At this point, it's no secret the involvement of New York Mets' owners Jeff and Fred Wilpon in Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme will have a deep impact on the nature of the ball club. The club has already received a $20 million loan from Major League Baseball.
And although they have roughly $50 million coming off the books after the 2011 season, financial uncertainty has the entire Mets franchise in a state of worry, if not panic.
But just how deep are we talking? Rumors and reports are swirling that the Mets will be unable to sign any of the impending big-name free agents after the 2011 season is over.
Yet, the team's chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon told reporters at the Mets' spring training complex in Port St. Lucie, that new general manager Sandy Alderson "will retain full freedom to run the team without unreasonable fiscal limitations -- including signing pending free agent Jose Reyes to a contract extension if that is what he deems prudent," according to MLB.com.
So what does it all mean? Will the Mets be able to afford to re-sign Jose Reyes? Will they go after any potential top free agents in the offseason? Let's take a look at some other free agents the Mets may have trouble signing due to the Madoff scheme.
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