While the Mets and most baseball people fully expect Jose Reyes to wait at least until next month’s Winter Meetings before signing a new contract, the shortstop’s agent said he and his client wouldn’t necessarily hold off that long.
”If some team wants to make an offer, we don’t have a timetable set,” Peter Greenberg said. “We will have to see.”
Reyes is one of the biggest names to hit the market this offseason, and since the Mets aren’t in a position to overwhelm him, it makes sense to wait until Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols sign to see how much money the slugging first basemen get.
That is still what Reyes is expected to do.
”We’re not sure where the Mets are going to go until Jose is finalized,” said another agent whose client could be of interest to the Mets. “They’re kind of an unknown right now because so much of what they are going to do depends on him. You want to see what kind of team they are going to have before you go there.”
And Reyes’ status means that will likely remain unknown for a while.
”Some agents like to do things at the Winter Meetings, but we don’t work that way. Some agents need publicity. We aren’t like that. We’ll do what’s best for Jose.”
That would appear to mean holding off until around that time, since Pujols and Fielder aren’t rushing to make deals and this is Reyes’ first time as a free agent.
A year ago, Victor Martinez was the only major player to sign in November, when he did so with the Tigers, so it is rare that someone like Reyes would do anything quickly.
The shortstop has said he would like to stay with the Mets, but yesterday was his first day as a free agent and he seems in no hurry to have that come to an end.
The Mets lost their scouting director yesterday, when Chad MacDonald was hired to be the Padres vice president and assistant general manager by the Padres.
MacDonald, will be replaced by Mets’ special assistant Tommy Tanous. Tanous, 42, worked with Mets’ assistant GM J.P. Ricciardi in Toronto. He joined the Mets before last season.