Reading Into Everything

HEADLINES ARE AWESOME

They are. We read them and can glean from them all sorts of useful information. HOWEVER... we sometimes read a little too far into them. I decided to take a look at some of these Met related news items and the inferences that people make.

Jose Reyes Visits Miami - Now, I won't say that Jose WON'T end up signing with the Miami Marlins and it isn't IMPOSSIBLE that the Marlins would simply blow him away with an offer to the point where he'd stop looking. What I will say is there is LITTLE chance Reyes signs before teams start bidding in earnest. At least wait until the Tigers and Brewers have made their pitches.

Ramon Hernandez Signs With Rockies - This move leads me to believe that the Rockies are planning to move their prospect Wilin Rosario. Rosario is one of the names you'd have to believe the Mets would ask for in a deal for David Wright. HOWEVER, this in no way means that David Wright will be traded OR that Rosario will be traded. It simply means the Rockies are now better equipped to move him.

The Padres Trying (Unsuccessfully) To Move O-Hud - Orlando Hudson was once on every Met fan's wishlist. FRANKLY, it was more about Met fans wanting Castillo OUT. Because the Padres cannot move O-Hud they may be forced to move Jason Bartlett instead. Now... should Reyes sign elsewhere you can bet that the Mets will AT LEAST inquire into Jason's availability. HOWEVER, I don't know that the Padres are "Desperate" to trade EITHER player.

Mets Are Willing To give Reyes 5 Years and $80 Million - First of all, I'm fairly certain that the Marlins already offered over that. Secondly $16 Mil per year isn't the going rate for a player of Jose's caliber. So... this means the Mets are going to offer something low and say, "We tried." We've seen them do that before. What this ACTUALLY means is... NOTHING. Yes, the Mets WOULD pay Reyes $80 Mil over 5 years... so would a lot of teams. Right now I think the question is if a team will go over $100 Mil and offer 6 years.

Marlins Sign Heath Bell - The ONLY thing this means is that Leo Nunez no longer has fantasy value. Gee... shucks. Bell is a good closer and the Marlins are on the verge of being a very good team. Does this make them MORE likely to sign Reyes? NO! Does it make them less? NO! Actually this is one of the few times where a signing MIGHT mean something to the Mets. Leo Nunez who has changed his name to Oviedo will now likely be non-tendered. So... cross one expensive closer off the FA list and add a cheap one.

The Giants Are In Talks With Alex Gonzalez - There are some who saw Alex Gonzalez as a backup plan to Reyes signing elsewhere. HONESTLY... who are these people. Reyes might be miles ahead of Ruben Tejada but, take it from a guy who is not a Tejada fan, Alex Gonzalez is not. The Mets would be absurdly stupid to not pay for Reyes and then pay for Alex.

What's the Point?

Don't get too hung up on what you read in in the paper, online or what you hear on the radio. Unless Sandy Alderson says, "Well now we cannot sign Reyes.", Another team signs Reyes or Reyes retires... he still COULD be coming back to New York. Try not to read into these surrounding moves too much.