Jose Reyes

    Just when you think you've seen it all, almost every season a player on the New York Mets makes headlines for a surprising off-the-field issue.  The multitude of inappropriate actions and embarrassing behavior by the team feels more like a soap opera than a professional baseball organization.

    While the New York Yankees perennially grace the cover of local newspapers for winning championships, the Mets created news over the years with locker-room brawls, drug scandals and throwing fireworks into a crowd of fans.

Which New York Mets players pose some questions and concerns for the upcoming and debut season for GM Sandy Alderson and Manager Terry Collins? 

The first concerns are the unknowns. 

Will starting and bullpen pitching be acquired? 

Will our farm system be raided to acquire talent just to be in the middle of the pack? 

Okay, before anyone totally freaks out, this is not a "Brewers are looking to trade Prince Fielder" story. This is strictly a what-if scenario, plain and simple.

As we know, there are some teams out there that have had a disappointing offseason thus far. Their fans are clamoring for their team to do something. As a result, a team might be looking to make a splash the size of Prince Fielder doing a cannonball into the proverbial MLB pool. 

The New York Mets cleaned house at the top of the organization with the firing of Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya at the end of the 2010 season.  Bringing in Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins were the proper first steps to take towards bringing the franchise back to respectability, but there are many holes to fill in the roster before the Mets can become contenders again.

With the 2011 season right around the corner, here are 10 moves that the Mets can make to take steps in the right direction.

The annual winter meetings have come and gone, but what happened in those few days will have long-lasting implications.

Guys such as Prince Fielder and Jose Reyes, who are free agents following the upcoming season, have to be licking their chops at some of the dollars handed out, as that will bode well for them.

Long-term, what does each man have to look forward to, and who would provide the best bang for their buck?

A season of torturous happiness and excitement was capped off when Aubrey Huff Zoolandered his famed rally thong in front of thousands of overjoyed Giants fans on the steps of City Hall.

As the realization set in, and the splurging on championship gear began for fans, the organization was quickly back to work. At hand was a task completely foreign to San Francisco -- how to defend a championship. 

The MLB offseason is already in full swing, and many top free agents have already been taken off the board.

So who's left? And what players might be available for teams that don't have the pocket change to go out and sign a free agent?

Begin the slideshow to see the top five players available to sign or trade for at each position.

Begin Slideshow

As we journey deeper into the winter months, the swirling trade rumors begin to intensify. Already, the Giants dumped the world series MVP Edgar Renteria, Adrian Beltre left the Red Sox for places unknown and Zach Greinke made it public that he wants to play "for a winner."

Several teams are in the market for a shortstop of Jose Reyes' status, and after a sub-par season last year he might be a bargain for a Mets squad trying to downsize their salary cap space.

New York Mets SS Jose Reyes has fallen on hard times the last two years thanks to the injury bug. When he has been healthy he has been one of the best top-of-the-order producers in all of MLB. He is still young at 27 years old and has some of that electrifying speed that made him one of the top basestealers in baseball from 2005-2008. The Mets have made it clear they don't necessarily want to move Reyes but if the right deal came along they wouldn't turn it down. Here are 5 teams that Jose Reyes could go to and make an impact with.

Let's get something clear right off the bat—I'm not advocating that the San Francisco Giants trade Matt Cain in the 2010-11 MLB offseason. I'm not even suggesting they should consider doing so.

The Kid has been the Giants' most consistent pitcher for years, and he's been one of the best starting pitchers in baseball for the same duration. Though Tim Lincecum is unquestionably the staff ace and justifiably dominates the limelight, his right-handed stablemate is only a nose behind him.