Mets fans that are not going to be too happy with me after they finish this article.

In fact, I'd venture to say that there will be a few who will refuse to finish it because they will say I'm not a true fan, I am being too negative, and that I am giving up the remainder of the 2009 season.

All of the above may be so, but since this is definitely an opinion piece, if you don't mind, allow me to fire away.

The New York Mets find themselves in a rather messy predicament at the halfway mark of the 2009 season. As of now, one of baseball’s highest paid teams sits three games below .500 with a 39-42 record which is good for third place in the National League East behind the bargain basement Florida Marlins and the rival Philadelphia Phillies.

Decimated By Injuries, Poor Play and Lack Of Depth But Somehow Still Alive

Omar Minaya can continue to preach to the media about his club 'having the chips' to swing a major deal in the next few weeks to revive his fluttering franchise.

The reality is - he doesn't. The rest of baseball is awaiting his futile call. The price for any player worth his salt will be astronomical.  The reason?  Other teams know the Mets are in trouble and will bend them over a barrel in any type of trade.

In this past month, the New York Mets have turned into the New York Bets; people all around the world are betting on when the next Mets player will find himself with all the others on the bloated DL. Some even go a little bit farther and pick a player. 

Some of the biggest names on the Mets' disabled list are Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, JJ Putz, Oliver Perez, John Maine, and the newest player to join the club, Carlos Beltran. 

With Carlos Beltran headed for an MRI tomorrow and still no sign of Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, and Oliver Perez, I think now is an appropriate time to discuss trading for someone who could provide some steady offense, especially if Beltran hits the DL.

The problem for the Mets is they have very few trade chips to work with.

It is June 17, and we're almost at the halfway point of the season known as the All-Star break. The Mets have played 62 out of 162 games, and currently sit three games out of first place in back of the rival Phillies with a record of 33-29. Much like the life of Britney Spears, the Mets' season has been filled with peaks and valleys.

At this juncture, there are not many of us that would trade places with Mets manager Jerry Manuel.

His team has been decimated by freak injuries and lingering illnesses to the point where they are out of major league-level players. The lineup these days looks like one out of an early March split-squad game.

As if the news that J.J. Putz may need elbow surgery wasn’t bad enough. Now we learn from SNY Reporter Kevin Burkhardt via Twitter that Jose Reyes has a tear in his hamstring.

The Mets have not yet disclosed how long he will be out, however the word around the blogosphere is that he will be out until at least the All-Star break. Even then, one has to wonder how healthy Reyes will be, especially since speed and running are a huge part of his game.

Kevin Burkhardt of SNY recently posted a report on Twitter that will make Mets’ fans around the world want to crawl into a corner and die. “Jose Reyes has a tear in his right hamstring tendon. Add SS to the list of Mets needs,” wrote Burkhardt.

He later added, “The Mets say this is a new injury and that he will rest for two days before being reevaluated. My guess is you won’t see him until all star break.” This is obviously terrible news for the Mets, but hopefully the re-evaluation will reveal that this is a mistake, but let’s be real.

Met SS Suddenly Has Loads of Downside

Jose Reyes used to play the game with such tenacity and joy that he angered opponents with his boyish enthusiasm. Emphasis on "used to."

These days, Reyes is wallowing on the disabled list with a calf strain that is mysteriously taking a long time to heal.

That's right—I said it. I don't think this kid is hurt at all. I think his attitude and his performance have declined to the point where the Mets have decided to shelve Reyes for awhile.