The MLB Winter Meetings take place next Monday through Thursday and with a new regime in place, you'd figure a big trade will be made or at least attempted. After all, it's long overdue that the Mets part ways with a member or two of their "core." Why it's called that is confusing since the Mets have never won a pennant with those players.
Two guys come to mind when thinking of core members to trade and they are Jose Reyes and David Wright. If neither of them are dealt, this would be their seventh full season together. So, which one should the Mets think of dealing?
Jose Reyes doesn't seem to be a Sandy Alderson type of guy and David Wright rebounded to a have a solid season in his second at Citi Field.
If only one were to go, it'll come down to who fits the new system more. Playing at a spacious ballpark such as Citi Field, the team should be built around three things: pitching, defense, and speed. Concerning Reyes and Wright, they both fall into the categories of defense and speed.
Reyes when healthy is obviously one of the quickest runners in the game and when his head is into it, he can play solid defense. The admitted lapses, though, is a huge problem. Reyes said during the season that he can't concentrate through the course of a game with the pitcher throwing 100 pitches. Is that the type of guy Alderson and the Mets want to bring back when trying to start new?
Plus, the nagging and recurring hamstring and leg injuries are of major concern. Will those problems all hurt the Mets and his trade value? It's very possible if the Mets are looking for some nice starting pitching in return.
The ideal team to make a trade for Reyes with is the Red Sox. They've been starving for a shortstop since dealing Hanley Ramirez away to the Marlins for Josh Beckett and they have the starting pitchers the Mets would want.
They can trade guys like Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester which would help the Mets in the rotation and finally give the Red Sox a premiere shortstop. Plus, the Red Sox have asked the Mets about Reyes in the past.
When it comes to Wright, he's more of a dynamic player than Reyes at this stage of their careers. He almost never gets injured as he's been on the disabled list once in his career and that was for a concussion.
He's entering his prime as he'll turn 28 in December and after an awful statistical 2009 season, he hit 29 home runs and drove in over 100 runs this past season. He can also play defense as he could've won the Gold Glove this season—he's won two in his career—and he can also steal bases better than a lot of third baseman.
Other than a high number of strikeouts, he brings more potential to the table than the man to his left on the infield.
The Red Sox can also use a third baseman with Adrian Beltre most likely not returning and they were rumored to have offered Jacoby Ellsbury for Wright around the trade deadline. The Mets have no need for Ellsbury unless they trade Carlos Beltran but perhaps one of those Red Sox starting pitchers can be dealt in return.
If you're looking for pure speed and warning track power, you'd want to keep Reyes. If you're looking for some speed along with power and overall smart baseball, you'd want to keep Wright.
It's an interesting debate and one should be traded, but the Mets must have a replacement for either position which is hard to find.
If the Mets enter enter 2011 with both Reyes and Wright on the roster, they'll be looking at another season of the same old team. Something must change for the sake of a new feel and look.
The Mets have stated they'd be willing to speak to teams about Reyes. When it comes to Wright, the Mets already called him a day after the season ended to tell him he's staying aboard. Stay tuned.
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