New York Mets' Jose Reyes said he "wants to stay here," just days ago when speaking to Mike Francessa on WFAN. If the latest news from Sporting News' Ken Rosenthal is true, then Reyes may have made his wishes that much more difficult for the Mets to grant come this offseason.
Rosenthal says that super-agent Scott Boras is talking with Reyes about becoming his representative, citing major league sources.
Peter Greenberg is currently Reyes' agent and as Rosenthal says, "a switch to Boras almost certainly would reduce his chances of resigning with the Mets."
"Boras prefers his clients to establish their values on the open market. The Mets are unlikely to keep Reyes unless he accepts a lesser deal," Rosenthal writes.
Reyes has been the best player on New York Mets this season, already worth 4.2 wins above replacement -- second-highest in the league (his career-high is 6.4), according to Fangraphs.com. Without him, there's probably a case to be made that the Mets could be one of the worst teams in the National League, especially without David Wright, Ike Davis and Johan Santana in the lineup. Instead, they're towing the .500 line because of Reyes' .344/.387/.524 line with 24 stolen bases.
Rosenthal says that it's not illegal for agents to speak with other agents' clients and that Boras met with Reyes in the Dominican Republic over the winter and again during a trip to Colorado in May, according to his source. The shortstop also had meetings with other agents in spring training, though it's whether Boras was one of them remains unclear.
If the Boras and Reyes links prove to be true and Reyes signs on with him, this would be a huge blow to the Mets' chances of retaining Reyes past this season. Boras is the king of getting ultimate value for his clients, and there's no doubt that Reyes will command a hefty paycheck in the offseason. Carl Crawford's seven-year, $142 million deal (with no Boras representing him)? There's a good chance that will easily be shattered with Boras at the helm for Reyes.