Rooting for José Reyes

[Strawman]

Who's going to root for Reyes this year?

In the past, I still rooted for Seaver and Strawberry - two other favorites who left - on their new teams. If Wright gets moved, I'll root for him too.

Tougher in the division, I will admit. But I can't help but hope Jose does well (and it might get even easier if the Mets fall well behind, which is somewhat likely).

It's been a joy to follow his career in New York. Never saw a happier, more enthusiastic player.

So....go Jose!

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[Shea Knight]

I'll root for him...

[Paulypal]

Why would you not root for him? I root for any player I like - the uniform doesnt matter.

I was a huge Strawberry fan and loved every second of his first visit back to Shea when he homered off of Frank Viola.

[Ralf]

I don't root for ex-Mets that leave on their own volition. He's no different than Mike Hampton in my mind. I hope he fails miserably in Miami.

(this is coming from someone who has only bought 1 player jersey in his whole life too...........Jose Reyes)

[Strawman]

Why would you not root for him? I root for any player I like - the uniform doesnt matter.

I was a huge Strawberry fan and loved every second of his first visit back to Shea when he homered off of Frank Viola.

Yep me too. Jose's the best Met of his generation, just ahead of Wright (who we may also be rooting for him road grays in the not-to-distant future).

[milladrive]

I dunno why, but I haven't quite decided yet. I'm somewhere between Strawman and Ralf.

I want him to do well, but not at the expense of the Mets.

[oldnymetsfan]

I'm old enough to remember many of the Mets that have come and gone.

There was McGraw, Harrelson & Dykstra wearing Phillies uniforms.
While Strawberry, Gooden and Cone made headlines with the Evil Empire.
Mookie was a Blue Jay and there were those like Nolan Ryan who had their best years after they left Queens.

Tom Seaver was different, beyond special.
The day Tom Seaver was traded is etched into my memory like other tragic events.
The Mets were playing in Atlanta when Lindsey Nelson's voice broadcast the news "Tom Seaver has left the dugout".
And I remember going to every Reds/Mets game he pitched at Shea and cheering for his success.

Now Jose is gone.
The memory of his departure is fresh in my mind as is the memory of his contributions to the team.
He made my addiction to Mets baseball more enjoyable, it’s sad to see him go and I don’t curse him for his departure.

Jose Reyes, however, is not Tom Seaver
There will be no “rooting” for Jose the Marlin

[Shea Knight]

I suppose my "Tom Seaver" day was the day I heard Piazza was leaving...

I'd grown up with him, he'd shown me into playing baseball and rooting for the Mets...

And then I heard he was gone--and it was odd, it was sad, but more than that, it was just a realization that baseball and the Mets would never FEEL the same way...

Maybe it's odd to think this way as a teenager, but a I really did think at the time, "Wow, the Piazza days are in my childhood now...and I'm past that..."

Jose would be a close second in terms of the separation pains.

[Brooklyn]

I"m rooting for him to do well. That said, I'm going to be very annoyed if he plays 160 games this season. I'm certainly NOT rooting for an injury, but I will be even more annoyed that they let him go if he plays a full season

[theAmazingMet]

I love Jose Reyes. He is a player who is worth the price of admission. I will root for him like I did for Seaver, Strawberry, and Piazza after they left.

[theAmazingMet]

I don't root for ex-Mets that leave on their own volition. He's no different than Mike Hampton in my mind. I hope he fails miserably in Miami.

(this is coming from someone who has only bought 1 player jersey in his whole life too...........Jose Reyes)

You should be more pissed at the wilpons for having no $, or will to resign Reyes. Whaddya expect him to play for free?

[Ralf]

You should be more pissed at the wilpons for having no $, or will to resign Reyes. Whaddya expect him to play for free?

Hogwash.

He ultimately decided the most guaranteed $ was more important than loyalty to a franchise that nurtured him and made him who he is. I'm sorry some people can't see this. Its been well documented already by reliable sources that the front office discussed a structured deal where he could reach his precious $100m just by staying healthy. He didn't want to have any accountability so he left. I blame the Wilpons for a lot of things wrong with this franchise but Jose choosing to leave on his own volition is not one of them. I hope he is a huge bust in Miami.

And another reminder, Sandy went to his agent in July to see if they would be interested in working out a deal and Jose nixed it. He is no Piazza or Seaver in my book......more like Mike Hampton.

