The free agent hot stove is beginning to simmer, especially with regard to shortstop Jose Reyes. Earlier Tuesday, FOX Sports reported that the Miami Marlins offered Reyes a six-year, $90 million deal. Then, in the evening, Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman tweeted that the Mets would be comfortable with that per-year dollar amount, though the chances that's what Reyes ultimately ends up with remains unlikely
"Assuming report of $90M (sic) for 6 from miami for reyes is right, mets think they can play there. No 1 expects that to be final # tho," Heyman tweeted.
At the beginning of the offseason, rumblings from the front office indicated that they'd be unwilling to offer Reyes anything larger than a five-year deal, so the chances the general manager Sandy Alderson would match an offer like this doesn't seem too high. What's also obvious is that while this is just the first offer, Reyes hasn't accepted it -- despite the reported mutual interest between Reyes and the Marlins -- so he believes he can get more somewhere. You'd have to think some team would pay him more than $15 million per.
The other problem for the Mets, according to FOX Sports, is that Reyes is very much intrigued by the Marlins and playing for Ozzie Guillen, a former shortstop. Part of the allure with Miami is that the climate is warm, the stadium has a retractive roof and he wouldn't have to play as many games in the northeast, thus possibly helping him stay healthy.
Last week, the Marlins also made offers to Albert Pujols, Mark Buehrle and Ryan Madson -- in addition to the 28-year-old shortstop. But many within the industry are unsure whether the Marlins are serious about truly making a splash this offseason, according to FOX Sports.
Alderson will continue to monitor this situation, but it's clear that the Mets are on the backburner right now because they really won't be able to compete financially -- and the GM isn't a fan of such a long-term deal.