Is It Too Late To Take It Back?
One of my favorite books is Johnny Tremain.
There's a character in the book who Johnny grows up with and is never nice to.
But when others start treating the boy badly Johnny is bothered.
The author, Esther Forbes, writes, "He was like a man who owns a dull, mean dog. He may punish it himself, but resents it if anyone else punishes it."
And that pretty much sums up how I feel about the Jose Reyes trade rumors.
I know I've advocated (on more than one occasion, but this is the only link I could find after a quick search) for a Jose Reyes trade in the past.
But for me to say it and the Mets to actually do it...well, those are two very different things.
I've always felt that if the Mets had to trade one of their two young catalysts (Jose Reyes and David Wright are the ones I mean there...the term 'catalyst' might not bring those two names to mind automatically anymore), it should be Reyes.
Wright wasn't the one constantly injured. Wright wasn't the one who seemed to be negatively influenced by the bitter older veterans. Wright wasn't the one getting into arguments with Keith Hernandez on team flights...or showing up new managers in their first days on the job.
But despite my arguments every so often that a Reyes trade - when he's healthy and performing and showing everyone just how good he could be - could bring a huge windfall of prospects back to the Mets in return, there's never been a legitimate trade rumor involving Reyes. (Well, I guess the Johan Santana trade...but really, there were never rumors flying with Santana. Remember? It was Yankees....Red Sox....Yankees....Red Sox....then suddenly he was coming to the Mets and Reyes wasn't involved in the deal.)
And now that the rumors have started, I don't think they'll stop. The Giants are the team with a shortstop need in town right now. There will be more. And every time the Mets play such a team, the rumors will fly again.
And I'm not sure I like them.
Because if the rumors will fly about Reyes....they're going to fly with Wright. And I think I'm kind of scared the Mets will unload both to restock the farm system and start preparing for the future - a future without the two stars who gave us a glimpse of the glory that could have been in 2006.
There are quite a few current Mets I wouldn't mind seeing the team deal before the deadline. (Francisco Rodriguez tops that list.) I definitely don't want David Wright to be one of them.
And I'm not so sure I'm ready to see Jose Reyes leave yet either. I know he's going to be a free agent. I know he's probably playing himself out of their price range this year. I know I need to prepare myself for a trade or two this season...and I should start to get ready for a Mets team without Reyes.
But he's a Met. I can make the trade suggestions. I don't like it when everyone else does.