[Paulypal]

Hogwash.

He ultimately decided the most guaranteed $ was more important than loyalty to a franchise that nurtured him and made him who he is. I'm sorry some people can't see this. Its been well documented already by reliable sources that the front office discussed a structured deal where he could reach his precious $100m Just by staying healthy. He didn't want to have any accountability so he left. I blame the Wilpons for a lot of things wrong with this franchise but Jose choosing to leave on his own volition is not one of them. I hope he is a huge bust in Miami.

And another reminder, Sandy went to his agent in July to see if they would be interested in working out a deal and Jose nixed it. He is no Piazza or Seaver in my book......more like Mike Hampton.

One of the most ridiculous posts on this whole Forum.

So Jose is suppose to say NO to guaranteed money tp prove his loyalty? I wonder if you would turn it down if given the opportunity? I know I wouldnt. I love the "holier than thou" fans that criticize a player for taking more money.

This is probably Jose's only chance at a big free agenT contract, but he is supposed to be loyal to an owner that is letting the team rot, and who said Jose wasn't worth big money. Time to get real.

I would love to see this documentation by these reliable sources. Hogwash again comes into play

[milladrive]

I said this when the deal was made, and I'll say it now. We can't take it with us. I mean, ten million here and ten million there, and pretty soon we're talkin' real money. Point is, is there really much of a difference between what José got from Miami and what he could have gotten from the team he was playing for? So, he'd make a few sheckles less, but when it comes down to the bottom line, his family and friends would never have starved, no matter what team he dealt with. It would've been a big FA contract no matter what, give or take a million or two.

Granted, I agree that the first sign of Reyes' disinterest with the Mets came to light when he put off Alderson last July. And granted, the Mets needed to dramatically lower their payroll. But that doesn't excuse either side from not once talking money. I think both player and management are guilty of greed and conflicting interests. Yes, I think the Mets are more to fault than José for having no clue how to handle a MLB team -- perhaps they should've offered him $20M/yr for two decades upon his retirement (á la Bonilla) -- but José's nickel-and-dime greed kinda makes me hope he spends the rest of his non-Met career on the DL.

[theAmazingMet]

One of the most ridiculous posts on this whole Forum.

So Jose is suppose to say NO to guaranteed money tp prove his loyalty? I wonder if you would turn it down if given the opportunity? I know I wouldnt. I love the "holier than thou" fans that criticize a player for taking more money.

This is probably Jose's only chance at a big free agenT contract, but he is supposed to be loyal to an owner that is letting the team rot, and who said Jose wasn't worth big money. Time to get real.

I would love to see this documentation by these reliable sources. Hogwash again comes into play

Agreed. Not once did the Mets make any type of offer when Reyes was an UFA. The Mets were petrified that they would look like fools in a bidding war, so they did nothing. Better to act indifferent than to end up embarrassed (again). Kinda like the same strategy when A-Rod was an UFA years back. Of course Reyes was going to wait for the off season to sign a contract. Its what 99% of every pending UFA does.

I said this when the deal was made, and I'll say it now. We can't take it with us. I mean, ten million here and ten million there, and pretty soon we're talkin' real money. Point is, is there really much of a difference between what José got from Miami and what he could have gotten from the team he was playing for? So, he'd make a few sheckles less, but when it comes down to the bottom line, his family and friends would never have starved, no matter what team he dealt with. It would've been a big FA contract no matter what, give or take a million or two.

Granted, I agree that the first sign of Reyes' disinterest with the Mets came to light when he put off Alderson last July. And granted, the Mets needed to dramatically lower their payroll. But that doesn't excuse either side from not once talking money. I think both player and management are guilty of greed and conflicting interests. Yes, I think the Mets are more to fault than José for having no clue how to handle a MLB team -- perhaps they should've offered him $20M/yr for two decades upon his retirement (á la Bonilla) -- but José's nickel-and-dime greed kinda makes me hope he spends the rest of his non-Met career on the DL.

They never made an offer. They knew they couldnt offer Reyes a competitive offer so they didnt offer anything. How is taking the only offer on the table greedy? If anything he signed quickly, and didnt drag the process out to cause a bidding war. He showed less greed than Pujols IMO. He took the only offer out there, besides we all saw the writing on the wall with Miami. Its not like he signed with the Seattle Mariners, or some other team out of leftfield. I fully blame the Mets for Jose's departure.